Welcome to closure month: These are the 23 days of Green Line shutdowns

Get ready, Green Line riders — your commute is about to get a little messier as the MBTA rolls out weeks of shutdowns across all four branches.

Spanning a significant portion of January, the service changes will allow crews to repair and upgrade infrastructure as part of the T’s goal to lift all speed restrictions by the end of 2024. The most significant Green Line closures this month will last from Jan. 3-12 and Jan. 16-28, breaking for three days in between in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

Here’s how the closures might affect your ride:

Downtown service will be shut down from Kenmore to North Station. Accessible shuttle buses will run between Kenmore and Back Bay Station, where riders can hop on the Orange Line and continue downtown.

Note: The shuttles will stop directly at Back Bay Station — a slight detour from the previous shutdown in November and December, when riders were dropped off at Copley and advised to walk a few blocks over. The new pick-up location is Stuart Street at Dartmouth Street, and the drop-off site is Stuart Street at Trinity Place. 

The B Branch will be shut down after Babcock Street inbound, with shuttles running between Babcock and Back Bay (skipping the Blandford Street T stop). The 57 bus will be free to use between Babcock and Kenmore as an alternative to shuttles.

The C and D branches will be shut down between Kenmore and North Station, with shuttles ferrying riders to Back Bay for Orange Line service.  

The E Branch will see the most significant closure, with trolley service shut down between Heath Street and North Station. The T is asking riders to instead use the 39 bus, which is free to use during the shutdown, runs parallel to the E Branch, and has a stop at Back Bay. 

The Commuter Rail will also be free to use between South Station, Back Bay, and Lansdowne during the Green Line shutdowns, though riders will need to pay their fare beyond Lansdowne. 

The Green Line Extension will also see periodic closures as crews work to fix the narrow tracks. The Union Square and Medford/Tufts branches will be shut down beyond North Station on the following dates:

• Jan. 6-7: All day
• Jan. 8-11: Starting around 8:45 p.m. through the end of service
• Jan. 16-18: Starting around 8:45 p.m. through the end of service
• Jan. 20-21: All day
• Jan. 22-25: Starting around 8:45 p.m. through the end of service

Accessible shuttles will replace trains between North Station and Medford/Tufts, but the T isn’t offering shuttle buses for riders on the Union Square Branch. Instead, riders can use the 86, 87, 91, and CT2 buses for alternate service or to connect to other Green Line stops. 

For more information on the Green Line closures and alternative travel options, visit mbta.com/GreenLine. 

Abby Patkin

Staff Writer

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

Want to leave a comment?

Create an Account Or sign in to your account

To comment, please create a screen name in your profile

To comment, please verify your email address

Conversation

This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com