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Orange Line to shut down between Back Bay and Forest Hills for 9 days
Free shuttle buses and fare-free commuter rail service will be available.
The MBTA is suspending Orange Line service between Back Bay and Forest Hills for nine days beginning Saturday, Feb. 28.
The temporary shutdown, which runs through March 8 and was previously announced last month, is part of ongoing signal upgrades and modernization efforts along the Orange Line, according to a recent statement from the MBTA.
During the closure, the MBTA will provide free and accessible shuttle buses, stopping at all the affected stations between Back Bay and Forest Hills, the agency said.
The MBTA advises riders to plan for significantly longer travel times. For example, a trip from Forest Hills to Downtown Crossing — which typically takes less than 20 minutes on the Orange Line — could require at least 30 additional minutes, according to the MBTA.
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Riders can also utilize fare-free commuter rail service between Forest Hills, Ruggles, Back Bay, and South Station. The commuter rail trip between Forest Hills and Back Bay takes about 10 minutes, the MBTA said.
The service suspension is tied to continued work replacing the line’s aging analog signal system with new digital infrastructure. The current system relies on trackside equipment and cables to transmit train location data to operations staff, but the upgraded digital system is designed to require less manual intervention, ultimately reducing time and money, according to the MBTA.
“By upgrading and modernizing its signals, the MBTA will significantly increase operational efficiency and improve scheduling reliability for riders,” the agency said in a statement.
In addition to the Orange Line, four Commuter Rail lines — Fitchburg, Haverhill, Lowell, and Newburyport/Rockport — will see service suspensions on some weekends starting in late February until the end of March, the agency said.
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