A southbound train moves just a few inches toward North Quincy. Lane Turner/Boston Globe Staff Writer
The MBTA plans to periodically shut down portions of the subway system for days or weeks in hopes of lifting all current speed limits by the end of 2024, general manager Phil Eng announced Thursday.
The track expansion plan provides for around 20 diversions lasting several days on certain sections of the route for all four subway lines. By the end of next year, the T will remove 191 speed restrictions, replace 140,680 feet of track and save a total of 86 minutes of travel time systemwide, Eng said.
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Here is a preliminary schedule of all planned MBTA shutdowns
The new plan builds on the success of previous reroutings, including a recent 16-day closure of the Red Line’s Ashmont Branch and Mattapan Line, which lifted exclusion zones and resulted in shorter travel times for riders.
And the strategy is consistent with Eng’s stated ethos when it comes to fixing the T: “Go in, get it done, get it right, and then go out and give it back to the public.”
The bane of many T riders’ existence is that speed limits now cover 23% of the T’s subway system, or about 31 miles of route.
“We recognize that this is a tremendous amount of work that we want to get done in a tremendous amount of time,” Eng said during a meeting of the MBTA board’s safety subcommittee. “It’s years of divestment that we’re tackling in a year, but we also have an approach that’s different than previous approaches.”
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Our track improvement program includes approximately 188 days of repair work on the Red, Orange, Blue and Green lines, with work ranging from spot repairs to complete rail replacement. We will devote immense resources, time and work to accomplish these necessary tasks to revitalize our system. pic.twitter.com/yooFa45sgm
– MBTA (@MBTA) November 9, 2023
The Green Line will initially face a nine-day closure starting November 27 and extending from North Station to Kenmore, Heath Street and Babcock Street. The T also plans to close the D branch of the Green Line from Riverside to Kenmore from Dec. 11-20.
Eng explained that recent inspections of the subway tunnels have identified some areas that require structural work. The repairs will not only address speed restrictions, but also overhead line problems that have affected service in recent weeks, he said.
Eng said the MBTA will offer shuttle buses and the Orange Line as alternatives for displaced riders.
Looking ahead to 2024, some of the planned closures are expected to last just a few days, while others could last several weeks.
Sam Zhou, deputy general manager for engineering and capital, explained that the tentative calendar aims to avoid major holidays and events and also takes into account major Massachusetts Department of Transportation projects. He emphasized that flexibility is built into the MBTA’s plan.
Public transit advocacy group TransitMatters welcomed the MBTA’s plan Thursday and also called on the agency to ensure replacement service is “as seamless as possible” during the planned reroutings.
“For too long, the T has communicated distractions to the public on an ad hoc basis with limited advance warning,” the group said in a statement. “Planning this work well in advance will allow drivers to make adjustments if their journeys are affected. It also gives us at TransitMatters greater confidence that the T will coordinate repairs and capital improvements to minimize disruption to riders.”
The Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA) organization also emphasized the importance of communication regarding the MBTA’s plans.
“We hope this signals a new level of transparency with the public for the MBTA, particularly as work progresses,” T4MA said in a statement. “This allows affected communities to plan their travel and activities in advance and communities to prepare for these closures to ensure riders’ lives are not significantly disrupted.”
While the T can make the repairs by shutting down parts of the subway at night or on weekends, Eng said these longer detours give crews a chance to work more efficiently and get more bang for their buck.
Echoing Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, he said the plan would involve “short-term pain for long-term victories.”
What do you think of the MBTA’s plans to gradually shut down portions of the subway for repairs?
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