MBTA frets over Green Line safety, worker assaults
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Assaults on MBTA workers and a surge in Green Line safety incidents are the transit authority's most stubborn safety challenges heading into a busy summer.
Why it matters: The MBTA is failing to hit its own targets for the safety of its operators and on the Green Line.
- The problem appears to be intensifying as ridership recovers from pandemic lows.
- March 2026 ridership reached 86% of the pre-pandemic baseline. That's the highest March figure since 2019.
State of play: The MBTA's April 2026 safety performance report shows a system mostly holding the line on vehicle collisions and injuries, but failing to meet targets for worker assaults.
- The T's light rail system, which includes the Green Line and Mattapan trolley line, recorded a 13-month high for major safety events.
Between the lines: The light rail safety problems are particularly concerning since the Green Line has been the subject of years of federal oversight and safety interventions.
- The incident rate had more than doubled since February. That could mean whatever mitigations T managers have in place have not stabilized safety on the Green Line.
Zoom in: Light rail's major safety event rate hit 13.56 in April, nearly double the target of 7.74.
- Worker assault rates exceeded targets on all three modes: subway (6.07 vs. a target of 2.13), light rail (13.56 vs. 4.13) and buses (16.05 vs. 12.88).
- The subway lines were the only mode to meet major safety event targets, with a rate of just 0.43 vs. a goal of 4.38.
What's next: The MBTA's FY27 budget includes 550 new workers aimed partly at reducing contractor reliance, along with $122 million in federal maintenance funding.