Boston's MBTA Graduates Large Group of Heavy Rail Operators

Boston’s MBTA announced the graduation of another large class of heavy rail motorpersons, continuing the momentum of previous efforts to increase graduating class sizes from the MBTA’s Training School.

The milestone achievement is a significant step forward in the MBTA's ongoing efforts to maintain reliability and provide consistent Red, Orange, and Blue Line service.

“The skills and expertise that these motorpersons have gained at the Training School will contribute to the MBTA’s mission of providing safe and reliable service. We can see from their enthusiasm that they embrace public service and they’re excited to be part of our team,” said MBTA GM/CEO Phillip Eng. “From Day One, the Healey-Driscoll Administration has made rebuilding our workforce a priority, and thanks to the Governor’s leadership, we are more competitive and the results are telling. We’re attracting talented individuals like these graduates who are now providing quality service to our riders.”

Training MBTA Motorpersons

The MBTA has made great strides in increasing the class size of motorpersons in training and is now graduating the largest number of graduates in 18 years.

A class size of 23 is now the standard at the Training School. Of the 23 motorpersons recently hired, as of March 27, 20 in total will have graduated from the MBTA’s Training School. This class of graduates joins a cohort of 23 motorpersons in training in October 2023 that resulted in 19 new heavy rail motorpersons.

The graduating class of highly trained professionals successfully completed the Training School’s rigorous program that prepared them to operate the MBTA's heavy rail system — consisting of Red, Orange, and Blue Line vehicles — safely and efficiently.

The comprehensive training included classroom instruction, hands-on experience, and extensive safety protocols, ensuring that each graduate is well-equipped to handle the demands of the job.

Hands-on training equipped motorperson graduates with the skills necessary for safe and efficient operation, which included yard familiarization training where they learned how to interpret track signals and maneuver rail vehicles safely.

Additionally, trainees toured the carhouse and maintenance facility to gain a comprehensive understanding of train movement within the yard and how maintenance facilities prepare vehicles for passenger service.

With the MBTA’s commitment to safety, this approach to training ensures that new motorpersons have the knowledge and practical skills necessary to operate trains safely and efficiently, ultimately contributing to a smoother and more reliable experience for riders, according to the agency.  

Growing MBTA’s Workforce

The MBTA’s overall efforts to continue to rebuild its workforce are focused on diversity, recruitment, retention, skills training, and leadership development to cultivate the workforce needed to operate and maintain a modern transportation system.

The MBTA has invested in restructuring the senior leadership team; improving frontline teams, safety protocols, engineering, and planning; and workforce development and training to ensure employees can effectively fulfill their responsibilities.

The MBTA has exceeded hiring over 1,400 employees in 2023, surpassing a goal set by the Healey-Driscoll Administration, whose investment of $20 million in the supplemental budget also supported the Local 589 Agreement critical to the MBTA hiring efforts.