Phillip "Phil" Eng (born 1961 or 1962)[1] is an American transit executive currently serving as general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
Phillip Eng | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Eng in 2022 | |
| Born | 1961 or 1962 |
| Alma mater | Cooper Union (B.E.) |
| Years active | 1983 – present |
| Known for | President of the Long Island Rail Road General manager of the MBTA |
Early life and education edit
Eng is the son of Chinese immigrants. He grew up in Williston Park on Long Island, then moved to Mineola.[2][3]
He earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Cooper Union in 1983.[4]
Career edit
Eng began his career in 1983 as a junior engineer at the New York State Department of Transportation. He became the department's chief engineer and executive deputy commissioner in 2013.[5] At the department, he helped execute projects including the construction of the Kosciuszko Bridge and the opening of Rochester Station.[4]
In March 2017, Eng was named chief operating officer of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, then became the New York City Transit Authority's interim president for four months beginning that October.[2][5] In 2018, he became the 40th president of the Long Island Rail Road.[2][6] In that role, he enacted the "LIRR Forward" initiative to improve the system's reliability, setting on-time records in 2020 and 2021.[7]
After he retired from the LIRR in 2022, he was hired as executive vice president of the LiRo Group, a construction management firm.[8]
Eng was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey to head the MBTA and started as general manager in April 2023.[9] At the time he assumed leadership, the T faced a maintenance backlog worth an estimated $24.5 billion.[10] In his first year, he vowed to clear the slow zones that plagued many of the T's lines and recover ridership lost to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]
The MBTA had been widely criticized for mismanagement before Eng's appointment; the executive director of the agency's advisory board told Axios six months into Eng's term in leadership that "with Phil Eng, it's like the adults are finally in charge."[12] He is the first MBTA general manager since 2015 with previous experience leading a transit agency.[1]
Personal life edit
Eng is married and has four children. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts near the Lechmere Green Line station.[1]
Eng is a beer enthusiast and homebrews his own beer.[13] He is a fan of the New York Mets.[5]
References edit
- ^ a b c Dolven, Taylor (2023-07-08). "The MBTA's new leader is more optimistic about Boston's subway than you are". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ a b c Castillo, Alfonso A. (2018-04-13). "MTA names its COO, from Smithtown, as next LIRR president". Newsday. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ Wolfe, Jonathan (2018-04-19). "New York Today: A Q. & A. With the New L.I.R.R. President". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
- ^ a b "Phillip Eng CE'83". The Cooper Union. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ a b c Seay, Bob (2023-03-28). "5 things to know about Phillip Eng, the new general manager of the MBTA". GBH News. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ Dolven, Taylor; Soebroto, Ashley (2023-04-10). "As Phillip Eng takes over as MBTA general manager, his focus: 'regain that trust'". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ Castillo, Alfonso A. (2022-02-11). "LIRR president Phillip Eng resigns; Metro-North president named replacement". Newsday. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ "The LiRo Group Welcomes Phillip Eng, PE, as Executive Vice President". LiRo. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ Deehan, Mike (2023-04-11). "New MBTA chief Phillip Eng kicks off work at embattled agency". Axios Boston. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
- ^ Wirzbicki, Alan (2023-12-19). "For Phil Eng, fixing the T is a step toward bigger things". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ Kashinsky, Lisa; Garrity, Kelly; McCarthy, Mia (2023-11-27). "Phil Eng spills the T". Politico. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
- ^ Deehan, Mike (2023-10-03). "A look at MBTA GM Phillip Eng's first 6 months". Axios Boston. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
- ^ DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (2023-08-02). "'Little by little': MBTA GM Phil Eng talks hiring sprees, slow zones and beer". WBUR. Retrieved 2024-04-09.