The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is awaiting the delivery of 75 double-decker coaches. Unfortunately, the South Korea-based company that was supposed to deliver on this promise has come up short -- by a lot. The MBTA has yet to receive any of the coaches promised in the 2008 contract.
According to The Boston Globe, the company has a near $200 million contract with the MBTA and with the state of Massachusetts. Still, only three cars are expected to be in service in April and only 15 expected to be running by September.
Our Boston accident lawyers understand that the fleet of the MBTA is growing older and older by the day. It's time that many of the subway cars, trains and buses are replaced. According to Beverly Scott, general manager of the MBTA, all of the new coaches expected should be ready for the commuter rail in 2014. But we've been awaiting the arrival of these coaches for quite some time now. Until they show, we're left using the worn, aged fleet we've got now, which could serve up some serious injury risks. These older trains are running the maintenance crews ragged with repairs and services, all while depleting resources. This kind of service shouldn't be something we're sitting back and waiting on. We need a proactive approach to make sure all commuters are safe.
The contract was initially awarded back in 2008. In this contract, there were four cars that were expected by October of 2010 and the rest of the 75 were to be here by the end of 2012. Unfortunately, those first four didn't make it to the MBTA until last fall -- and they only made it to testing.
The company has committed more workers, materials and funding to the development of these coaches in the last few months. Officials say it's not uncommon to experience delays like this one. About 10 years ago, the Hyundai Rotem made their debut in the US. They laid out prices to beat competitors and set out attractive promises. However, the company must ensure that these coaches get to us in an orderly manner. It's an expectation, not a luxury.
It's the responsibility of MBTA officials to make sure that this equipment is safe and working properly to keep riders safe. We can't overlook late deliveries from companies when the safety of commuters relies on it.