MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng called in the out-of-state cavalry to help manage the transit agency as it continues to grapple with federal safety mandates and attempts to revamp itself under a new gubernatorial administration.

Eng announced four new high-level hires Thursday, including two former colleagues who were poached from the Long Island Railroad, which Eng served as president of for three years — August 2018 to February 2022. Two other hires come from the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority and the New York State Department of Transportation.

The four newly created positions — chief of stations, assistant general manager of engineering and capital, chief of infrastructure, and senior advisor for capital, operations, and safety — will help “close management gaps and improve the quality, reliability, and safety of T services,” the MBTA said in a statement.

All four hires crossed paths with Eng at some point in their career, according to online resumes.

Dennis Varley will serve as the MBTA’s chief of stations, a new role tasked with ensuring all train stations provide riders with safe and user-friendly experiences. Varley worked for 11 years at the Long Island Railroad as the deputy chief engineer and assistant chief engineer.

Varley, who crossed paths with Eng in Long Island, said he is hoping to usher the system “into a state of good repair that riders, the public, and the workforce are proud of.”

Another Long Island Railroad alum, Rod Brooks, will work as the MBTA’s senior advisor for capital, operations, and safety, a position tasked with leading the rail operations team “in making purposeful capital, operations, and safety decisions.”

Sam Zhou, the MBTA’s new assistant general manager of engineering and capital, spent the last 16 years at the New York State Department of Transportation in a variety of roles.

Both Eng and Zhou worked at the New York State Department of Transportation from 2008 to 2017, when Eng left, according to their resumes.

Zhou will report directly to Eng and be responsible for the safe engineering and delivery of MBTA assets, according to the agency.

Doug Connett will serve as the MBTA’s chief of infrastructure. He most recently worked at a state safety and security consulting firm and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Connett briefly crossed pathways with Eng at New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority.