‘We Can Turn It Around’: Phillip Eng Takes Helm as MBTA General Manager

Monday marks Day One of Phillip Eng's new role as general manager of the embattled MBTA.

Eng, the former Long Island Rail Road president, has been credited with turning around New York's troubled transit system.

It’s General Manager Eng’s first day on the job, and like our riders, he’s starting it off by taking the T to work. Riding the Blue Line, GM Eng experienced our transit system first-hand and talked with riders about their T experiences and shared goals for #BuildingABetterT. pic.twitter.com/LObAzHt7Me
— MBTA (@MBTA) April 10, 2023

The new head of the MBTA spent his first day on the job commuting on the transit system.

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"It's the best transit system in the world and that's why I'm here," Eng said at his introductory news conference at a Green Line station in Newton, adding, "We are going to work every day to provide the service that the public expects."

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced Eng was hired for the role in March, following a months-long search.

Between 2018 and 2022, Eng took the New York City commuter rail service from its worst on-time performance in years to its best record ever, the Healey administration noted. His resume also includes serving as chief operating officer of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Phillip Eng is a transit veteran with four decades of experience. He takes over a system plagued with problems, but he says he's up to the challenge.

Asked what his first priority would be, Eng said it's everything from safety and communication to partnering with the workers and investing in infrastructure, finding a way to balance the needs of today's riders and tomorrow's with urgency.

He reiterated that message Monday during a media availability at a T stop.

"You're always going to have competing priorities, but then we have to figure out how to do both or multiple," he said, adding that safety, reliability and communication are among the key areas he plans to address early on.

"To people who have lost faith in the T, I tell them, stay tuned. I know we can turn it around. I'm going to demonstrate we can turn it around," Eng said. "Once they start hearing the plan, people will see that we'll have a strategy and then you'll start to see meaningful improvements."

Officials touted Eng's track record as they announced he was joining the T.

"This is probably the most important appointment I've had to make since I've become governor, and I say that knowing how desperate the public is for leadership and a turnaround here," Healey said.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey introduced Phillip Eng, who helped run the

She noted that he's a commuter himself, even riding the T to the announcement of Eng's hiring.

With experience managing massive budgets and tens of thousands of employees, Eng has "a proven track record of taking on challenging problems, taking over the reins of transit systems in times of crises and turning them around," Healey said.

The LIRR is the largest commuter rail in the country, and serves nearly 90 million rides annually, according to the MTA, which manages public transit in the New York City metro area.

According to his biography on the MTA's website, Eng led the LIRR during the railroad's "Forward program," a set of initiatives aimed at "improving service reliability and enhancing the customer experience." Eng oversaw the delivery of a $6 billion capital program to modernize and expand the railroad's infrastructure.

Healey has missed her own deadline to find a new chief for the agency - which would have been March 6.

Eng also had a lengthy tenure with the New York State Department of Transportation, eventually holding positions such as chief engineer and executive deputy commissioner.

When he begins, Eng will face a multiple of challenges, including staffing shortages, project and maintenance delays and reduced speeds.

With speed restrictions impacting all of the MBTA's subway lines, the T is currently offering riders alternative options.

To succeeed, said Brian Kane, the head of the MBTA Advisory Board, Eng will have to at least consider unpopular but necessary solutions like more shutdowns like the one ordered for the Orange Line last year.

"What we do need is a vision and an approach to get us moving again and I hope he's the right maan for the job," Kane said.

Advocacy group A Better City announced its support for Eng, with Rick Dimino, its president and CEO, saying his selection "shows the Healey Administration is leaning in on its commitment to rebuilding a reliable system and public confidence in it.”

Eng's salary will start at $470,000 — an increase from his predecessor's that the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce had recommended as a way to attract talent. Eng also stands to make more in retention payments and bonuses as his tenure increases.