Introduction
On October 21, 2022, the FTA notified all 31 national State Safety Oversight (SSO) Programs that they would be required to develop and implement an RBI program in accordance with changes to FTA's Public Transportation Safety Program as required by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Each SSO was given two years from issuance of the special directive to submit their RBI plan to the FTA for review and approval. DPU Rail Transit Safety Division developed and submitted our plan to FTA in advance of the deadline and it was approved by FTA on October 23, 2024.
DPU's RBI Approach
DPU Rail Transit Safety Division's approach to RBI reflects the size and complexity of the MBTA, the rail fixed guideway public transportation system that we oversee. Our RBI program leverages safety data from multiple sources, along with qualitative and quantitative data analysis, to allow us to make data-driven decisions about what areas of MBTA's operations to inspect.
As part of our program development, we took numerous actions, including:
- Developed and deployed an interactive RBI Data Dashboard
- Developed and deployed an RBI semantic data model
- Developed and deployed a safety risk heatmap using geospatial data technology
- Mapped out an RBI activity nomination process
- Formulated a four-part inspection methodology called "RIDE":
- Research, Inspect, Determine, Enforce
- Conducted two pilot RBI activities to test our dashboard and methodology
We also made updates to standard operation guidelines and our technical training plan, while also working with MBTA to update their Agency Safety Plan to reflect RBI.
Following each completed RBI activity, we will be issuing a final report to the MBTA Chief Safety Officer with the results of the activity, including any enforcement actions the Division will be taking.
RBI Documents
Questions or Comments?
If you have questions or comments about the Division's RBI response, you can send an email to dpu.rail@mass.gov.
Contact
Phone
Office Hours Mon - Fri 8:45 am to 5:00 pm