Governor Maura Healey names Phillip Eng as new General Manager of the MBTA
Phillip Eng will be named the next CEO of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Gov. Maura T. Healey announced Monday. Eng is an engineer with nearly 40 years of experience in transportation, including as president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road and interim president of New York City Transit. “Phil Eng is the proven leader the MBTA needs to improve safety and reliability across the system and restore public trust,” Healey said in a news release. “He understands that a functioning transport system is essential to a functioning economy, and he has experience taking the reins of struggling public transport systems and dramatically improving service. He also takes a collaborative approach to his work and maintains open lines of communication with customers, workers, businesses, local officials and communities.” Eng, who begins his new role on April 1[ads1]0, will ride the Green Line to Park Street Station to greet riders and walk over to the MBTA Operations Control Center, where he will meet with workers and review operations at the facility. Eng’s salary will be $470,000 before bonuses. Former GM Steve Poftak earned about $417,000 including bonuses. Eng worked his way through the ranks of the New York State Department of Transportation beginning in the 1980s, eventually serving as Executive Deputy Commissioner and Chief Engineer from 2013-2017. He then served as Chief Operating Officer of the MTA, where he oversaw successful efforts to improve performance and efficiency across all agencies, including the NYC Transit Authority, Metro-North Railroad, Long Island Rail Road, and MTA Bridges and Tunnels. “It’s time for a new way of doing business at the MBTA. As an engineer, transport professional for 40 years, and a commuter myself, I am laser-focused on finding innovative solutions to complex problems and approach them with a sense of urgency that always puts the customer first,” said Eng. “I am also committed to supporting the hard-working employees who keep the MBTA running and increasing hiring to ensure we have the workforce in place to deliver the reliable service that riders deserve.” Eng led the procurement and award of a $540 million contract to modernize the MTA’s mobile ticketing system and improved the MTA’s contracting methods to better ensure that projects would be completed on time, at reduced costs, and with improved quality and durability. From 2018 to 2022, Eng served as president of the MTA Long Island Rail Road, where he managed a system with 7,600 employees and a $1.6 billion operating budget. He transformed the system from having the worst on-time performance in decades to having the most consistent on-time performance in railroad history. Eng will face huge challenges with the troubled public transport system which was brought into sharp focus during the last few months when he took over the helm. One of the safety concerns was an Orange Line train that caught fire in July on a bridge in Somerville, prompting dozens of passengers to evacuate the train and one to jump into the Mystic River below. The fire was one of several MBTA safety problems that sparked a federal investigation, which led to a scathing report by the Federal Transit Administration. Video below: Worrying report on MBTA safety Earlier this month, the MBTA implemented global speed limits on trains and trolleys after officials learned proper documentation of safety tests was missing.
Phillip Eng will be named the next CEO of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Gov. Maura T. Healey announced Monday.
Eng is an engineer with nearly 40 years of experience in transportation, including as president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road and interim president of New York City Transit.
“Phil Eng is the proven leader the MBTA needs to improve safety and reliability across the system and restore public trust,” Healey said in a news release. “He understands that a functioning transport system is essential to a functioning economy, and he has experience taking the reins of struggling public transport systems and dramatically improving service. He also takes a collaborative approach to his work and maintains open lines of communication with customers, workers, businesses, local officials and communities.”
Eng, who begins his new role on April 10, will ride the Green Line to Park Street Station to greet riders and walk over to the MBTA Operations Control Center, where he will meet with workers and review operations at the facility.
Eng’s salary will be $470,000 before bonuses. Former GM Steve Poftak earned about $417,000 including bonuses.
Eng worked his way through the ranks of the New York State Department of Transportation beginning in the 1980s, eventually serving as Executive Deputy Commissioner and Chief Engineer from 2013-2017.
He then served as Chief Operating Officer of the MTA, where he oversaw successful efforts to improve performance and efficiency across all agencies, including the NYC Transit Authority, Metro-North Railroad, Long Island Rail Road, and MTA Bridges and Tunnels.
“It’s time for a new way of doing business at the MBTA. As an engineer, transport professional for 40 years, and a commuter myself, I am laser-focused on finding innovative solutions to complex problems and approach them with a sense of urgency that always puts the customer first,” said Eng. “I am also committed to supporting the hard-working employees who keep the MBTA running and increasing hiring to ensure we have the workforce in place to deliver the reliable service that riders deserve.”
Eng led the procurement and award of a $540 million contract to modernize the MTA’s mobile ticketing system and improved the MTA’s contracting methods to better ensure that projects would be completed on time, at reduced costs, and with improved quality and durability.
From 2018 to 2022, Eng served as president of the MTA Long Island Rail Road, where he managed a system with 7,600 employees and a $1.6 billion operating budget. He transformed the system from having the worst on-time performance in decades to having the most consistent on-time performance in railroad history.
Eng will face enormous challenges with the troubled public transport system that has been brought into sharp focus in recent months when he takes over the helm.
One of the safety concerns was an Orange Line train that caught fire in July on a bridge in Somerville, prompting dozens of passengers to evacuate the train and one to jump into the Mystic River below.
The fire was one of several MBTA safety problems that sparked a federal investigation, which led to a scathing report from the Federal Transit Administration.
Video below: Worrying report on MBTA safety
Earlier this month, the MBTA implemented global speed limits on trains and trolleys after officials learned proper documentation of safety tests was missing.
