MBTA GENERAL MANAGER Phillip Eng reported Thursday that the agency is making progress in eliminating slow zones on subway lines, but the T’s performance dashboard indicates the amount of track with speed restrictions is actually on the rise.
In a presentation to the MBTA board of directors, Eng said 97 speed restrictions have been lifted and two more will be eliminated shortly. He said 42 speed restrictions have been lifted on the Red Line, including nine between North Quincy and JFK on the Braintree Line. He said 15 speed restrictions have been removed on the Blue Line and eight on the Green Line. He did not say over what period of time the restrictions were lifted.
Eng said remaining speed restrictions on the so-called Tufts curves of the Orange Line are about to be lifted, returning speeds to normal levels. Work began on that stretch of track during the one-month shutdown of the Orange Line last summer, raising speed levels from 10 to 18 miles per hour. Eng said final work on that stretch of line is now done, which should allow the T to close out speed restrictions in the area and address one of the issues raised by the Federal Transit Administration in its safety audit of the MBTA.
Despite the good news, the MBTA’s performance dashboard as of Thursday morning indicated speed restrictions have been rising since June 13, when restrictions covered 20.3 percent of the subway system. On Thursday, the percentage was up to 21.8 percent.
“It’s important to note that lifting speed restrictions is a dynamic process,” said MBTA spokeswoman Lisa Battiston in an email. “While the percentage of restricted track will fluctuate as track defects are rectified, GM Eng has directed staff to target the most severe speed restrictions first in order to improve trip times for riders while also accomplishing this critical work. For example, on the Red Line, there were two speed restrictions that were recently improved from 10 mph to 25 mph – while the track is still restricted, trip times are improving.”
That explanation doesn’t explain why the amount of speed-restricted track on the subway system is increasing despite ongoing work to address the problem.
Speed restrictions have been one of the biggest headaches for the MBTA and its riders since some sort of breakdown was discovered in March in the way the T identified track defects and made (or didn’t make) repairs. The T hired an outside engineer to review “the MBTA’s track safety inspection procedures, record keeping practices, and documentation of planning and implementation of corrective activities” and his report is due soon.
One possible explanation for the rising track restrictions is that problems with the tracks are being uncovered faster than repairs can be made. For example, a Green Line train derailed on June 12 while traveling at 5 miles per hour on a section of track on the B Line near the Packard’s Corner stop. None of the passengers were injured.
Low speed derailments are concerning because the MBTA uses low speed limits to mitigate the chances of accidents on stretches of track believed to be defective. “These are the areas of the system with the most defects,” said state transportation safety chief Patrick Lavin.
The investigation of what caused the derailment at Packard’s Corner hasn’t been completed, but Lavin said he inspected the scene and concluded that defective track ties caused the tracks to pull apart, which in turn caused the train to derail.
Eng said crews replaced 37 train ties on the westbound track and also addressed weakened ties on the eastbound side. The T also plans to keep working on the B Line, shutting down the entire line for the two-week period from July 7 through July 28 to replace 2,000 feet of track. Shuttle buses will provide replacement service.
Lavin said he also ordered inspections of all track with a 10 mile-per-hour speed restriction across the entire subway system after the Green Line incident and uncovered more problems, but he didn’t go into detail about what was discovered.
Lavin said he is also working on keeping train speeds low in speed restricted areas. Previously, drivers could be disciplined only if they exceeded the posted speed limit by 5 miles per hour – by going 15 miles per hour in a 10 mile per hour zone, for example. Now disciplinary action kicks in if the driver exceeds the posted speed limit.
“When that tolerance was contemplated, it was done under the parameters of discipline, not really safety,” Lavin said. “There are areas of the system where you have a 3 mile-an-hour speed restriction, so if you allow a 5 mile-an-hour tolerance, you’re [at] almost three times what that speed restriction should be before there’s some consequence.”