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Maintenance of Way (MOW)

Two personnel perform rail work at Harvard Station

The MBTA Maintenance of Way (MOW) department performs critical work to ensure the track is as safe as possible so that trains can run at their intended speed. For example:

  • MOW performs overnight track maintenance, typically from 1 AM to 5 AM.
  • Route diversions enable MOW to perform larger-scale track replacement and maintenance that require more time to complete.
  • Track walkers inspect the tracks from end to end, looking for defects that they must document and report to supervisory staff.

MOW personnel work around the clock on the track, in the rail shop, and in the office to perform the design, materials procurement, inspection, and repairs needed to maintain approximately 200 miles of track, several hundred track switches, and the property that the tracks sit on.

FTA Safety Management Inspection Response

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FTA Special Directive 22-04

During their Safety Management Inspection (SMI), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued Special Directive (SD) 22-04 and found that the MBTA:

  • Does not provide adequate time to complete necessary MOW maintenance activities
  • Has growing maintenance needs in its MOW departments
  • Has insufficient data on MOW defects and work order status to guide management planning

Read SD 22-04: Right of Way (ROW) Safety

Corrective Action Plans (CAPs)

The MBTA developed CAPs to address track maintenance needs.

CAPStatus
CAP SD 22-04 CAP 4 implements improvements to ROW access procedures to increase the available time period for track repairs to be performed and improve efficiency of on-track time.Status In progress
CAP SD 22-04 CAP 5 ensures that the MOW department has the staff, materials, contracts, equipment, and budget to sustainably maintain the MBTA ROW.Status

Complete 

Read the FTA’s closure letter (December 22, 2023) 

CAP SD 22-04 CAP 6 accelerates the implementation of the MBTA's Enterprise Asset Management system.Status

Complete

  Read the FTA’s closure letter (December 16, 2024)

CAP SD 22-04 CAP 7 creates digital tools to increase executive management’s understanding of the quantity and severity of track defects.Status

Complete 

Read the FTA’s closure letter (February 9, 2024)

Speed Restrictions

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FTA Safety Management Inspection Response

Follow our progress

Speed Restrictions

View the Speed Restrictions dashboard

MBTA Careers

Learn about careers at the MBTA