MBTA monitor and advocates say accessibility work shows gains but flag announcements, complaint logging and platform gaps

The MBTA’s independent monitor and riders’ advocates on Wednesday reported measurable accessibility gains alongside continuing problems that the transit agency says it has plans to fix.

Judge King, the federal monitor for the Daniels‑Finegold settlement, told the semiannual public meeting that monitoring teams found high compliance on many measures but identified weaknesses: Green Line audible stop announcements fell to roughly 80 percent in the most recent quarter, Red Line announcement quality remained a substantial concern, and the monitoring program saw declines in some wheelchair securement measures. "This is our 35th public meeting," King said, framing the monitor’s role in reporting progress and problems.

Why it matters: Stop announcements and reliable station assistance are central to how riders with disabilities navigate the system. Poorly functioning announcements and inconsistent responses to assistance requests can make routine trips unsafe or infeasible for people who rely on audible or visual cues.

Key findings and agency responses - Complaint portal glitch: Riders’ advocates described a website bug that prevented some complaints with photo attachments from reaching the MBTA’s customer‑service database. Laura Brelsford, assistant general manager for system‑wide accessibility, said the agency traced the problem to a change made Oct. 29 and reported it was resolved Dec. 6. MBTA staff said roughly 115 portal complaints were filed daily during the five‑week window and about 5 percent of portal submissions (an average of roughly six per day) did not reach the database. "This issue was fully resolved as of December 6," Brelsford said.

- Stop announcements: The monitor reported strong performance on Blue and Orange lines but a sharp drop on the Green Line and ongoing problems on the Red Line. The MBTA’s operations chief, Ryan Coholan, said fleet age and mixed onboard technologies have contributed to inconsistent announcements and that the agency is prioritizing the Red Line for hardware, software and training fixes. Coholan said the agency plans targeted retraining for operators and regular listening sessions in the field to identify problems.

- Platform gaps: Dan Carroll, senior manager for facilities and infrastructure engineering, described a platform‑gap audit used to update design criteria. The 2023 survey found that 48 percent of platforms exceeded a three‑inch horizontal gap and 59 percent exceeded the 0.5‑inch vertical tolerance in the sample; the MBTA has installed rub rails at several stations, completed corrective track work at specific platforms, and is exploring interim resurfacing or localized track reconstruction pending a long‑term Southwest Corridor modernization project that remains largely unfunded.

Other items and next steps - The monitor recommended additional oversight of private contractors who provide alternative transportation during diversions; King said some vendor vehicles lack functioning lifts or adequately trained operators. - MBTA staff said elevator uptime improved to about 99.5 percent since June and that the agency expects to sustain high availability while continuing projects to add redundancy at stations over time. - The MBTA promised a public notice recommending that riders who do not receive an email confirmation after filing a portal complaint call 617‑222‑3200; staff also said they will post a disclaimer on the portal and provide guidance while they refine reporting processes.

The MBTA said it will continue monitoring, retraining and targeted engineering work and that the next semiannual meeting is scheduled for June. The monitor and plaintiffs’ representatives urged faster municipal coordination on bus‑stop infrastructure and more consistent in‑station assistance.