On a Friday in February, a chap with a New York accent walked into an artists’ market in London and was drawn to a stall selling vibrant hand-painted silk neckties.

He struck up a conversation with the artist’s son, who was manning the stand, and mentioned the reason for his trip.

His name was Phillip Eng, and he ran the public transportation network for Greater Boston, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. He was in London to meet with local transit executives.

Eng was so taken by the neckties that he reached out to the artist, Jane Ireland, and inquired about a commission.

Eng told her about his work and the modes of Boston’s transportation system that he hoped to see reflected in a tie: commuter rail, buses, ferries and “the tube,” Ireland, 70, of South London, said.

“I w

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