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MBTA lifts ‘global speed restrictions,’ except on Green and Mattapan lines
As of Friday morning, the T still had localized speed restrictions in place on parts of the Red, Orange, and Blue lines.
Less than a day after imposing speed restrictions of 10 to 25 mph systemwide, the MBTA said Friday morning that it has lifted the global restrictions on all but two of its subway lines.
The Green and Mattapan lines remain capped at the lower speeds throughout, MBTA interim General Manager Jeff Gonneville said at a press conference. The Red, Orange, and Blue lines, meanwhile, still have localized speed restrictions in place where the MBTA has not yet inspected or where track conditions do not allow for normal speeds, he said.
The transit agency announced the restrictions Thursday night and said its decision was prompted by a recent site visit from the state’s Department of Public Utilities, which oversees MBTA rail safety. In the press conference Friday, Gonneville explained that missing or inconsistent documentation on track repairs was to blame.
What prompted the MBTA speed restrictions?
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Earlier this week, the DPU visited the Red Line between Ashmont and Savin Hill, Gonneville said. As part of that visit, he said the agency asked for documentation on recent geometry car tests, which use mechanized equipment to inspect the track for flaws that may not be visible to the naked eye.
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Typically, when a defect is identified, a track crew and track engineer will work to address the issue in the field, document the situation, and report back, Gonneville explained.
“What they [the DPU] were looking for was that supporting documentation,” he said. “In this particular instance and in these particular cases — not just here but also globally through the system — there is some documentation inconsistencies and some areas where the documentation does not exist.”
When MBTA leadership found that documentation lacking, Gonneville said he called for systemwide speed restrictions until the T could verify repairs and ensure appropriate subway speeds.
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He said the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution.”
What happens now?
T crews are in the field validating repairs for each section of track, and Gonneville said the agency has six teams of consulting engineers to support those inspections.
“As the MBTA continues to address these issues, I am looking for a full and complete review of the circumstances that brought us here today,” he said. “We are asking riders to please be patient and allow us until the start of service on Monday to validate repairs and verify speeds.”
Gonneville also apologized for the additional travel time that T riders will face as a result.
What’s the timeline?
The MBTA expects that inspecting the track could take a couple of days, he said.
As for how long the speed restrictions will remain in place?
“I wouldn’t want to project that right now,” Gonneville said. “It depends on what is found through these investigations, and if there are repairs, what level of repairs those are going to require.”
Even before Thursday’s announcement, 8.7 miles of track across the transit system were under speed restrictions.
The embattled transit system has faced heavy scrutiny for months after a series of high-profile incidents including the dragging death of a passenger, a fire on the Orange Line, and derailments. A 2022 federal review of the system found the MBTA has neglected safety and maintenance for years. The DPU was also called out in the federal report for failing to “consistently [require] or [enforce] timely assessment and mitigation of safety risk for passenger operations.”
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On Friday, Gonneville spoke of the MBTA’s commitment to evolving its safety culture and emphasized a need to focus on updating T infrastructure and hiring sufficient staff.
“We are in an organization right now that is at a generational moment, and I feel very strongly about that. … And we are in an organization right now that also has to pivot within its culture,” he said.
Watch Gonneville’s full press conference:
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