State transportation officials have taken steps to assure the public of the safety of the MBTA a week after a critical independent review of the agency raised several concerns.

The board overseeing state Department of Transportation on Monday approved a $2.5 million engineering contract designed to study a leak and corrosion problem on the Red Line subway tracks identified in the review.

The engineers will design a plan for a long-term fix estimated to cost tens of millions of dollars.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority hired another firm to perform emergency leak repair on the Red Line between Alewife and Harvard that could cause track misalignment.

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State secretary of transportation Jeffrey Mullan said several other safety issues would also be addressed.

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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe