Quality Assurance Issues with T Anger Members of FMCB

Issues surrounding quality assurance concerns with the T’s collision avoidance contract with the private contractor, Ansaldo STS, arose during the most recent meeting of the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board.

During the meeting, Karen Antion, the manager of the project, which centers around the installation of a $459 million system to  prevent collisions of commuter rail trains, reported that the private contractor discovered quality assurance issues with the project, “including inadequate separation between new and existing fiber optic cables; cables that were mounted too low, in trees, or against obstructions; and ‘excessive bends in the new cable.'” She, however, assured the board that she had met with Ansaldo leadership regarding a mitigation plan that will not involve additional shutdowns of trains or additional spending by the T.

In response to Antion’s report, the chairman of the FMCB, Joseph Aiello, stated that the quality assurance issues were “really disturbing,” going on to state “This simply sounds like a complete failure of their quality assurance system.” Similarly, board member Brian Lang expressed his frustration with continued problems like this with private contractors, stating, “This is the untold story about contractors running amok.”

You can read the full story here.