Workforce challenges at the MBTA have received extensive reporting in recent years. Those challenges took on a new sense of urgency in 2022 when a safety management inspection by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) found that the MBTA needed to expand the size, training, and supervision of its workforce so that it could operate, maintain, and deliver capital projects safely.

While the FTA’s findings joined a chorus of other stakeholders noting the impact of staffing shortfalls, they alone have the authority to oversee and enforce public safety for all transit systems that receive federal funds under the Urban Area Formula Grants. Failing to address the FTA’s findings will stymie a recovery at the T, diminish the rationale for substantial new resources, and put Boston’s economy at risk.

The stakes could not be much higher.