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MBTA announces May service changes on commuter rail and all subway lines
The MBTA is closing many portions of its system in May so that workers can fix track and eliminate speed restrictions.
The MBTA announced a litany of service changes Monday that will go into effect next month. Many of the MBTA’s subway and commuter rail lines stand to be impacted.
The goal, officials said, is to eliminate speed restrictions that force trains to move slowly because of old or damaged tracks.
Blue Line
Regular Blue Line service on weekday evenings will be replaced by shuttle bus service between Government Center and Wonderland. This change went into effect Monday night and will last until Thursday, before resuming again from May 1 through May 3. Shuttle buses will not service Bowdoin station.
During this time, workers will replace close to 2,000 feet of track and more than 450 ties. As of Monday, 44% of the entire Blue Line is under a speed restriction, according to the MBTA’s speed restrictions dashboard.
Red Line
Service changes to the Red Line will also let MBTA workers fix faulty tracks and get rid of speed restrictions. Shuttle buses will replace regular train service between Park Street and JFK/UMass during the weekend of May 6 and 7.
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Shuttle buses will also replace evening weekday train service between JFK/UMass and Braintree Station from May 8 through 12, May 15 through 19, May 22 through 25, and May 30 through 31. This change will begin at about 8:45 p.m. each night. The T is urging riders to consider using the commuter rail as an alternative.
Regular weekend Red Line service between Broadway and Ashmont and Broadway and Braintree Stations during the weekends of May 13 through 14 and May 20 through 21 will also be replaced with shuttle bus service.
Currently 26% of the Red Line is under a speed restriction. This amounts to 12.5 miles of track.
Green and Orange Lines
Both the Green Line and the Orange Line continue to be impacted by the demolition of the Government Center Garage. On May 13, 14, 20, and 21, Orange Line trains will not stop at Haymarket. Riders instead should use North Station or State, the MBTA said.
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Green Line service will be suspended between North Station and Government Center during these dates as well. Riders are being asked to walk above ground between the stations. Accessibility vans will also be available for those that need them.
On the weekend of May 27 and 28, service on multiple Green Line branches will be impacted. Trains will bypass Kenmore on the B branch, with riders asked to exit either at Blandford Street or Hynes Convention Center. Shuttle buses will replace regular service on the C branch between Cleveland Circle and Copley. Shuttle buses will also replace regular service on the D branch between Fenway and Copley.
Commuter rail
The Greenbush, Kingston/Plymouth, and Middleborough/Lakeville Commuter Rail Lines will all have service changes from May 13 through 14 and May 20 through 21.
On all four of those dates, regular service will be replaced with shuttle buses Braintree and South Stations.
On May 20 and 21, Commuter Rail trains on the Middleborough/Lakeville line will be replaced with shuttle buses between Bridgewater and Middleborough/Lakeville stations.
Regular service on the Rockport Commuter Rail line is being replaced by shuttle bus service between West Gloucester and Rockport Stations for a total of 24 days, from this past Saturday through May 15.
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There will be no train service between Rockport and Beverly Stations during the weekend of May 6 and 7 so that crews can work on the Gloucester Drawbridge.
Haverhill Commuter Rail Line trains are being replaced by shuttle buses between Haverhill and Reading Stations for a total of 16 days, from this past Saturday through May 7. This will allow workers to perform work on the Automatic Train Control system, which alerts trains to potentially unsafe conditions and automatically stops them if needed.
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