BOSTON — A slew of service changes will be implemented in July on multiple subway and commuter rail lines to allow for the completion of “critical” work, the MBTA announced Thursday.
Service changes are now coming to three subway lines and five commuter rail lines, in addition to the anticipated traffic nightmare that the nearly two-month shutdown of the Sumner Tunnel is expected to create starting July 5.
[ What can drivers do when the Sumner Tunnel shuts down? Here’s a guide with alternate routes ]
SUBWAY SERVICE CHANGES
Red Line
Red Line service changes will allow MBTA crews to perform critical rail and tie replacement work that will alleviate speed restrictions:
- Accessible shuttle bus service will replace evening trains between JFK/UMass and North Quincy Stations beginning at approximately 8:45 p.m. on July 11-13 and July 20.
- Accessible shuttle bus service will replace evening weekday trains between JFK/UMass and Braintree Stations beginning at approximately 8:45 p.m. on July 21 and during the weekend of July 22-23.
Green Line
Green Line service will experience changes during the weekend of July 15-16 in order for crews to perform comprehensive inspections of the structural, electrical, mechanical, and fire, life, and safety systems of the sub-surface Green Line tunnel:
- On the B Branch, trolley service will be suspended between Boston University East and Haymarket Stations. Accessible shuttle buses will provide service between Boston University East and Back Bay Station on the Orange Line for continued parallel service.
- On the C Branch, trolley service will be suspended between Saint Mary’s Street and Haymarket Stations. Accessible shuttle buses will provide service between St. Mary’s Street and Back Bay Station on the Orange Line for continued parallel service.
- On the D Branch, trolley service will be suspended between Fenway and North Stations. Accessible shuttle buses will provide service between Brookline Hills and Back Bay Station on the Orange Line for continued parallel service.
- On the E Branch, trolley service will be suspended between Heath Street and North Stations. Riders are instead encouraged to utilize Route 39 bus service.
As previously announced, accessible shuttle bus service will replace the entire Green Line B Branch between Kenmore and Boston College Stations for 12 days from July 17-28.
[ Commuter alert: Full closure of Green Line B branch will coincide with shutdown of Sumner Tunnel ]
This service change will allow crews to complete critical track upgrades and additional work on the B Branch, including over 2,000 feet of full-depth track replacement at Packard’s Corner and between Harvard Avenue and Allston Street; the replacement of duct banks and underground conduits that provide power to trains; and the repainting of pedestrian crossings, bike lanes, and platform edges along the B Branch.
Green Line train service between Lechmere and Union Square Stations will also be suspended for 42 days from July 18-August 28.
This service change is due to critical repair work by MassDOT on the Squire Bridge, which crosses over tracks near Union Square Station. Alternate travel options include the following:
- Riders headed from Union Square Station can instead utilize Route 86 (boarding at Somerville Ave. opp Stone Ave. and alighting at Washington St. at New Washington St.) and Route 91 (boarding at Prospect St. at Bennett Ct. and alighting at Washington St. at New Washington St.) bus service from the Union Square to East Somerville Station areas for continued service on the Medford/Tufts branch.
- Riders headed to Union Square Station can instead board Medford/Tufts Branch service to East Somerville Station and then utilize Routes 86 and 91 bus service (boarding at Washington St. at Tufts St. and alighting at Somerville Ave. at Stone Ave.) to the Union Square area.
- Riders may also utilize Route 87 bus service by boarding at Lechmere Station and alighting in the Union Square area at Somerville Ave. at Stone Ave.
Green and Orange lines
Due to the continued demolition of the Government Center Garage by private developer HYM Construction, Orange and Green Line service changes will take place in the downtown Boston area all day for 12 days from July 29- August 9:
- Orange Line trains will bypass Haymarket Station. Orange Line riders should instead exit at North Station or State, which are less than a half-mile from Haymarket (or a four- to eight-minute walk), and travel to the Haymarket area.
- Green Line service will be suspended between North Station and Government Center Station with riders instead asked to walk above ground between these stations – Government Center, Haymarket, and North Station are each less than a half mile from each other (about a five- to 10-minute walk), and the distance between Government Center to North Station is about three-quarters of a mile (about a 13-minute walk).
- Riders are also reminded that Orange Line / Green Line connections can also be made via the Winter Street Concourse, which connects Park Street and Downtown Crossing Stations.
- Accessibility vans will also be available for on-demand transportation – Orange and Green Line riders should ask MBTA personnel for information and assistance.
COMMUTER RAIL SERVICE CHANGES
Kingston, Middleborough, and Greenbush lines (Run adjacent to the Red Line)
- Accessible shuttle bus service will replace evening weekday trains between South Station and Braintree after 7:30 p.m. on July 10-14 and July 17-21 and during the weekend of July 22-23.
- Accessible express shuttle bus service will also operate directly between South Station and Braintree Station.
- Passengers should note that bicycles are not allowed on shuttle buses, and regular Commuter Rail fares will be collected between Kingston, Middleborough, Greenbush, and Braintree Stations. Keolis Customer Service Agents, MBTA staff, and Transit Ambassadors will be on-site at impacted stations to support riders.
- The diversion schedule will be available online soon at mbta.com/CommuterRail.
Framingham/Worcester lines
Weekend trains will be replaced with accessible shuttle bus service between Worcester and Grafton Stations from July 29-30. This service change is in place to accommodate construction as part of the Worcester Union Station Improvements Project.
“The MBTA apologizes for the inconvenience of these scheduled service changes and appreciates the understanding and patience of riders as this critical and necessary work to maintain, upgrade, and modernize the system takes place,” the T said in a news release.
Service changes in June affected Red, Green, Orange, Greenbush, Kingston/Plymouth, Middleborough/Lakeville, Lowell, and Fairmount lines.
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