Orange Line slower after month-long shutdown, data shows

Orange Line trains are running about seven minutes slower this week than they were before a month-long shutdown for repairs and service improvements.

As The Boston Globe reports, data from public transportation advocacy group Transit Matters found that the Orange Line is running about 20 minutes slower this week than it would be if trains were traveling at full speed. 

The 30-day shutdown began in August and wrapped up on Sept. 19. One of the goals of the shutdown was to decrease commuter travel times.

Projects included replacing tracks and railroad ties, laying several thousand feet of new signal cable, upgrading train cars, structural repairs at T stations, accessibility improvements at elevators, stairs, and doors, tunnel and bridge inspections, and more. 

According to TransitMatters’ analysis, it took about 40 to 45 minutes to travel from one end of the Orange Line to the other before the shutdown. According to the advocacy group this week, it’s taking up to 48 minutes to make the journey in either direction.

In response to the slowdown, transit officials said the work they did during the month-long shutdown wasn’t enough to alleviate the slow zones immediately, the Globe reported.

The T said they still have to run trains as slowly as they did before the recent shutdown in two slow zones. According to the report, the T increased speed limits in three slow zones, but the trains still can’t run at maximum speed.

Morgan Rousseau

Morgan Rousseau is a freelance writer for Boston.com, where she reports on a variety of local and regional news.

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