BOSTON, MASS.--Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Chief Operating Officer
Michael M. Mulhern and his deputy, Anne Y. Herzenberg, were among the first two groups of
transit officials who took part in the Transit Cooperative Research Program international
transit study missions in the fall of 1994 and the spring of 1995. Mulhern recently
reported on the effective use he and Herzenberg have made of the ideas encountered and
lessons learned in Europe, which have brought "direct benefits to the MBTA."
Not only have we copied some of the specific design details and operating strategies we
saw in Europe, Mulhern wrote: "We have also become more open-minded. We find
ourselves more willing to seek innovative solutions to age-old problems and to reach out
to other agencies to share advice and experience on common transit problems."
Initiatives taken by Mulhern and Herzenberg in adapting their European discoveries to
the needs of MBTA did not exactly go unnoticed by top management. When they went on the
study missions organized under TCRP, he headed the Red Line and she the Blue Line. They
have since been promoted a couple of times and now serve as the authority's chief
operating officer and deputy chief operating officer.
The changes they brought about at MBTA, based on their European observations, were
concentrated in three areas and are helping to improve financial performance, customer
services, and station management.
In Mulhern's own words, the lessons learned during their European study missions
include:
Single-Person Train Operations
We have reduced the crew size on MBTA's Blue Line trains (Herzenberg's former line
operation) from two people to one. This initiative saves the MBTA over $1 million
annually, with no compromise in service, quality, reliability, or safety.
Despite forceful union opposition and apprehension on the part of elected officials, we
were able to allay fears and win support for SPTO by citing the widespread use of
single-person operation in Europe.
A critical step in implementing SPTO was the installation of closed circuit television
cameras on station platforms. The details of the CCTV installation on the Blue Line were
transferred directly from the design Mulhern observed on the Vienna subway.
Another important step in SPTO implementation was a public outreach campaign to enhance
public confidence. Following the example of European transit organizations, we assigned
senior operations managers, rather than public relations staff, to the public information
and education campaign.
Low Floor Technology
The MBTA will be the second United States transit property to introduce low floor cars.
These cars will operate on the Green Line. Over the last two years, the design process for
the new cars has provided excellent opportunities to incorporate some of the concepts we
saw in place in Europe.
For example, the new cars will have removable side body panels. Since our Green Line
cars, like many European streetcars, operate in mixed traffic, they are subject to
all-too-frequent collision damage. The removable panels will simplify the repair process,
reduce maintenance costs, and minimize vehicle downtime. This design detail is directly
transferred from the Strasbourg vehicle.
Lessons learned from European maintenance workshops are also being incorporated into
the redesign of our Green Line and Blue Line facilities.
Station Management
The MBTA is developing an entirely new station management concept for the twenty-first
century. This effort is motivated by the fact that MBTA is introducing automated fare
collection, which will allow us to change our approach to station staffing.
Based on our observations of European transit properties, we are viewing this change as
an opportunity to make our stations more attractive. Rather than collecting fares, station
personnel will be redeployed to provide improved customer service, increased attention to
station maintenance, a perception of increased security, and a generally more welcoming
station environment.
The MBTA has retained a design consultant to assess the infrastructure modifications
needed to support a network of station management hubs throughout the MBTA system. We
observed the hub concept in operation in Vienna and London, where station personnel are
assigned to monitor a group of stations for customer service and security purposes.
Following these examples, the MBTA plans to route CCTV, customer assistance call boxes,
and elevator and escalator monitoring devices to hub locations, from which personnel can
respond to inquiries and incidents effectively and promptly.
Herzenberg and Mulhern also served as "multipliers" in sharing their European
observations with the transportation faculty and students of the University of Puerto Rico
in three seminars organized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to MIT
Professor Nigel Wilson, participants will be able to apply the lessons learned from
European experience adapted to the U.S. context in their work on the Tren Urbano, the new
transit system for San Juan, P.R., "and in the future work of everyone
involved."
MBTA is currently in the process of organizing cross-harbor commuter ferry services, a
transit mode that Mulhern reports "is expanding dramatically in Boston."
Substantial European research inputs have been obtained and are being applied to the
promising new passenger services.
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