Healey chooses former LIRR president as MBTA general manager

Photo | Courtesy of State House News Service Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey

Write a Comment

By Chris Lisinski | State House News Service

Phillip Eng, the former president of the Long Island Rail Road, will become the next top leader at the MBTA as Gov. Maura Healey's administration sets out to put the ailing transit agency on firmer footing.

Healey's office announced Monday morning that it settled on Eng, who retired from the LIRR in February 2022 after four years at its helm in which the commuter rail system reported its best-ever on-time performance, as the next top leader at the T.

His appointment brings to a close a months-long search process that began before Healey took the oath of office.

"Phil Eng is the proven leader the MBTA needs to improve safety and reliability across the system and restore the public's trust," Healey said in a statement. "He understands that a functioning transportation system is essential to a functioning economy, and he has a track record of taking the reins of struggling public transit systems and dramatically improving service. He also takes a collaborative approach to his work and maintains open lines of communication with customers, workers, businesses, local officials and communities."

Eng is an engineer with nearly four decades of experience in transportation. In addition to his time atop the LIRR, he served as executive deputy commissioner and chief engineer of the New York State Department of Transportation and interim president of New York City Transit. He joined construction management and engineering firm The LiRo Group as executive vice president in August.

He is scheduled to start at the MBTA on April 10, taking over an agency at a time when service continues to deteriorate, post-pandemic ridership is languishing, budget gaps loom on the horizon, and hiring efforts to address staff shortages have stumbled.

Eng will also be in charge of steering the MBTA through its ongoing response to last year's Federal Transit Administration investigation, which flagged a range of safety risks including a massive deferred maintenance backlog.

In a statement provided by Healey's office, Eng declared, "It's time for a new way of doing business at the MBTA."

"As an engineer, a transportation professional for 40 years, and a commuter myself, I'm laser focused on finding innovative solutions to complex problems and approaching them with a sense of urgency that always puts the customer first," Eng said. "I'm also committed to supporting the hardworking employees who keep the MBTA running and ramping up hiring to ensure that we have the workforce in place to deliver the reliable service that riders deserve."

Jeff Gonneville, a longtime MBTA deputy GM who has been serving as interim leader since the final days of the Baker administration, will remain at the T "and assist with the transition to new management," Healey's office said.