Despite its many maintenance needs, more than half of the top jobs in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's engineering and maintenance department remain unfilled.
A review by The Boston Globe of the MBTA's July 11 organizational chart found that approximately 18 percent of the transit authority's highest positions are currently vacant.
While some officials are quick to blame various factors for the vacancies, Advisory Board Executive Director Paul Regan says the bottom line is that the efficient operation of the MBTA requires those positions to be filled.
Steve Poftak, a member of the MBTA's fiscal control board, says it's a huge problem that has been hindering the ability to deliver capital projects.
MBTA officials say their top priority is revamping the hiring process to make it more time efficient.
