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Red Line suspension extended by a day through Aug. 26
The extension is due to an overnight crash involving track maintenance vehicles.
The MBTA announced Friday that the Red Line service suspension between Kendall/MIT and JFK/UMass stations will be extended by one day through Monday, Aug. 26. Train service will resume Tuesday.
The service suspension was extended due to an overnight chain-reaction crash involving track maintenance vehicles along the Longfellow Bridge, the agency said.
The MBTA reported that at 12:30 a.m. on Friday, a construction vehicle struck another truck, pushing it into a third construction vehicle.
The MBTA stopped work along the entire suspended service area to assess and ensure the safety of workers on site, work vehicles, and track infrastructure.
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First responders took the operator of the first truck that was struck to a local hospital for evaluation.
Track work resumed around 9:30 a.m. on Friday, the agency said.
The MBTA notified the Department of Utilities and the Federal Transit Administration of the incident, and MBTA personnel are investigating the crash.
Even though crews could resume work Friday morning, the overnight suspension means workers need an additional day of Red Line service closures to complete the project safely, the MBTA said.
The project includes track construction, rail replacement, tie replacement, surface line and tamping, and plate securing, among other critical work.
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The free shuttle bus service will continue throughout Monday.
“The MBTA understands the serious nature of this incident,” the agency said in a press release. “The MBTA team is actively working alongside its oversight partners to understand why this incident occurred.”
The closure is the second time Red Line service has been suspended for several days this summer. In July, the T paused service between Alewife and Kendall/MIT stations for similar repairs.
The work is part of a 14-month track improvement plan announced in November. The program aims to eliminate nearly 200 speed restrictions that have impacted more than 20% of the subway system.
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