“Federal Regulators Demand Changes after MBTA Train Nears Misses with Workers”

Surveillance footage shows a dangerous moment between a construction worker and an MBTA train, one of several similar incidents that prompted federal regulators to step in and demand changes to the agency’s safety protocols.

Video from March 13, provided in response to a public records request, shows a track worker getting out of the way as the lights of an approaching train can be seen in the tunnel. The train stops before it is fully in sight, and before it has reached where the worker had been standing, and the worker appears unharmed.

The incident is one of several: on March 13, March 21, March 24 and April 7, where trains came too close to workers due to communication problems between construction crews and dispatch. They were described as “near misses” by MBTA General Manager Philip Eng during a subsequent board meeting. That, along with another incident in which a worker was seriously injured, is what prompted the Federal Transit Administration to intervene last month, banning more work on the train path without further training.

This comes as the T has been struggling to carry out the necessary repair and maintenance work on various lines to improve service and reduce slow zones.

Eng took the helm of the embattled agency, promising more focus on safety for both workers and passengers.