Changes are brewing in Boston: with a new commuter rail operator in place, the relocation of a vital rapid transit line under way, and a proposed fare hike on the horizon, MBTA has its hands full - Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority - Michael Mulhern - Interview

Railway Age, July, 2003 by Christopher Ytuarte

Able to lay claim to the oldest subway system in the U.S., the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) does not intend to rest on its laurels. Modernization of the region's entire rail transit system remains a top priority, as evidenced by the current spirit of expansion, fiscal progress, and transition within the MBTA.

With several multi-million dollar projects in either early design phase or in full swing, it would appear the MBTA has a full plate. The $434 million Greenbush Project, currently on hiatus, is an 18-mile commuter rail extension from Braintree to Scituate that will restore service on former Old Colony lines southeast of Boston. Relocation of the T's Green Line service near the Fleet Center and creation of a new North Station Superstation, budgeted at $305 million, continues its 10-year course toward completion in 2005. A new twist to the already tough scheduling for the Green Line project is that portions of it must now be completed by summer 2004, when the Democratic National Convention rolls into town.

But there is more. This month, following extensive contract negotiations, Amtrak hands over the operating reins for MBTA's commuter rail services to the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR), a consortium of Bombardier, Connex North America, and Alternate Concepts, Inc. And last, but not least, with 468 route-miles to maintain and nearly 850,000 weekday boardings to accommodate, the MBTA is facing a budgetary crisis.

Amidst all this, MBTA General Manager Michael Mulhern took time to sit down with Railway Age and discuss the various challenges facing the agency:

Railway Age: How are plans working out with MBCR?

Mulhern: The new commuter rail operator took over July 1, but they were issued a notice to proceed right around the first of the year. MBCR has done a phenomenal job in the last five months pulling things together. They weren't required to, but they reached agreement with 100% of the labor unions involved with the operation. MBCR has brought in team of extraordinary talent, which gives us great confidence that we're going to have a smooth transition. We worked out a five-year contract with MBCR valued at $1 billion.

RA: Let's look at two of the largest and most vital projects currently on MBTA's plate. What is the current status of The Greenbush Project?

Mulhern: The Greenbush Project is in a design/build phase, and we have some open issues with regard to permitting and property. We've halted the project until we resolve those issues because they're adding significant cost. A lot of property acquisition issues were never resolved, and that lack of resolution puts us at an extreme disadvantage with the local communities in terms of dealing with mitigation. CSX, for example, owns 1.4 miles of track we'd like to utilize, and we need to resolve that issue with them before we move forward.

Our board of directors and the governor asked for recommendation on the project. The strength of that recommendation would relate directly to the final cost of the project. The closer we are to $434 million, the stronger the recommendation. The further we are from that number, the weaker the recommendation grows. So right now, it is really a financial issue with the Greenbush Project.

RA: How is the Green Line relocation and Superstation project progressing?

Mulhern: It's been a long project for us in terms of time spent, but now you can see the Superstation taking shape. It's fantastic. It's hard to remember a station project spanning ten years. One of the big issues there is the interface with the Central Artery Project (CAP). Our schedule is basically married to the progress of the CAP. For instance, if we're closing roadways or closing the elevated structure of the Green Line for one project, we like to minimize the timeframe on that window. So there is a lot of interface with the CAP people, which has made the timeframe for completion much longer. It is also very tough working in such a densely populated area of the city and keeping things running. But it's a beautiful station, one that we're very excited about. It is really going to do a lot not only to make transit system operations more efficient, but to improve customer service. It will put all the transfers at one level underground, where it's safe. Passengers won't have to climb stairs to switch trains and will no longer have to cross Causeway Street to access the Orange Line. They'll be out of the elements. It is going to be a much more convenient, customer-friendly environment.

RA: What is the current status of the capital budget?

Mulhern: The MBTA has had a long history of modernization and expansion, which puts a tremendous amount of stress on the capital budget. We have a very heavy debt load--some $4 billion. However, depending on which year you count, we've grown to be the fourth or fifth largest transit system in the U.S., based on unlinked ridership. That is a very significant indicator, in terms of Boston being a medium-sized city, yet having one of the largest transit systems. We'd like to continue that trend of modernization and expansion. Our focus right now is more on modernization. A much larger slice of the capital budget is aimed at bringing the system to a state of good repair. We also have a two-fold strategy for paying down our debt and creating a capital maintenance program, which will allow us to pay for capital investments with cash rather than having to borrow.