MBTA announces November service changes for subway, Commuter Rail

And the hits just keep on coming: The MBTA has announced a series of upcoming service changes for the Red and Orange Lines, as well as part of the Commuter Rail. 

The November changes are part of the T’s ongoing work to “improve service reliability across the system,” the agency said in a news release Wednesday. 

Red Line

Shuttle buses will replace Red Line trains between Alewife and Kendall/MIT the weekend of Nov. 4 and 5, allowing crews to perform rail welding and track work to alleviate speed restrictions, the MBTA said. 

Shuttles will also replace Red Line trains between JFK/UMass and Park Street from around 8:45 p.m. through the end of service on Nov. 14-16, then again during the weekend of Nov. 18 and 19. 

Orange Line

Service changes on the Orange Line, meanwhile, will help accommodate an emergency response learning exercise taking place near Malden Center on Nov. 5, according to the T. Shuttles will replace trains between Oak Grove and Wellington from the start of service until around 2 p.m. that Sunday, giving public safety officials a chance to practice emergency response plans and procedures.

Track work will also result in shuttle bus replacement between Oak Grove and North Station from around 8:45 p.m. through the end of service on Nov. 7-10, and again during the weekend of Nov. 11 and 12.

Commuter Rail

Shuttle buses will continue to replace train service on the Commuter Rail’s Haverhill Line between Ballardvale and North Station through Nov. 5. That service change began nearly two months ago and allows crews to work on Automatic Train Control (ATC), a federally mandated safety system that sends signals to trains about potentially unsafe conditions and automatically slows and stops them if needed, according to the T.

In the meantime, the MBTA has been running shuttles between Reading and Oak Grove to connect passengers to the Orange Line, plus a shuttle bus between Reading and Anderson/Woburn for connections to the Commuter Rail’s Lowell and Haverhill Lines. 

The MBTA warned that it may implement additional service changes in November, noting that any updates will be announced once details are finalized. Riders can stay up to date by checking in-station signage and announcements, visiting mbta.com/alerts, subscribing to T-Alerts, or following the MBTA on the social media platform X @MBTA.

Abby Patkin

Staff Writer

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.

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