As Red Line closures begin, T prepares to shut down 2 Green Line branches over weekend
Shuttles will replace D branch service between Kenmore and Riverside Stations, and C branch service between Kenmore and St. Mary’s.
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Starting Saturday, shuttle buses will replace the Green Line’s C branch between Kenmore and St. Mary’s Stations, and D branch service between Kenmore and Riverside Stations, allowing work crews to continue track and infrastructure improvements.
An express shuttle will also bus riders during peak weekday hours, only making stops at Riverside, Woodland, and Copley Stations.
Green Line Reminder: Shuttle buses replace D branch service between Riverside and Kenmore from June 20 – June 28 to allow for accelerated track work. More: https://t.co/uFx21YZJ55 pic.twitter.com/z8wuXmdOEW
— MBTA (@MBTA) June 18, 2020
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said the closures, which are scheduled to last until June 28, were previously planned for later in the year but were rescheduled to take advantage of low ridership during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our primary focus continues to always be safety with our shuttle plan including measures that promote physical distancing and require face coverings,” MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said in a statement. “We understand that shuttle bus diversions can be inconvenient, but giving work crews unencumbered access to track areas allows this Green Line work to be finished over 5 months faster than previously planned.”
On the D branch, workers will install “state-of-the-art signal equipment” as well as replace switches, four turnouts, nearly 21,500 feet of running rail, and over 2,800 feet of timber ties, according to the MBTA.
Part of the agency’s $8 billion Building a Better T program, the 9-day shutdowns will also let crews working on the C branch make reliability and safety improvements through track and signal work between St. Mary’s and Kenmore.
Green Line Reminder: Shuttle buses replace C branch service between St. Marys and Kenmore from June 20 – June 28 to allow for accelerated track work. More: https://t.co/oTUMo6Eop2 pic.twitter.com/W6LUMBM3BH
— MBTA (@MBTA) June 18, 2020
MBTA officials forewarned that July will also bring another month-long shutdown between Cleveland Circle and Kenmore Stations.
“We appreciate our customers’ understanding as we accelerate this important work on the Green C and D Lines, which will lead to faster trips and more reliable service on both branches,” Poftak said.
The Green Line shutdowns are the second implemented this week. Starting Thursday, shuttle buses replaced Red Line trains between the Braintree and Quincy Center MBTA stations for two weeks, allowing workers to conduct planned maintenance along that line.
Also, come the weekend, officials noted that a portion of Monsignor O’Brien Highway in East Cambridge will be closed so work crews can “safely demolish the remaining section of the Lechmere Viaduct deck where it crosses over the Highway at Lechmere Station” for the Green Line Extension project.
Traffic detours will be in effect before dawn on Saturday and will remain throughout the weekend until early Monday morning.
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