Local News

MBTA officials say they are ‘cautiously confident’ regular Orange Line service will resume on schedule

“Work is continuing to progress as planned.”

John Tlumacki / The Boston Globe

September 6, 2022

2 minutes to read

MBTA officials said Tuesday they are ‘“cautiously confident” that regular service on the Orange Line will be able to resume on Sept. 19, the transit agency’s target date for completing the month-long repairs to the line’s infrastructure.

After observing track work completed near Community College Station with Gov. Charlie Baker, MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said “work is continuing to progress as planned.”

Tuesday marked day 18 of the Orange Line’s 30-day shutdown, which has forced travelers to take shuttle buses, the commuter rail, or other modes of transportation.

“We’re just under 60 percent of the planned work … completed,” Poftak said. “And again, we remain cautiously confident about getting all this work done on time.”

The MBTA’s general manager said 47 percent of the planned rail replacement on the line has been completed, along with 65 percent of track replacement and 91 percent of “special track work”

The work on the Orange Line began on Aug. 19. Officials have said the unprecedented closure of the subway line will result in long-term benefits on a “much shorter timeframe.”

Baker said Tuesday that so far work is progressing “pretty much” according to plan, saying he was optimistic it would be done on schedule.

“Obviously there’s a lot of work left to be done between now and the 19th of September,” the governor said. “But I do believe that the progress to date is pretty consistent with expectations.”

In addition to the work on the line’s rail infrastructure, Poftak said the MBTA is working to make sure all the Orange Line’s new cars are “ready to go” on the 19th. He said currently 58 new cars are ready for service, which is close to the number needed for full service.

LIVE: On Day 18 of the 30-day Orange Line diversion, @MassGovernor joins General Manager @spoftak to highlight completion of 59% of the planned work, including removal of 2 slow zones and 14 projects now finished.#BuildingABetterT https://t.co/e4yLfQhyYj
— MBTA (@MBTA) September 6, 2022

As the shutdown continues, Poftak said the MBTA continues to monitor how the alternative service is working for passengers.

He noted Tuesday that more people appear to be returning to work after Labor Day and said the transit agency is keeping its eye on how the interim service handles the change in ridership that will occur Thursday when Boston Public School students, many of whom rely on the MBTA, head back to their classrooms.

“We are continuing to monitor shuttle bus service,” Poftak said. “We’ve been happy thus far with our performance. We want to continue to urge folks, please do not drive in dedicated bus lanes, please give the buses space so we can get our passengers where they need to go.”

Poftak said as of Tuesday the MBTA does not have any plans “on the drawing board” to do a full shutdown of another line, but said the agency will continue to use planned diversions to complete work on the aging system.

Federal transit officials last week issued a report on the MBTA that found the agency has for years neglected safety and maintenance as it focused on long-term projects. The report included “special directives” with actions the MBTA must take, including addressing worker shortages and prioritizing safety management.