The MBTA restored full service two days after a February blizzard, with General Manager Phil Eng crediting hard lessons from January’s storm.
“It’s been some week,” Eng told the MBTA board Thursday, calling the rapid restoration a testament to round-the-clock work by operations, stations and maintenance crews. “Two days after, we were running full service, which I don’t know if many people would have believed that we could have done just a few years ago.”
The Sunday-to-Monday storm brought heavy snowfall, strong winds and whiteout conditions, prompting ferry suspensions and reduced service during the height of the event. Eng said buses and trains continued operating for essential riders, while National Guard and Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency personnel assisted statewide response efforts.
The February storm followed a January system that dropped roughly 23 inches of snow, accompanied by frigid temperatures and persistent light blowing snow that created prolonged service challenges. Eng acknowledged that some of the same vulnerabilities — aging infrastructure, antiquated signals and decades-old railway cars — were exposed again this winter.
“Some of our infrastructure, some of our equipment, is the same equipment that we had back in 2015 and maybe even the previous storm, 1978,” Eng said, referencing Red Line cars that are 40 to 60 years old.
On the Red Line, moisture in air lines on older Type 1 and Type 2 cars contributed to delays during the January storm. Blowing snow repeatedly fouled switches, particularly in exposed areas, as train movement pushed drifts back onto cleared track.
For February, Eng said crews pre-positioned snow fences at known trouble spots, gave heightened attention to vulnerable switches and adjusted fleet deployment to sideline the most failure-prone Red Line cars during reduced service.
“We’re not the same T that we were before,” he said. “We will continue to get better.”
Deputy Chief Operating Officer Deidre Habershaw outlined a key capital project aimed at strengthening operations long term: signal modernization at Columbia Junction, just north of JFK/UMass where the Ashmont and Braintree branches merge and where tracks connect to Cabot Yard, the Red Line’s primary maintenance facility.
The junction was heavily damaged by a 2019 derailment that destroyed track, third rail and signal equipment, leading to months of repairs and long-term operational constraints. Four switches were left clamped in a fixed position, limiting the junction’s functionality.
Installing a new digital signal system will “be restoring operational flexibility,” Habershaw said, allowing faster turnarounds, improved rerouting around disabled trains and quicker recovery from disruptions. Rather than a 45-day shutdown that would have required more than 100 shuttle buses at peak and added upward of an hour to some commutes, the T opted for a phased approach using manual block operations after 8 p.m. over roughly 12 weeks.
The Red Line disruptions will occur nightly beginning around 8 p.m. from Feb. 28 through the end of April. Each phase is expected to last about two weeks.
During the first phase, Braintree Branch trains will operate at reduced speeds after 8 p.m., with longer travel times and reduced frequency. In the second phase, Ashmont Branch trains will face similar slow zones. In later phases, riders from Braintree or Ashmont traveling beyond JFK/UMass will be required to transfer across the platform during evening hours. No service changes are planned for the day of the St. Patrick’s Day parade or for Marathon Monday on Patriots’ Day.
Habershaw said the work will allow the T to change over to a fully digital signal system on the Red and Orange lines later this year, replacing antiquated analog equipment and reducing the risk of conflicting train movements.
Despite the progress touted by Eng and his team, public comment reflected continued frustration among riders.
Kunal Patel expressed outrage about what he called persistent, systemic service failures on commuter rail lines, citing a pattern of equipment shortages, signal failures and staffing issues. He noted chronic delays and frequent cancellations, described a lack of accountability, and demanded refunds for every day service is delayed more than 15 minutes or canceled. Patel also called for an audit of line performance and a return of the on-time guarantee refund policy.
Joseph Cotton said his son waited at least 30 minutes for a Worcester-to-Boston train without meaningful updates. An anonymous caller urged the T to “hire competent management” and invest more in communication and reliable service rather than fare gates.
A Greater Boston resident said a recent Red Line trip from Downtown Crossing to Central Square took 54 minutes due to a disabled train, stressing the need for clearer communication and alternative service options. Alex of Ashburnham described riding a commuter rail train without heat that later broke down for an hour at Shirley Station, urging officials to implement promised improvements as soon as possible.
Eng acknowledged riders have “been through a lot this winter” but said the agency is moving in the right direction, bolstered by state funding and a renewed focus on rebuilding core infrastructure.
“We know on any given day one thing goes wrong, and it affects a lot of people,” he said. “That’s why we’re rebuilding our infrastructure.”
