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All Orange Line work complete, service to resume Monday morning
Free coffee will be offered to riders at select stations Monday morning.
All the work scheduled to be completed during the Orange Line’s 30-day shutdown is finished, officials announced Sunday. The line is set to open as scheduled on Monday, for the first time since Aug. 19.
“With the closure over the last 30 days, the T has been able to complete five years of improvements to track and signal infrastructure while also addressing safety actions on a much faster timeline,” Gov. Charlie Baker said at a press conference Sunday.
Much of the work that needed to be done was centered around replacing old, worn down rails. These deteriorated rails caused the T to implement slow zones, where train operators were forced to reduce their speed. During the shutdown, workers replaced 14,000 feet of rail and eliminated six slow zones in areas like Jackson Square, Downtown Crossing, and Tufts Medical Center.
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These slow zones will remain in place for about a week after service resumes, the T said, since it takes time for the new track to settle as trains repeatedly run over it.
Baker and MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak detailed other improvements made to the Orange Line system, such as the installation of 400 rail fasteners designed to dampen vibrations and decrease noise to provide passengers with a more comfortable ride.
New signals were installed at Oak Grove and Malden Center, and 45,000 feet of new signal cable was laid.
When the shutdown was announced in August, some expressed skepticism about whether or not the ambitious project could meet its goals. But Baker said he was always confident that the work would get done on time.
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“We have a history of getting work like this done,” he said. “The work that everybody just did was programmed. It was in the five-year plan. But people saw an opportunity to get five years’ worth of that done in 30 days.”
T workers test drove some new Orange Line trains Sunday in preparation for the reopening.
Improvements were not confined to the T’s underground tunnels. Sullivan Square station’s roof and canopy were repaired and weatherproofed. Forest Hills station was made fully accessible from both Washington Street and Banks Place. Workers also placed new granite tiles, installed a new skylight, painted ceilings, and finished repairing an elevator in Forest Hills station.
Oak Grove station’s accessibility was improved as well, with the installation of a new roof, doors, windows, stairs, flooring, and elevators.
“The 30-day Orange Line shutdown was a monumental opportunity which allowed the MBTA to conduct critical maintenance operations aggressively to help ensure travel on the MBTA is safe, accessible, smooth, and convenient,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Jamey Tesler in a statement.
Commuters this week will also likely be riding new Orange Line cars. Before the shutdown, only 30 of these trains were in service. Now, 72 are fully prepared for riders.
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In June, all the new Orange Line cars in service were pulled due to a battery failure found in one of them. The improper installation of braking bolts also caused some new cars to be pulled this year.
The Orange Line is one of the most-used aspects of the T’s system. It provides about 101,000 trips each day, and the line’s current ridership has reached about 49% of pre-pandemic levels.
Free coffee will be available to riders on Monday morning at both the Forest Hills station and the Downtown Crossing station.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is planning on riding the Orange Line this week, she told WCVB.
“I know that there have been many, many improvements that have been made,” Wu said. “It’s exciting to see the 30-day effort really come to a close… we’re about to get back underground.”
Monday morning will also see service resume on the Green Line between Union Square and Government Center stations. Service was suspended last month on this portion of the line so that workers could prepare to open the Medford Branch of the Green Line Extension. This is scheduled to open in late November.
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Just like on the Orange Line, the Green Line shutdown let workers eliminate slow zones, improve signal equipment, and test out new track switches.
The Green Line’s D branch is scheduled to close three times this fall to complete more work. It will close for three, nine-day periods between Sept. 24 and Oct. 30.
“When our teams and our contractor partners are provided with complete and unencumbered access to the entirety of the Orange Line, we are able to get an awful lot of work done,” Poftak said.
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