MBTA plans weekend shutdowns to expedite repairs

BOSTON — State transportation officials have signed off on weekend closures of key portions of subway lines in the fall to speed up desperately needed repairs to the aging Boston-area transit system.

The unprecedented proposal means that a half dozen stations could be closed on any given weekend during the last three months of the year. The goal is to speed up repairs. The plan was approved Monday by the MBTA control board.

The Orange Line would hit first, with stations from Tufts Medical Center to Sullivan Square, including North Station, would shut down for six straight weekends starting in October and extending into early November.

>> MBTA will put new Orange Line cars into service August 14

Then the Red Line would shut down from Broadway through Kendall Square, including South Station, for four weekends in late November and early December.

The Green Line would be a bit more complicated, with the B branch shutting down for three weekends this fall. The D branch was already set to close for a long stretch.

The T will provide a shuttle bus service during the shutdowns and the T would offer regular service during Thanksgiving weekend on the entire system.

Just last week, Boston 25 News asked Gov. Charlie Baker about growing frustration with the seemingly slow pace of repairs.

"I basically said to the folks at the T, this is going to take too long. We've got to go faster, for all the reasons you laid out," Baker said.

So after a summer of derailments, the MBTA is looking at a major change in plans by exchanging short term pain -- the weekend shutdowns -- for long term gain.

>> MBTA: Red Line service expected to go back to normal in October

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group