The scope of the wide-ranging Y2K computer problem was demonstrated yesterday as representatives from state government to food retail addressed the matter in a public forum at the Cambridge Senior Center.

At the event--titled "Y2K: Anything to Worry About?"--15 officials from the public and private sectors assured an audience of about 100 that their organizations will be Y2K-compliant by the end of the year.

The majority of speakers said their companies or agencies were already compliant, while the rest said they were certain they would be compliant by Jan. 1.

"I can guarantee that the buses and trains will run New Year's Eve," said Roger Ford, an official in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) Special Operations division.

Ford said the MBTA will rely on two jet engine generators in South Boston as sources of power to keep 80 percent of its system running indefinitely should it break down. Fuel trucks and 300 buses will provide additional support.

"We are able to handle any situation that comes up," Ford said.

State representative Jarrett T. Barrios '90 said that about 95 percent of the state's systems are currently Y2K-compliant, and that a third-tier "emergency preparedness" center will be in place in Framingham if contingency plans fail.

Representatives from Shaw's Supermarkets to the police department to local electric companies also assured the predominantly elderly audience that their services will continue smoothly at the New Year.

"Yes, the lights will be on on Jan. 1, 2000, and the gas will be flowing into your homes," said Eric Delacoste of the Cambridge Electric Company. He added that all of their power plants would be running at 150 percent capacity on December 31.