July 16, 2025 • 39 mins
It was a scary moment for roughly 500 MBTA riders Tuesday afternoon when a Blue Line train traveling from Maverick Station to the Aquarium station shut down leaving passengers stuck underground without air conditioning. It took Boston firefighters about an hour to evacuate the passengers through the subway tunnels to safety. According to the MBTA, a 50-year-old broken cable was the cause of the disabled train. In addition, a recent report shows operational costs at the MBTA have risen. Brian Kane, the Executive Director of the MBTA Advisory Board, joined us to discuss these points of interest and more!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's new radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Well, if you followed the news in the last couple
of days, there's been a lot of really tough news,
specifically that fall or of a fire, but one that
caught my attention today that I think we can talk
about v one in the Boston Globe Metro page. Passengers
evacuated as Blue Line train stops under Boston Harbor. Now,
(00:31):
the Blue Line, you know, runs from Boston all the
way out to the Aquarium station. And I was not
on that train. If any of you were, I'd love
to know what it was like to stop in the middle.
You know, you're underwater, you're in the you're What a
(00:54):
frightening experience that must have been for individuals. And of
course that comes another think tank has released a report
of the MBTA, which has been critical. And let me
first just to set the stage. Here play a couple
of reports. Well I'll play at least one report here
from WBZ News Radio reporter James Rojas. This is cut
(01:17):
twenty one.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Please rob discontent, dissolutioned and just overall disappointment.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
That's the same turner from East walked into after hundreds
of Blue Line riders exited the station yesterday afternoon. That
was after they walked through the tunnel and along the
tracks between Aquarium and Maverick stations.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
It seemed more like they were kind of just fed up,
Like a bus would show up and people were just
like they would just turn around, look at it, and
then turn background. So they seemed very fed up.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
The train came to a standstill because of a down
to communications, cable power and air conditioning would be shut
off not long after.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Yeah, it was definitely very interesting seeing everyone sort of
freak out about it and was very understandable.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
Service was eventually restored with minor delays at the Aquarium station.
James Rojas WBZ, Boston's News radio, Just.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
To give you a sense of this, this is what
the Globe story red Light today on page B one
of the Metro a Blue Line train and this was
written by Nick Stoika, Jaimie Moore Carrillo, and Camille Beyong
Bugger Young. A Blue Line train was stuck under Boston
(02:26):
Harbor on Tuesday afternoons, stranding hundreds of passengers who have
been led out of the tunnels by MBTA employees and
first responsers. Responders the trains operators spotted a down wire
on the track and stopped the train as to travel
between Maverick and Aquarium stations at about two thirty pm.
The MBTA said electricity to the third rail was shut
(02:47):
off to allow workers, police and firefighters to reach the
train and guide more than four hundred and fifty passengers
along the tracks and out of the tunnel. The stoppage
is the latest example of MBTA customer is becoming suddenly
stranded due to equipment malfunctioning on the aging transit system.
They quote Angela Celebraci of East Boston. She says, I'm like,
(03:13):
can somebody please get me home? Expressing the frustration at
the disruption of service. She recalled hearing a loud bang
before the Blue Line train stopped. Well, I don't know
if any of you were on that train last night
or yesterday afternoon, but if you were, of course we
(03:35):
would be very happy to hear from you. One person
who probably has some perspective on it, whether he was
on the train or not, is Brian Kane. Brian is
the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board. It seems
to me that the Blue Line and the MBTA generally
(03:56):
sort of like the Red Sox. All of a sudden
they're on a wind streak and then they lose three
four in a row. Brian Kane, Welcome back to Nightside.
How are you.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
I'm wonderful, Dan, It's a true honor to be on
Night Side with you and your listeners. Thanks for having
me well.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Always great to have you back. I don't suspect that
you have looked at some you know, any specific report
on this, but I'd love to get your reaction. I'm
sure you've seen the story. To be stopped on a
rail track that you know is underwater. You're under the
(04:30):
Boston Harper and now you're going to have to walk out.
And obviously there's a lot of people on that train
who are in their twenties who probably have the physical
dexterity not to really worry about tripping and falling. But
I'm sure there's a lot of people on that train
who were on the wrong side of fifty or on
the wrong side of sixty. When you heard this yesterday,
(04:52):
what did you think?
Speaker 5 (04:55):
Well? I was concerned yesterday, Dan. I spoke to a
few folks at the tea today, and apparently what happened
is a fifty to seventy year old wire that no
one is really sure what it does or what role
it plays, fell and it was dangling. The operator of
the train followed standard procedure and stops. Obviously, you don't
(05:17):
want to have steel wire come into contact with the
third rail, which has six hundred volts of electricity running
through it. That would have made a bigger thing. So
that the operator followed what they were supposed to do,
and the evacuation, unfortunately was necessary. It was took it
took a while, but ultimately this was the safest course
of action, according to what folks have told me.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Okay, that's that's a fair response and one that I'm
happy to hear. The problem then becomes how often are
these tunnels inspected? And you know that's a pretty important
connector between East Boston and downtown Boston.
Speaker 5 (06:00):
I mean, so what we're seeing here, I mean to
answer your question, no one is really sure exactly what
is in every single t station and every single Tea tunnel.
Over the last one hundred and twenty odd years, lots
and lots of stuff has been done and put into
these things that was never They didn't keep good records
(06:22):
you know, the guy that worked on had retired and
didn't pass it on to the next person. Right. So
what the tea has been doing, and you've seen this
with the track work, is they're going in and they're
cleaning everything up and they're getting it up into a
state of good repair. They did good with the tracks
last summer in the blue line. They haven't quite gotten
to the spaghetti wiring above it. They have plans to
(06:43):
do that, and it can't happen fast enough.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Give us the view from thirty thousand feet and again,
as the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, that's
a pretty powerful position. Phil Ang, the general manager has
been getting pretty much universally positive reviews, but you still
see so many of these stories that come along with
(07:10):
some frequency. You know, a little crank crash here, train
was stranded. This was a big event yesterday. Respect it
was the fact that it could have been a lot worse,
which is great. And the conductor did the right thing,
that's great. What sort of a grade is the advisory
(07:30):
board or do you, as the chairman of the advisory board,
the executive director of the advisory boy, how's the tea doing.
Speaker 5 (07:39):
Well? Obviously, events like this case cause a lot of concern, right,
and this is unacceptable. I want to be very clear.
I have full faith and confidence in Filling and his
team and the work they're doing. There is a huge
job ahead of them. They have made some large inroads,
but it's not even close to being done. Let's not
forget is a twenty one billion dollars back blog of
(08:00):
maintenance work just a couple of years ago. They've made
great progress against that, but that's still a huge number
and a huge amount of work that has to happen.
And let's also be clear. To fix the sort of
thing like these wires in the Blue Line tunnel and
other tunnels and other stations requires shutdowns. No one likes
it when the Tea gets shut down. We've been seeing
(08:21):
a lot more of it. It's really inconvenient. They don't
like to do it, but they have to do it.
And we're going to have to, unfortunately, have a lot
more of this so that we can get things like
this spaghetti wiring in this Blue Line tunnel cleaned up
in the next couple of years. And it's going to
continue to be disruptive.
Speaker 6 (08:37):
Unfortunately.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Now the Tea for the most part and help me
out here, because I'm not a tea rider, but the
tea for the most part shuts down for the from
one o'clock until five o'clock in the morning.
Speaker 5 (08:52):
Yes, is that fair? Is that the Yes? That's that curate? Yes?
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Okay? Is it possible to from a financial point of
view to get this work done during that that tendency
every night of the shutdown so that that you don't
have the delays and get the work done, you know,
(09:20):
during the decent weather weather months. I know it's going
to be more expensive because you're going to have to
pay workers more money to work those hours. But what
what does the T do during the time when the
T is naturally shut down from one to five?
Speaker 5 (09:38):
So by the time the trains are cleared off of
the right of way which is the track where the
trains were on, and they are able to turn the
power off, You're talking one thirty am, and then you
have to have that line clear and you know they
have to make sure it's actually clear for safety readings
by about four forty five in the morning. Sure, so
(09:58):
you really only have about three hours every morning fair
enough to do all the work you have to do.
They do have folks to go out and do inspections
during those hours. There is unfortunately not enough of those folks,
and they can't get to the entire system every night,
and that's why they have to do what are called diversions,
where they shut down for days or weeks at a
time and cause those disruptions.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Okay, so you're convinced that the work that's being done
is being done as efficiently as possible under the circumstances.
Speaker 5 (10:30):
I think it's being done well. I wouldn't say it's
being done as efficiently as possible. Then no one works
as efficiently as possible all the time, except maybe you
and your staff, but it is.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
It is getting not really, I think, really, Brian, and
we're not playing with live wires who are potentially live
wires except some of our callers. Go ahead.
Speaker 5 (10:51):
I do think though, that they do air on the
side of caution, especially when dealing with the six hundred wells.
So yeah, they could probably do more and do it
better and do it more efficiently. Say that that's the
perfect because no one is. But I think they do
a pretty good job given the circumstance they have to
work with, and also that section of tunnel under the
Harbor is a really hard section to get at because
you have to walk in from the Aquarium or Maverick
(11:14):
and it takes a long time to get down there,
in a long time to get back.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Yeah, no, I totally I told you. How long is
the time that particular tel I'm guessing like maybe three miles.
Speaker 5 (11:25):
Yeah, I don't know. I know it was built over
one hundred years ago, and it's old, and they built
it to last, and God willing it will continue to last,
but it does need to be maintained.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Okay. My guest is Brian Kane. He's the executive director
of the MBT Advisory Board. We are talking about this
incident that happened yesterday afternoon on the Blue Line under
the tunnel under the Boston Harbor, I should say, and
I think most riders understood where they were. The train
(11:55):
was traveling from Maverick Station in East Boston to the Aquarium,
you know, down on the waterfront. This is a great
opportunity if you're a tea rider or you have a
question about the tea. I think Brian will take a
few phone calls if you'd like to join us. Brian
and I hope my producer didn't promise that we would
let you go. If you can stick with us for
(12:15):
a little while and take some phone calls, I would
appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (12:19):
I'm not your service Dan, all right.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Brian Kane, the executive director of the MBT Advisory Board,
This is an opportunity very difficult to get. By the way,
the general manager of the T, I think they have
a public relations staff. There are four or five people
whose purpose in life is to make sure that Phil
is not available. We'd love Brian to have Phil ang
on some night as well and give people an opportunity
(12:44):
to talk with him directly. But that's the story for
another evening. Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty
six one seven, nine, three one, ten thirty. This is
an opportunity for you to express your pleasure or your
discontent with the MBTA with the with Brian Kane, who
(13:04):
is the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board. Feel
free to light the phone lines up. We could go
if you'd like, all the way till eleven o'clock. I
think Brian would be willing to take your phone calls
until then. If the phone calls aren't there, then we
will let Brian we will dismiss Brian early. We'll be
(13:25):
back on Night's side. Feel free to join the conversation.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
All right, let's go to the phones. Brian Kane as
my guest. He's the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board. Brian,
we're going to get you to describe after the news
break exactly what the MBT Advisory Board does. But I
want to get the calls right away. Let me go
to Bill or Billy in debt him. Billy and Denham,
you are first tonight, first this hour with Brian Kane,
(13:56):
executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board.
Speaker 5 (13:58):
Go ahead, Bill, let me ask you, Brian on what
would you give Phil Ang for a grade on his
job performance right now? B plus probably Billy B plus.
He makes four hundred and seventy thousand dollars a year,
Am correct? I believe so? Yes, yeah, And when he
(14:22):
came here two years ago, he was only here a
very short time, and he hired five associates from New
York that he was affiliated with, and every one of
those affiliates that he hied makes over two hundred thousand
dollars a year. Okay, you're worth every penny. They're worth
every penny. Really, no disrespect, Brian, but I don't think
(14:49):
the MBTA is running any better today than I was
twenty years ago. And as I say, no disrespect, but
uh every day his major problems and I I disagree
with it starts at the top. But he brought five
people with them at high prices and they should not
(15:11):
be these types of problems. Just my opinion. But thank you, Oh, no,
happy to do it. I so the five guys you
brought in, I know several of them. They all work
extremely hard. They all left higher paying jobs for the
most part, from where they where they came from to
(15:31):
to come here to do it for Phil. And I
think they're getting they're all getting to under Grandy here
here roped the two hundred plus thousand year here.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Yeah, let me jump in for let me jump in
for a second. Were they people associates of General manager
AG who he worked with in New York or did
he cherry pick people from around the country.
Speaker 5 (15:56):
I'm New York. Yeah, a lot of them were thinks
that he worked with, that he knew and trusted, that
he knew he could put in two senior level jobs
to really carry the load for him. And uh, you
know you can't do this alone. It's a big job.
So I I donnot begrut you him that one bit.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Okay, So let me let me just follow up on
one question, and Bill, I don't want to anticipate what
you might ask. But when he when Phil Ang came in,
he succeeded whoever the general manager was of the of
the tea before him, and I forget who it was.
Who was that whom Steve Okay, fine, right, Pofftak had
(16:37):
worked in the Governor's office. If I'm not mistaken. Were
those five that he brought in were they replacing people
who were retiring or who were leaving? Obviously Phil Aang
replaced Pofftak. Okay, the five that were brought in, did
(16:57):
they assume the positions or with these just new hires
who were added to payroll? Because I think that's important
and I think that's a question that probably Bill from
Dedham would want ask.
Speaker 5 (17:08):
Stay right there, Bill, Yeah, it is an important question.
So I can't say for each of the five, the
three that I can think of off the top of
my head all took over existing jobs and they replaced
people that Bill Ang felt were not necessarily doing as
good of a job as was needed.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Okay, and for similar salaries, roughly, I mean, if they were,
they weren't replacing. If they're making two hundred k, they're
not replacing people who were making thirty five K.
Speaker 5 (17:39):
I assume no, they were fairly comparable. I'm sure I
don't have it in front of me, but I'll bet
you they were fairly comparable.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Okay, Bill and Denham. I hope that flushes out your
question a little bit.
Speaker 5 (17:51):
Well, it is a big job, Brian, mister ag has,
but it also it's a pretty big salary. And I'll
leave it at that.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Then let me ask this question for you Bill. How
does Phil Eng's salary Brian, I'm sure you have looked
at this compare with the salaries of CEOs, because he's
in effect the CEO, whether he's called general manager or whatever,
but he's a CEO. Compared to other u you know,
similar rapid transit countries, rapid transit authorities in other cities
(18:25):
like San Francisco. The Bard group is that kind of
the range where we're other people who are heading Bart
in the San.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
Francistem we'll look at the Metro. Donald Washington, you.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Your favorite, Bill, Let let him have a chance to
answer to my question. And I'm not going to cut
you off. Don't worry about it, just stay right. There
is that salary, you know, commensurate.
Speaker 5 (18:49):
His salary is very comparable to what the CEOs of
the ten largest other transit systems in the United States make,
including Washington d C. Randy Luck as a former t guy,
believe it or not, and I got a start here.
So yeah, Phil is right in the middle. He's not
too much higher, not too much lower.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Okay, fair enough, go ahead. I'll give you final comment
on Bill and Denham.
Speaker 5 (19:12):
Go ahead. The Metro, Donald Washington, DC doesn't have half
of the problems that you have every day here in
Boston and Massachusetts with the TROB.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
If I'm to defend the T here, Bill, but the
Metro was built in the late nineteen sixties in Washington
d C. Boston's MBTA has been around for twice as long.
Speaker 5 (19:37):
You have twice the problems too, you would expect to.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Hold the system. I think, go ahead, Brian.
Speaker 5 (19:44):
So with respect, Bill. The DC Metro was placed into
federal receivership a few years ago, which was the thing
that was threatened to the MBTA by the STA, the
Federal Transit Administration in twenty twenty because they were having
such dire so they are. They did have a long
standing period of problems. They got a massive infusion of
(20:07):
money from the District of Columbia and the two states
that they serve, and things are have rebounded and they're
doing very well right now. So I think you get
what you pay for with leadership. I think Randy Clark
does a great job down there, and I think Selling
does a very good job here, and he's worth the
money we pay him.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
All right, Bill and Denham, thanks again us going challenging questions.
I appreciate you take the time.
Speaker 5 (20:29):
Thanks, Thank you. Have a good night, both of you. Thanks. Thanks.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Bill. Yeah, that's it. Those those are tough questions, and
I'm glad he called. So if you have a tough question,
you were more than welcome to recall. My guest is
Brian Kane. He's the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board.
We're doing this segment in the context of this event
yesterday where a train stopped halfway between the Maverick and
(20:55):
Aquarium stations. It just happened that the halfway point between
those two stations is under Boston Harbor, and about four
hundred and fifty passengers had to be transported. Again, I
assume many of them were able to emulate on their own,
maybe some of them needed some assistance. If you have
any question about the MBTA, if you were on that train,
(21:16):
or if you were somebody who rides the MBT, if
you want to say something nice, you're more than welcome.
If you want to ask a challenging question, as Bill
from Denham did, you're more than welcome as well. Six
one seven, two, five four ten thirty, six one seven,
nine three one ten thirty. Coming right back on night Side.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
My guest is Brian Kane. Brian is the executive director
of the MBTA Advisory Board. So if you have a
question about the T or the service that you provide
and that you are provided on the T, you have
an opportunity to speak to the top guy. Six one seven, two,
five four to ten thirty or six one seven nine
three one Brian, As I understand that you have checked
(22:03):
on some of the CEO salaries and other transportation organizations
public you know, transportation organizations around the country, and I
guess you were correct that phil ngs salary is pretty
much in the middle of those. Give us just some
examples of what people. Let us say that the head
of the BART, the Bay Area Rapid Transit which is
(22:26):
San Francisco DC. You alluded to this fellow Randy Clark
in d C, and say, a city like Philadelphia, which
is very similar to Boston, what are those salaries?
Speaker 5 (22:38):
Well, yeah, I just I wanted to make sure I
was given your listeners the right information. So the CEO
of the San Francisco Barts earned five hundred thousand in
twenty twenty two. Randy Clark in d C had a
base of four ninety five. Philadelphia CEO made four twenty five,
and I think we said phil aang was around four seventy.
(23:00):
He's in the middle. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Okay, let's keep rolling here with questions again. We're we're
doing this this segment tonight in the context of what
happened yesterday to those four hundred and fifty passengers who
were who were stuck beneath Boston Harbor. Just a quick
factual question, do do those passengers again they were inconvenienced.
(23:27):
Hopefully no one was injured. Is there any sort of
outreach that the T does to them, you know, even like,
you know, sending them a duncan dogs, give a certificate
or something. I don't mean to be silly, but obviously
they you know, they they had a really tough experience,
so there's there's no reach out that you guys.
Speaker 5 (23:48):
Oh, I'm saying no, I'm sing I was trying to say, no,
You're not being silly. Dan. I don't know, but I
really hope so. I mean, there was four hundred and
fifty of them. Yeah, I certainly hope that someone got
their contact information and we should certainly send them something.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
I agree, Yeah, okay, I think that would be a
right step in the public relations direction. Next up, Fred
is in Framingham. Hey, Fred, appreciate your call. You're on
with Brian Kane, the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board.
Speaker 7 (24:18):
Hey, Brian, Hi, Dan, I take the green Line a
couple times a week, coming from Riverside into Boylston. Brian,
I think you got ahead their pr you Your answers
were very professional, Dan. Your question like what are you
doing from one to five?
Speaker 5 (24:35):
Brian?
Speaker 8 (24:35):
I thought you answered that very very well, and I
really don't want someone who's making thirty five thousand dollars
a year to be running the tee. So I thought
you did a very nice job.
Speaker 5 (24:46):
You guys.
Speaker 8 (24:46):
You get beaten up a lot for an incredibly old system,
and you know you guys do a good job. So
again a compliment Dan, I hopefully you can accept one
of those. I'd want to say, Brian, nice job, very
well done, very professional.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
By the way, Brian has always been a great guest
in this program. And yeah, my producer Marita, we were
talking about, well, what are we going to do tonight?
What topics would people be interested in, and of course
we simply put the topics up there and she said, well,
we haven't had Brian Kanaan in a while, and I've
always found Bryan it'd be very forthright.
Speaker 8 (25:23):
So that's who are Brian, And now you were you
You described the uh well and you know you're a professional.
So thank you very much, well done, Thank you Dan.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Happy driver, Thanks happy writer. I should say thank thank
you very much for I appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (25:38):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Grank six one seven thirty six one seven nine three
one ten thirty Brian before we get to another caller
here very quickly, how much money at this point does
the is the tea in the hole? There was a
point in time where they were they were down billions
(25:59):
of dollars, they owed billions of dollars. Where did they
stand just from a financial perspective at this point?
Speaker 5 (26:07):
So they closed, We haven't closed less fiscal year yet.
It ended the end of June. That will likely come
in right on budget. In terms of debt, it is
around five billion dollars the last time I checked.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Yeah, it was higher than that at some point there
was there was there an infusions of money.
Speaker 5 (26:27):
Well it was eight billion. No, so they pay They
paid around six hundred seven hundred million dollars a year
instead of you know, fixing trains or putting better service
out there, That money went to pay off debt to
get the number down to five billion. Yeah, so that's
why it's come down, because they made the decision to
put more that way instead of other ways.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Well, they were paying six or seven hundred in debt service,
is what you're I think you're trying to say, Yes,
definitely not mistaken. And in addition to that, I think
that the absolute revenue that the the MBTA takes in
during an entire year is only about what they were
paying in debt service? Am I correct on that?
Speaker 5 (27:10):
That was correct on pre COVID. It's actually less now
with ridership declines, with folks working from home, fair revenue
has declined a little bit. So now debt service is
more than they bring in affairs.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
Boy, that that is a tough hole to dig out of.
Let's keep rolling here. Let me go to Paul in Wakefield. Hi, Paul,
welcome you next on Nightside.
Speaker 6 (27:33):
Good evening, gentlemen. I just want to say confident to
the TEA. I'm a regular rider frequently with my grandchildren.
I find the ambassador is very friendly, the station's cleaned,
and I have a private experience, especially on the commuter rail.
I don't know if that's considered part of the TEA,
but I find the Tea a pretty good job.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
Yeah, the commuter rail is part of the TEA, correct.
Speaker 5 (27:57):
Brian, absolutely, yes, yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Now that that is run by what a company called
Kolas if.
Speaker 5 (28:05):
I returned, So the TEA contracts out its operation. So
instead of having MBTA employees run the train, that hires
this other company, which is a French company, to run
the trains for them, but the tea pays for it,
tells them when to run, tells them where to run,
et cetera.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
Is that where Keolas comes in or is Keola's out
of the picture.
Speaker 5 (28:24):
No, Kiol still has the concession. I believe they have
it for another eighteen months, maybe two years, and then
it's going to be bid and the bids are expected
to be around twenty billion dollars next time it comes around.
And I'd love to come back and talk to you
about that sometime down.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Twenty billion dollars over how long a period of time.
Speaker 5 (28:41):
Uh, ten years? I want to say, Yeah, you.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Got to sell sell a lot of cups of coffee
to get the twenty dollars.
Speaker 6 (28:48):
If I could ask a question about the community, did
I have plans to put ramps in at all the
community reil stations? Because I live in Wakefield, go out
with my grandchildren. One of them is in a carriage,
so usually go to Reading because they have a ramp
that I can rail a whalechair right up to.
Speaker 5 (29:05):
But I noticed a.
Speaker 6 (29:05):
Lot of the stations don't have easy access for whealechair
are baby carriages.
Speaker 5 (29:13):
So not every commuter rail station or Green Line station
is accessible. Yet there is a plan to bring what
are called mini high platforms to every or almost every
commuter rail station that isn't accessible, and that will allow
you to roll up and get on at least one
train car. And the plan is to roll those out
(29:34):
everywhere that they can.
Speaker 6 (29:36):
A timeline for that.
Speaker 5 (29:39):
I think it's a ten year timeline. Ball. I don't
know what Wakefield is. I know they just opened I
think Wilmington. No, not Wilmington. They just opened a new
one today, So they're making progress, but you know, they
got to speed it up for.
Speaker 6 (29:54):
Me to assume that the Bush Line, the Green bushmom
On that runs for the South Shore when I reopen
that those are all handicapped assays.
Speaker 5 (30:03):
I believe. So that's one of the newest lines. So
I think all of those stations were built after the
Americans with Disabilities Act, so they had to be built
to be accessible.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
My question, I was wanted to jump in here. The
ADA passed I think when George Bush forty one was president.
It's a long time for ramps to be available in Wakefield.
Why is that taking such a long time?
Speaker 5 (30:25):
Brian, So they have well over one hundred and fifty
commuteril stations, some of which are in very busy places
like the middle of Downtown's. It's very expensive and very
hard to get in and get access, especially when you
have to build elevators and build a series of switchback
ramps that gets you up at a certain level of grade.
(30:47):
So they are trying to do their best to get
to every station. Some are obviously easier than others, but
a lot of these stations were built well before George Bush,
well well before George Bush's great great grandfather in sent Francis.
Speaker 6 (30:59):
No, I know, I will say the conductors will.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Give me a has been around now more than forty years,
if my math is correct, and I didn't know if
they had to get waivers from the federal government to
be out of compliance, or whether or not there would
have been some federal federal money along the way that
the TEA could have taken advantage of. I know, I'm
probably asking things that pre date your status on the advisory.
Speaker 5 (31:24):
No, not at all, then, so yeah, I haven't been
around for forty years yet, God willing, whenever a major
renovation takes place, it has the station has to be
brought to ADA compliance. Sure, and so what they've been
doing is as they've gone and taken care of individual stations.
They bring it up to Coke and Wilmington, God willing
(31:44):
will get there very soon.
Speaker 6 (31:46):
I will say the Red line stations and most of
the Green lines are easy accessful with baby carriages because
of valivators. I really would break the tea very highly.
In my experience. We're riding with children in a community
where it was a deal. Because I'm a senior, I
ride for hot fights and my grandchildren under the l
(32:07):
age of eleven ride for free. And they have bothroom
facilities on them, which make it the real nights.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
All right. All they need now is free coffee, Paul,
that's all.
Speaker 6 (32:18):
I wouldn't have a problem with that. But damn, when
you travel with young kids, they always have to go
to bout them the minute you get on the train.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
Oh yeah, no, I'm familiar with that. Trust me.
Speaker 6 (32:28):
Tonight's convenience.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Then they're done that. Thanks, Paul, appreciate, thank you.
Speaker 6 (32:33):
Good luck town.
Speaker 5 (32:34):
They can't buy Sorry, go ahead, I'm I'm sorry, Brian.
I was just gonna say it was. The North Wilmington
station just reopened this week with fully accessible with elevators
and rams and everything else.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
So what you're saying is that it closed for a
while and when it was reconstructed or reconstituted, that was
the opportunity for the rams to be in compliance with
the ADA. Gotcha, gotcha? Okay, take a quick break. We've
got room for another call or too, if you'd like.
Six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty six one seven,
(33:08):
nine three, one ten thirty. A lot of times people
talk about the T, they complain about the T. Well,
you have an opportunity to talk to someone who actually
has an ability to respond to your concerns. Brian Kane,
the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board. Feel free
to join the conversation. I know if you live outside
of New England, you don't know what we're talking about.
(33:30):
But the MBTA is our public transportation system in and
around Greater Boston, similar to the Metro system in Washington,
of course, the underground trains in New York City and
the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. I think that's what
that stands for, the BART system as it's called in
(33:52):
San Francisco. Back on night Side right after this.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on w B
Boston's Radio.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
I guess Brian Kane, executive director named Meda, advised we bought.
Let's go to Christine in Denham, Massachusetts. Hi, Christine, welcome back.
How are you?
Speaker 9 (34:14):
I want a question?
Speaker 2 (34:17):
Go right? Yeah? You know what, Christine? I was I
didn't hit the button on time. Rob saved a call
here by hitting the button. So that's one for Rob.
He leaves me one nothing, Go right ahead, Christine.
Speaker 9 (34:29):
Okay. I had a question about I take the ride,
and I was told when I have a medical appointment,
I can tell him what time to come get me.
But I can't tell him anymore what time my appointment is.
I don't know why I can't tell them both? Why why?
Speaker 5 (34:47):
You know what I have heard?
Speaker 2 (34:49):
By the way, Christine, I have heard friends of mine
who rely upon the ride who are not happy with
the ride. I'm going to follow up with a question
or two. Did you understand that question? Brian?
Speaker 5 (35:01):
I believe so, so she can so. The ride is
a really challenging service to provide. If you think about
public transportation, the trains and the buses are more like
wholesale providing. The ride is like a retail. It's door
to door. Yeah, the Tea spends a significant amount of
(35:24):
money every year on the ride. It's upwards a two
hundred million dollars. Each trip costs the taxpayer about eighty
five dollars. It's a really expensive proposition. It's incredibly necessary,
it's incredibly it's much needed. Because there has been such
an increase in demand for it, they have had to
do things like reduce the windows of periods of time
(35:49):
when folks can get picked up and dropped off. It
makes it really, really inconvenient for you. I totally agree.
I don't know. I don't have a great answer for you.
I don't have a great solution for you, except you know,
we need to look at a statewide system for paratransit.
But I'm sorry, that's the best I can do for you.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
So let me get you to address the question. What
Christine said, correct me if I'm wrong. Christine is that
she could say to the ride, I'd like you to
pick me up at nine o'clock nine am, because I
have a doctor's appointment at let's say ten o'clock or
eleven o'clock. But they don't care about the time of
(36:27):
the appointment, and that would seem to me a very
important factor. If you're asking for someone to pick you up,
am I correct correctly suggested?
Speaker 9 (36:37):
Okay, either or I can't do both. I can't tell
them voth and I don't understand why.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Yeah, why would that be, Brian?
Speaker 5 (36:46):
I think what they do is they try to schedule
windows for pickup and windows for drop off within a
certain block of time around your appointment. And they also
try to pair rides with other people who are going
close by together. You get two or three people on
a on a on a vehicle to try.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
All the more reason that you. I would think that
all the more reason. So Christy, give me an example.
So let's assume you want to leave. You have an appointment.
Let's say eleven o'clock.
Speaker 9 (37:14):
Okay, I have an app I have an appointment on Friday,
and I could be there at nine. So like, if
I want to tell him I want to be picked
up at eight and that my appointment is at nine,
that's what I just but they said I can't do
that anymore. I have to tell him either be pick
what time I want to be picked up, or I
can't tell them what time my appointment is anymore, of
which I don't like.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
So does that does that force you to uh if
you get picked up earlier. Is that what's going on there? Brian?
Speaker 9 (37:42):
Yeah, I think yeah.
Speaker 5 (37:45):
What the thing's going on here is that the system
used to be run by people and now it's probably
run by AI and they don't care about the human
costs and how long she has to wait. And I'm
pretty sure that's what's happening here, and it's ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
Well, Christine, you have the complaint registered. It's not going
to affect you on Friday. Obviously, it was very frustrating,
and as a taxpayer, I'm frustrated. I have friends of
mine who rely upon the ride and it tends to
be unreliable. Brian. Maybe some night we can call and
just do an hour on the ride and maybe we
(38:19):
can get some people too. I'm serious.
Speaker 5 (38:22):
I'd be happy to sounds great, Well.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
We will set that up because I think that's important. Christine,
best of best of luck on Friday with whatever you're doing.
Thank you so much for calling.
Speaker 9 (38:32):
But the drivers have been so sweet. That's been so
good to make. I have no problem with the drivers.
They're so nice, they're so helpful that they're they're great.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
Okay, and you know what else, is great the eleven
o'clock news, and it's coming right at us, Christine, so
I gotta let you go. Okay, thanks, thanks so much,
Brian is always thank you very much. Short notice. You
gave us an hour and you answer some some tough
questions and you answered them directly and honestly, and you're
a great guest. Thank you so much. And I'd love
(39:04):
to come back and do something on problems with the
ride and publicize it in advance so you could hear,
because there's a lot of people out there who really
need the ride and I'm not sure it's giving them
what they need.
Speaker 5 (39:16):
Okay, Happy to come back anytime on your aw way stand.
Speaker 2 (39:19):
Thank you, Brian. I appreciate it very much. When we
come back right after eleven o'clock news, I hope you
stay with us and we'll set up a different topic
to discuss coming back on nightside.
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's new radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Well, if you followed the news in the last couple
of days, there's been a lot of really tough news,
specifically that fall or of a fire, but one that
caught my attention today that I think we can talk
about v one in the Boston Globe Metro page. Passengers
evacuated as Blue Line train stops under Boston Harbor. Now,
(00:31):
the Blue Line, you know, runs from Boston all the
way out to the Aquarium station. And I was not
on that train. If any of you were, I'd love
to know what it was like to stop in the middle.
You know, you're underwater, you're in the you're What a
(00:54):
frightening experience that must have been for individuals. And of
course that comes another think tank has released a report
of the MBTA, which has been critical. And let me
first just to set the stage. Here play a couple
of reports. Well I'll play at least one report here
from WBZ News Radio reporter James Rojas. This is cut
(01:17):
twenty one.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Please rob discontent, dissolutioned and just overall disappointment.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
That's the same turner from East walked into after hundreds
of Blue Line riders exited the station yesterday afternoon. That
was after they walked through the tunnel and along the
tracks between Aquarium and Maverick stations.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
It seemed more like they were kind of just fed up,
Like a bus would show up and people were just
like they would just turn around, look at it, and
then turn background. So they seemed very fed up.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
The train came to a standstill because of a down
to communications, cable power and air conditioning would be shut
off not long after.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Yeah, it was definitely very interesting seeing everyone sort of
freak out about it and was very understandable.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
Service was eventually restored with minor delays at the Aquarium station.
James Rojas WBZ, Boston's News radio, Just.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
To give you a sense of this, this is what
the Globe story red Light today on page B one
of the Metro a Blue Line train and this was
written by Nick Stoika, Jaimie Moore Carrillo, and Camille Beyong
Bugger Young. A Blue Line train was stuck under Boston
(02:26):
Harbor on Tuesday afternoons, stranding hundreds of passengers who have
been led out of the tunnels by MBTA employees and
first responsers. Responders the trains operators spotted a down wire
on the track and stopped the train as to travel
between Maverick and Aquarium stations at about two thirty pm.
The MBTA said electricity to the third rail was shut
(02:47):
off to allow workers, police and firefighters to reach the
train and guide more than four hundred and fifty passengers
along the tracks and out of the tunnel. The stoppage
is the latest example of MBTA customer is becoming suddenly
stranded due to equipment malfunctioning on the aging transit system.
They quote Angela Celebraci of East Boston. She says, I'm like,
(03:13):
can somebody please get me home? Expressing the frustration at
the disruption of service. She recalled hearing a loud bang
before the Blue Line train stopped. Well, I don't know
if any of you were on that train last night
or yesterday afternoon, but if you were, of course we
(03:35):
would be very happy to hear from you. One person
who probably has some perspective on it, whether he was
on the train or not, is Brian Kane. Brian is
the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board. It seems
to me that the Blue Line and the MBTA generally
(03:56):
sort of like the Red Sox. All of a sudden
they're on a wind streak and then they lose three
four in a row. Brian Kane, Welcome back to Nightside.
How are you.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
I'm wonderful, Dan, It's a true honor to be on
Night Side with you and your listeners. Thanks for having
me well.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Always great to have you back. I don't suspect that
you have looked at some you know, any specific report
on this, but I'd love to get your reaction. I'm
sure you've seen the story. To be stopped on a
rail track that you know is underwater. You're under the
(04:30):
Boston Harper and now you're going to have to walk out.
And obviously there's a lot of people on that train
who are in their twenties who probably have the physical
dexterity not to really worry about tripping and falling. But
I'm sure there's a lot of people on that train
who were on the wrong side of fifty or on
the wrong side of sixty. When you heard this yesterday,
(04:52):
what did you think?
Speaker 5 (04:55):
Well? I was concerned yesterday, Dan. I spoke to a
few folks at the tea today, and apparently what happened
is a fifty to seventy year old wire that no
one is really sure what it does or what role
it plays, fell and it was dangling. The operator of
the train followed standard procedure and stops. Obviously, you don't
(05:17):
want to have steel wire come into contact with the
third rail, which has six hundred volts of electricity running
through it. That would have made a bigger thing. So
that the operator followed what they were supposed to do,
and the evacuation, unfortunately was necessary. It was took it
took a while, but ultimately this was the safest course
of action, according to what folks have told me.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Okay, that's that's a fair response and one that I'm
happy to hear. The problem then becomes how often are
these tunnels inspected? And you know that's a pretty important
connector between East Boston and downtown Boston.
Speaker 5 (06:00):
I mean, so what we're seeing here, I mean to
answer your question, no one is really sure exactly what
is in every single t station and every single Tea tunnel.
Over the last one hundred and twenty odd years, lots
and lots of stuff has been done and put into
these things that was never They didn't keep good records
(06:22):
you know, the guy that worked on had retired and
didn't pass it on to the next person. Right. So
what the tea has been doing, and you've seen this
with the track work, is they're going in and they're
cleaning everything up and they're getting it up into a
state of good repair. They did good with the tracks
last summer in the blue line. They haven't quite gotten
to the spaghetti wiring above it. They have plans to
(06:43):
do that, and it can't happen fast enough.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Give us the view from thirty thousand feet and again,
as the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, that's
a pretty powerful position. Phil Ang, the general manager has
been getting pretty much universally positive reviews, but you still
see so many of these stories that come along with
(07:10):
some frequency. You know, a little crank crash here, train
was stranded. This was a big event yesterday. Respect it
was the fact that it could have been a lot worse,
which is great. And the conductor did the right thing,
that's great. What sort of a grade is the advisory
(07:30):
board or do you, as the chairman of the advisory board,
the executive director of the advisory boy, how's the tea doing.
Speaker 5 (07:39):
Well? Obviously, events like this case cause a lot of concern, right,
and this is unacceptable. I want to be very clear.
I have full faith and confidence in Filling and his
team and the work they're doing. There is a huge
job ahead of them. They have made some large inroads,
but it's not even close to being done. Let's not
forget is a twenty one billion dollars back blog of
(08:00):
maintenance work just a couple of years ago. They've made
great progress against that, but that's still a huge number
and a huge amount of work that has to happen.
And let's also be clear. To fix the sort of
thing like these wires in the Blue Line tunnel and
other tunnels and other stations requires shutdowns. No one likes
it when the Tea gets shut down. We've been seeing
(08:21):
a lot more of it. It's really inconvenient. They don't
like to do it, but they have to do it.
And we're going to have to, unfortunately, have a lot
more of this so that we can get things like
this spaghetti wiring in this Blue Line tunnel cleaned up
in the next couple of years. And it's going to
continue to be disruptive.
Speaker 6 (08:37):
Unfortunately.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Now the Tea for the most part and help me
out here, because I'm not a tea rider, but the
tea for the most part shuts down for the from
one o'clock until five o'clock in the morning.
Speaker 5 (08:52):
Yes, is that fair? Is that the Yes? That's that curate? Yes?
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Okay? Is it possible to from a financial point of
view to get this work done during that that tendency
every night of the shutdown so that that you don't
have the delays and get the work done, you know,
(09:20):
during the decent weather weather months. I know it's going
to be more expensive because you're going to have to
pay workers more money to work those hours. But what
what does the T do during the time when the
T is naturally shut down from one to five?
Speaker 5 (09:38):
So by the time the trains are cleared off of
the right of way which is the track where the
trains were on, and they are able to turn the
power off, You're talking one thirty am, and then you
have to have that line clear and you know they
have to make sure it's actually clear for safety readings
by about four forty five in the morning. Sure, so
(09:58):
you really only have about three hours every morning fair
enough to do all the work you have to do.
They do have folks to go out and do inspections
during those hours. There is unfortunately not enough of those folks,
and they can't get to the entire system every night,
and that's why they have to do what are called diversions,
where they shut down for days or weeks at a
time and cause those disruptions.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Okay, so you're convinced that the work that's being done
is being done as efficiently as possible under the circumstances.
Speaker 5 (10:30):
I think it's being done well. I wouldn't say it's
being done as efficiently as possible. Then no one works
as efficiently as possible all the time, except maybe you
and your staff, but it is.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
It is getting not really, I think, really, Brian, and
we're not playing with live wires who are potentially live
wires except some of our callers. Go ahead.
Speaker 5 (10:51):
I do think though, that they do air on the
side of caution, especially when dealing with the six hundred wells.
So yeah, they could probably do more and do it
better and do it more efficiently. Say that that's the
perfect because no one is. But I think they do
a pretty good job given the circumstance they have to
work with, and also that section of tunnel under the
Harbor is a really hard section to get at because
you have to walk in from the Aquarium or Maverick
(11:14):
and it takes a long time to get down there,
in a long time to get back.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Yeah, no, I totally I told you. How long is
the time that particular tel I'm guessing like maybe three miles.
Speaker 5 (11:25):
Yeah, I don't know. I know it was built over
one hundred years ago, and it's old, and they built
it to last, and God willing it will continue to last,
but it does need to be maintained.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Okay. My guest is Brian Kane. He's the executive director
of the MBT Advisory Board. We are talking about this
incident that happened yesterday afternoon on the Blue Line under
the tunnel under the Boston Harbor, I should say, and
I think most riders understood where they were. The train
(11:55):
was traveling from Maverick Station in East Boston to the Aquarium,
you know, down on the waterfront. This is a great
opportunity if you're a tea rider or you have a
question about the tea. I think Brian will take a
few phone calls if you'd like to join us. Brian
and I hope my producer didn't promise that we would
let you go. If you can stick with us for
(12:15):
a little while and take some phone calls, I would
appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (12:19):
I'm not your service Dan, all right.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Brian Kane, the executive director of the MBT Advisory Board,
This is an opportunity very difficult to get. By the way,
the general manager of the T, I think they have
a public relations staff. There are four or five people
whose purpose in life is to make sure that Phil
is not available. We'd love Brian to have Phil ang
on some night as well and give people an opportunity
(12:44):
to talk with him directly. But that's the story for
another evening. Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty
six one seven, nine, three one, ten thirty. This is
an opportunity for you to express your pleasure or your
discontent with the MBTA with the with Brian Kane, who
(13:04):
is the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board. Feel
free to light the phone lines up. We could go
if you'd like, all the way till eleven o'clock. I
think Brian would be willing to take your phone calls
until then. If the phone calls aren't there, then we
will let Brian we will dismiss Brian early. We'll be
(13:25):
back on Night's side. Feel free to join the conversation.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
All right, let's go to the phones. Brian Kane as
my guest. He's the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board. Brian,
we're going to get you to describe after the news
break exactly what the MBT Advisory Board does. But I
want to get the calls right away. Let me go
to Bill or Billy in debt him. Billy and Denham,
you are first tonight, first this hour with Brian Kane,
(13:56):
executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board.
Speaker 5 (13:58):
Go ahead, Bill, let me ask you, Brian on what
would you give Phil Ang for a grade on his
job performance right now? B plus probably Billy B plus.
He makes four hundred and seventy thousand dollars a year,
Am correct? I believe so? Yes, yeah, And when he
(14:22):
came here two years ago, he was only here a
very short time, and he hired five associates from New
York that he was affiliated with, and every one of
those affiliates that he hied makes over two hundred thousand
dollars a year. Okay, you're worth every penny. They're worth
every penny. Really, no disrespect, Brian, but I don't think
(14:49):
the MBTA is running any better today than I was
twenty years ago. And as I say, no disrespect, but
uh every day his major problems and I I disagree
with it starts at the top. But he brought five
people with them at high prices and they should not
(15:11):
be these types of problems. Just my opinion. But thank you, Oh, no,
happy to do it. I so the five guys you
brought in, I know several of them. They all work
extremely hard. They all left higher paying jobs for the
most part, from where they where they came from to
(15:31):
to come here to do it for Phil. And I
think they're getting they're all getting to under Grandy here
here roped the two hundred plus thousand year here.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Yeah, let me jump in for let me jump in
for a second. Were they people associates of General manager
AG who he worked with in New York or did
he cherry pick people from around the country.
Speaker 5 (15:56):
I'm New York. Yeah, a lot of them were thinks
that he worked with, that he knew and trusted, that
he knew he could put in two senior level jobs
to really carry the load for him. And uh, you
know you can't do this alone. It's a big job.
So I I donnot begrut you him that one bit.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Okay, So let me let me just follow up on
one question, and Bill, I don't want to anticipate what
you might ask. But when he when Phil Ang came in,
he succeeded whoever the general manager was of the of
the tea before him, and I forget who it was.
Who was that whom Steve Okay, fine, right, Pofftak had
(16:37):
worked in the Governor's office. If I'm not mistaken. Were
those five that he brought in were they replacing people
who were retiring or who were leaving? Obviously Phil Aang
replaced Pofftak. Okay, the five that were brought in, did
(16:57):
they assume the positions or with these just new hires
who were added to payroll? Because I think that's important
and I think that's a question that probably Bill from
Dedham would want ask.
Speaker 5 (17:08):
Stay right there, Bill, Yeah, it is an important question.
So I can't say for each of the five, the
three that I can think of off the top of
my head all took over existing jobs and they replaced
people that Bill Ang felt were not necessarily doing as
good of a job as was needed.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Okay, and for similar salaries, roughly, I mean, if they were,
they weren't replacing. If they're making two hundred k, they're
not replacing people who were making thirty five K.
Speaker 5 (17:39):
I assume no, they were fairly comparable. I'm sure I
don't have it in front of me, but I'll bet
you they were fairly comparable.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Okay, Bill and Denham. I hope that flushes out your
question a little bit.
Speaker 5 (17:51):
Well, it is a big job, Brian, mister ag has,
but it also it's a pretty big salary. And I'll
leave it at that.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Then let me ask this question for you Bill. How
does Phil Eng's salary Brian, I'm sure you have looked
at this compare with the salaries of CEOs, because he's
in effect the CEO, whether he's called general manager or whatever,
but he's a CEO. Compared to other u you know,
similar rapid transit countries, rapid transit authorities in other cities
(18:25):
like San Francisco. The Bard group is that kind of
the range where we're other people who are heading Bart
in the San.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
Francistem we'll look at the Metro. Donald Washington, you.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Your favorite, Bill, Let let him have a chance to
answer to my question. And I'm not going to cut
you off. Don't worry about it, just stay right. There
is that salary, you know, commensurate.
Speaker 5 (18:49):
His salary is very comparable to what the CEOs of
the ten largest other transit systems in the United States make,
including Washington d C. Randy Luck as a former t guy,
believe it or not, and I got a start here.
So yeah, Phil is right in the middle. He's not
too much higher, not too much lower.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Okay, fair enough, go ahead. I'll give you final comment
on Bill and Denham.
Speaker 5 (19:12):
Go ahead. The Metro, Donald Washington, DC doesn't have half
of the problems that you have every day here in
Boston and Massachusetts with the TROB.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
If I'm to defend the T here, Bill, but the
Metro was built in the late nineteen sixties in Washington
d C. Boston's MBTA has been around for twice as long.
Speaker 5 (19:37):
You have twice the problems too, you would expect to.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Hold the system. I think, go ahead, Brian.
Speaker 5 (19:44):
So with respect, Bill. The DC Metro was placed into
federal receivership a few years ago, which was the thing
that was threatened to the MBTA by the STA, the
Federal Transit Administration in twenty twenty because they were having
such dire so they are. They did have a long
standing period of problems. They got a massive infusion of
(20:07):
money from the District of Columbia and the two states
that they serve, and things are have rebounded and they're
doing very well right now. So I think you get
what you pay for with leadership. I think Randy Clark
does a great job down there, and I think Selling
does a very good job here, and he's worth the
money we pay him.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
All right, Bill and Denham, thanks again us going challenging questions.
I appreciate you take the time.
Speaker 5 (20:29):
Thanks, Thank you. Have a good night, both of you. Thanks. Thanks.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Bill. Yeah, that's it. Those those are tough questions, and
I'm glad he called. So if you have a tough question,
you were more than welcome to recall. My guest is
Brian Kane. He's the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board.
We're doing this segment in the context of this event
yesterday where a train stopped halfway between the Maverick and
(20:55):
Aquarium stations. It just happened that the halfway point between
those two stations is under Boston Harbor, and about four
hundred and fifty passengers had to be transported. Again, I
assume many of them were able to emulate on their own,
maybe some of them needed some assistance. If you have
any question about the MBTA, if you were on that train,
(21:16):
or if you were somebody who rides the MBT, if
you want to say something nice, you're more than welcome.
If you want to ask a challenging question, as Bill
from Denham did, you're more than welcome as well. Six
one seven, two, five four ten thirty, six one seven,
nine three one ten thirty. Coming right back on night Side.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
My guest is Brian Kane. Brian is the executive director
of the MBTA Advisory Board. So if you have a
question about the T or the service that you provide
and that you are provided on the T, you have
an opportunity to speak to the top guy. Six one seven, two,
five four to ten thirty or six one seven nine
three one Brian, As I understand that you have checked
(22:03):
on some of the CEO salaries and other transportation organizations
public you know, transportation organizations around the country, and I
guess you were correct that phil ngs salary is pretty
much in the middle of those. Give us just some
examples of what people. Let us say that the head
of the BART, the Bay Area Rapid Transit which is
(22:26):
San Francisco DC. You alluded to this fellow Randy Clark
in d C, and say, a city like Philadelphia, which
is very similar to Boston, what are those salaries?
Speaker 5 (22:38):
Well, yeah, I just I wanted to make sure I
was given your listeners the right information. So the CEO
of the San Francisco Barts earned five hundred thousand in
twenty twenty two. Randy Clark in d C had a
base of four ninety five. Philadelphia CEO made four twenty five,
and I think we said phil aang was around four seventy.
(23:00):
He's in the middle. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Okay, let's keep rolling here with questions again. We're we're
doing this this segment tonight in the context of what
happened yesterday to those four hundred and fifty passengers who
were who were stuck beneath Boston Harbor. Just a quick
factual question, do do those passengers again they were inconvenienced.
(23:27):
Hopefully no one was injured. Is there any sort of
outreach that the T does to them, you know, even like,
you know, sending them a duncan dogs, give a certificate
or something. I don't mean to be silly, but obviously
they you know, they they had a really tough experience,
so there's there's no reach out that you guys.
Speaker 5 (23:48):
Oh, I'm saying no, I'm sing I was trying to say, no,
You're not being silly. Dan. I don't know, but I
really hope so. I mean, there was four hundred and
fifty of them. Yeah, I certainly hope that someone got
their contact information and we should certainly send them something.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
I agree, Yeah, okay, I think that would be a
right step in the public relations direction. Next up, Fred
is in Framingham. Hey, Fred, appreciate your call. You're on
with Brian Kane, the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board.
Speaker 7 (24:18):
Hey, Brian, Hi, Dan, I take the green Line a
couple times a week, coming from Riverside into Boylston. Brian,
I think you got ahead their pr you Your answers
were very professional, Dan. Your question like what are you
doing from one to five?
Speaker 5 (24:35):
Brian?
Speaker 8 (24:35):
I thought you answered that very very well, and I
really don't want someone who's making thirty five thousand dollars
a year to be running the tee. So I thought
you did a very nice job.
Speaker 5 (24:46):
You guys.
Speaker 8 (24:46):
You get beaten up a lot for an incredibly old system,
and you know you guys do a good job. So
again a compliment Dan, I hopefully you can accept one
of those. I'd want to say, Brian, nice job, very
well done, very professional.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
By the way, Brian has always been a great guest
in this program. And yeah, my producer Marita, we were
talking about, well, what are we going to do tonight?
What topics would people be interested in, and of course
we simply put the topics up there and she said, well,
we haven't had Brian Kanaan in a while, and I've
always found Bryan it'd be very forthright.
Speaker 8 (25:23):
So that's who are Brian, And now you were you
You described the uh well and you know you're a professional.
So thank you very much, well done, Thank you Dan.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Happy driver, Thanks happy writer. I should say thank thank
you very much for I appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (25:38):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Grank six one seven thirty six one seven nine three
one ten thirty Brian before we get to another caller
here very quickly, how much money at this point does
the is the tea in the hole? There was a
point in time where they were they were down billions
(25:59):
of dollars, they owed billions of dollars. Where did they
stand just from a financial perspective at this point?
Speaker 5 (26:07):
So they closed, We haven't closed less fiscal year yet.
It ended the end of June. That will likely come
in right on budget. In terms of debt, it is
around five billion dollars the last time I checked.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Yeah, it was higher than that at some point there
was there was there an infusions of money.
Speaker 5 (26:27):
Well it was eight billion. No, so they pay They
paid around six hundred seven hundred million dollars a year
instead of you know, fixing trains or putting better service
out there, That money went to pay off debt to
get the number down to five billion. Yeah, so that's
why it's come down, because they made the decision to
put more that way instead of other ways.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Well, they were paying six or seven hundred in debt service,
is what you're I think you're trying to say, Yes,
definitely not mistaken. And in addition to that, I think
that the absolute revenue that the the MBTA takes in
during an entire year is only about what they were
paying in debt service? Am I correct on that?
Speaker 5 (27:10):
That was correct on pre COVID. It's actually less now
with ridership declines, with folks working from home, fair revenue
has declined a little bit. So now debt service is
more than they bring in affairs.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
Boy, that that is a tough hole to dig out of.
Let's keep rolling here. Let me go to Paul in Wakefield. Hi, Paul,
welcome you next on Nightside.
Speaker 6 (27:33):
Good evening, gentlemen. I just want to say confident to
the TEA. I'm a regular rider frequently with my grandchildren.
I find the ambassador is very friendly, the station's cleaned,
and I have a private experience, especially on the commuter rail.
I don't know if that's considered part of the TEA,
but I find the Tea a pretty good job.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
Yeah, the commuter rail is part of the TEA, correct.
Speaker 5 (27:57):
Brian, absolutely, yes, yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Now that that is run by what a company called
Kolas if.
Speaker 5 (28:05):
I returned, So the TEA contracts out its operation. So
instead of having MBTA employees run the train, that hires
this other company, which is a French company, to run
the trains for them, but the tea pays for it,
tells them when to run, tells them where to run,
et cetera.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
Is that where Keolas comes in or is Keola's out
of the picture.
Speaker 5 (28:24):
No, Kiol still has the concession. I believe they have
it for another eighteen months, maybe two years, and then
it's going to be bid and the bids are expected
to be around twenty billion dollars next time it comes around.
And I'd love to come back and talk to you
about that sometime down.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Twenty billion dollars over how long a period of time.
Speaker 5 (28:41):
Uh, ten years? I want to say, Yeah, you.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Got to sell sell a lot of cups of coffee
to get the twenty dollars.
Speaker 6 (28:48):
If I could ask a question about the community, did
I have plans to put ramps in at all the
community reil stations? Because I live in Wakefield, go out
with my grandchildren. One of them is in a carriage,
so usually go to Reading because they have a ramp
that I can rail a whalechair right up to.
Speaker 5 (29:05):
But I noticed a.
Speaker 6 (29:05):
Lot of the stations don't have easy access for whealechair
are baby carriages.
Speaker 5 (29:13):
So not every commuter rail station or Green Line station
is accessible. Yet there is a plan to bring what
are called mini high platforms to every or almost every
commuter rail station that isn't accessible, and that will allow
you to roll up and get on at least one
train car. And the plan is to roll those out
(29:34):
everywhere that they can.
Speaker 6 (29:36):
A timeline for that.
Speaker 5 (29:39):
I think it's a ten year timeline. Ball. I don't
know what Wakefield is. I know they just opened I
think Wilmington. No, not Wilmington. They just opened a new
one today, So they're making progress, but you know, they
got to speed it up for.
Speaker 6 (29:54):
Me to assume that the Bush Line, the Green bushmom
On that runs for the South Shore when I reopen
that those are all handicapped assays.
Speaker 5 (30:03):
I believe. So that's one of the newest lines. So
I think all of those stations were built after the
Americans with Disabilities Act, so they had to be built
to be accessible.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
My question, I was wanted to jump in here. The
ADA passed I think when George Bush forty one was president.
It's a long time for ramps to be available in Wakefield.
Why is that taking such a long time?
Speaker 5 (30:25):
Brian, So they have well over one hundred and fifty
commuteril stations, some of which are in very busy places
like the middle of Downtown's. It's very expensive and very
hard to get in and get access, especially when you
have to build elevators and build a series of switchback
ramps that gets you up at a certain level of grade.
(30:47):
So they are trying to do their best to get
to every station. Some are obviously easier than others, but
a lot of these stations were built well before George Bush,
well well before George Bush's great great grandfather in sent Francis.
Speaker 6 (30:59):
No, I know, I will say the conductors will.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Give me a has been around now more than forty years,
if my math is correct, and I didn't know if
they had to get waivers from the federal government to
be out of compliance, or whether or not there would
have been some federal federal money along the way that
the TEA could have taken advantage of. I know, I'm
probably asking things that pre date your status on the advisory.
Speaker 5 (31:24):
No, not at all, then, so yeah, I haven't been
around for forty years yet, God willing, whenever a major
renovation takes place, it has the station has to be
brought to ADA compliance. Sure, and so what they've been
doing is as they've gone and taken care of individual stations.
They bring it up to Coke and Wilmington, God willing
(31:44):
will get there very soon.
Speaker 6 (31:46):
I will say the Red line stations and most of
the Green lines are easy accessful with baby carriages because
of valivators. I really would break the tea very highly.
In my experience. We're riding with children in a community
where it was a deal. Because I'm a senior, I
ride for hot fights and my grandchildren under the l
(32:07):
age of eleven ride for free. And they have bothroom
facilities on them, which make it the real nights.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
All right. All they need now is free coffee, Paul,
that's all.
Speaker 6 (32:18):
I wouldn't have a problem with that. But damn, when
you travel with young kids, they always have to go
to bout them the minute you get on the train.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
Oh yeah, no, I'm familiar with that. Trust me.
Speaker 6 (32:28):
Tonight's convenience.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Then they're done that. Thanks, Paul, appreciate, thank you.
Speaker 6 (32:33):
Good luck town.
Speaker 5 (32:34):
They can't buy Sorry, go ahead, I'm I'm sorry, Brian.
I was just gonna say it was. The North Wilmington
station just reopened this week with fully accessible with elevators
and rams and everything else.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
So what you're saying is that it closed for a
while and when it was reconstructed or reconstituted, that was
the opportunity for the rams to be in compliance with
the ADA. Gotcha, gotcha? Okay, take a quick break. We've
got room for another call or too, if you'd like.
Six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty six one seven,
(33:08):
nine three, one ten thirty. A lot of times people
talk about the T, they complain about the T. Well,
you have an opportunity to talk to someone who actually
has an ability to respond to your concerns. Brian Kane,
the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board. Feel free
to join the conversation. I know if you live outside
of New England, you don't know what we're talking about.
(33:30):
But the MBTA is our public transportation system in and
around Greater Boston, similar to the Metro system in Washington,
of course, the underground trains in New York City and
the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. I think that's what
that stands for, the BART system as it's called in
(33:52):
San Francisco. Back on night Side right after this.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on w B
Boston's Radio.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
I guess Brian Kane, executive director named Meda, advised we bought.
Let's go to Christine in Denham, Massachusetts. Hi, Christine, welcome back.
How are you?
Speaker 9 (34:14):
I want a question?
Speaker 2 (34:17):
Go right? Yeah? You know what, Christine? I was I
didn't hit the button on time. Rob saved a call
here by hitting the button. So that's one for Rob.
He leaves me one nothing, Go right ahead, Christine.
Speaker 9 (34:29):
Okay. I had a question about I take the ride,
and I was told when I have a medical appointment,
I can tell him what time to come get me.
But I can't tell him anymore what time my appointment is.
I don't know why I can't tell them both? Why why?
Speaker 5 (34:47):
You know what I have heard?
Speaker 2 (34:49):
By the way, Christine, I have heard friends of mine
who rely upon the ride who are not happy with
the ride. I'm going to follow up with a question
or two. Did you understand that question? Brian?
Speaker 5 (35:01):
I believe so, so she can so. The ride is
a really challenging service to provide. If you think about
public transportation, the trains and the buses are more like
wholesale providing. The ride is like a retail. It's door
to door. Yeah, the Tea spends a significant amount of
(35:24):
money every year on the ride. It's upwards a two
hundred million dollars. Each trip costs the taxpayer about eighty
five dollars. It's a really expensive proposition. It's incredibly necessary,
it's incredibly it's much needed. Because there has been such
an increase in demand for it, they have had to
do things like reduce the windows of periods of time
(35:49):
when folks can get picked up and dropped off. It
makes it really, really inconvenient for you. I totally agree.
I don't know. I don't have a great answer for you.
I don't have a great solution for you, except you know,
we need to look at a statewide system for paratransit.
But I'm sorry, that's the best I can do for you.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
So let me get you to address the question. What
Christine said, correct me if I'm wrong. Christine is that
she could say to the ride, I'd like you to
pick me up at nine o'clock nine am, because I
have a doctor's appointment at let's say ten o'clock or
eleven o'clock. But they don't care about the time of
(36:27):
the appointment, and that would seem to me a very
important factor. If you're asking for someone to pick you up,
am I correct correctly suggested?
Speaker 9 (36:37):
Okay, either or I can't do both. I can't tell
them voth and I don't understand why.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Yeah, why would that be, Brian?
Speaker 5 (36:46):
I think what they do is they try to schedule
windows for pickup and windows for drop off within a
certain block of time around your appointment. And they also
try to pair rides with other people who are going
close by together. You get two or three people on
a on a on a vehicle to try.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
All the more reason that you. I would think that
all the more reason. So Christy, give me an example.
So let's assume you want to leave. You have an appointment.
Let's say eleven o'clock.
Speaker 9 (37:14):
Okay, I have an app I have an appointment on Friday,
and I could be there at nine. So like, if
I want to tell him I want to be picked
up at eight and that my appointment is at nine,
that's what I just but they said I can't do
that anymore. I have to tell him either be pick
what time I want to be picked up, or I
can't tell them what time my appointment is anymore, of
which I don't like.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
So does that does that force you to uh if
you get picked up earlier. Is that what's going on there? Brian?
Speaker 9 (37:42):
Yeah, I think yeah.
Speaker 5 (37:45):
What the thing's going on here is that the system
used to be run by people and now it's probably
run by AI and they don't care about the human
costs and how long she has to wait. And I'm
pretty sure that's what's happening here, and it's ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
Well, Christine, you have the complaint registered. It's not going
to affect you on Friday. Obviously, it was very frustrating,
and as a taxpayer, I'm frustrated. I have friends of
mine who rely upon the ride and it tends to
be unreliable. Brian. Maybe some night we can call and
just do an hour on the ride and maybe we
(38:19):
can get some people too. I'm serious.
Speaker 5 (38:22):
I'd be happy to sounds great, Well.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
We will set that up because I think that's important. Christine,
best of best of luck on Friday with whatever you're doing.
Thank you so much for calling.
Speaker 9 (38:32):
But the drivers have been so sweet. That's been so
good to make. I have no problem with the drivers.
They're so nice, they're so helpful that they're they're great.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
Okay, and you know what else, is great the eleven
o'clock news, and it's coming right at us, Christine, so
I gotta let you go. Okay, thanks, thanks so much,
Brian is always thank you very much. Short notice. You
gave us an hour and you answer some some tough
questions and you answered them directly and honestly, and you're
a great guest. Thank you so much. And I'd love
(39:04):
to come back and do something on problems with the
ride and publicize it in advance so you could hear,
because there's a lot of people out there who really
need the ride and I'm not sure it's giving them
what they need.
Speaker 5 (39:16):
Okay, Happy to come back anytime on your aw way stand.
Speaker 2 (39:19):
Thank you, Brian. I appreciate it very much. When we
come back right after eleven o'clock news, I hope you
stay with us and we'll set up a different topic
to discuss coming back on nightside.
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