Red Line delays will likely affect evening commute due to bridge work
Due to construction work on the tracks, Red Line trains cannot move faster than 10 miles per hour on the Longfellow Bridge
The Red Line delays that slowed Monday morning’s commute will likely impact evening rush hour as well due to a speed restriction on the Longfellow Bridge.
As a result of track work over the weekend, Red Line trains cannot move faster than 10 miles per hour on the bridge, which links the Kendall and Charles/Mass General Hospital stops.
“We’re hoping by tomorrow morning … we may be able to lift those speed restrictions,’’ Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority General Manager Frank DePaola said Monday afternoon. He said he is hopeful, but it is not definite, that the speed restriction will be lifted for Tuesday morning’s commute.
The MBTA’s service alerts system said Monday morning that the issue was “anticipated to be cleared in two to three days with regular Red Line service resuming at that time.’’
“This is resulting in backups and delays along the Red Line,’’ MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said, who gave a slightly different time estimate, saying the restriction should be cleared “in a day or two.’’
“When new rail is installed, it requires some time to settle before trains can resume operating at regular speeds,’’ he said.
The historic century-old Longfellow Bridge, which connects Cambridge and Boston across the Charles River, is undergoing a multi-year rehabilitation project slated to be completed in December 2018. The work has been ongoing on weekends throughout January, with shuttle buses replacing Red Line service between Kendall Square and Park Street on Saturdays and Sundays.
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