The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority “is aiming” to reopen train service on the green and orange lines in downtown Boston Monday morning, officials said Saturday, after operations in the area were suspended Thursday night due to a deteriorating support column under the garage of the Government Center had been abruptly discontinued.
MBTA will resume regular operations on the green and orange lines on Monday “when deemed safe by internal and external engineers and safety experts,” the agency said in a statement.
On Sunday, the Orange Line between Back Bay and North stations will remain closed, and shuttle buses will continue to operate between Copley and Government Center stations in lieu of Green Line service, the MBTA said in a statement.
The support column, one of seven that holds the Government Center garage and runs through the MBTA’s underground infrastructure near Haymarket Station, has deteriorated due to years of water damage, officials said.
The garage will be demolished to make way for a multi-billion dollar mixed-use real estate development called Bulfinch Crossing. HYM Investment Group, the lead developer of the garage project, said Friday the damaged pillar had “no connection” to the garage’s demolition work.
On Saturday, the T said it was working with HYM to strengthen structures.
“Repair work continues and MBTA will continue to support HYM’s contractors by delivering workers and materials to the site,” the T said in the statement. “Structural engineers and safety experts are also on site to monitor the site and are conducting intensive surveys and assessments of the infrastructure above and below Haymarket’s surface. These teams are and will be ready to assess their work to ensure the security of the entire infrastructure before MBTA service can resume.”
The T’s closure came as drivers are already facing reduced weekday duty on the orange, blue and red lines due to a dispatcher shortage identified by federal officials.
The state Department of Transportation tried to ease the burden on travelers by keeping the Sumner Tunnel open this weekend. MassDOT said Friday that work, scheduled to begin later that night and finish early Monday morning, has been halted as part of a major restoration project on the 88-year-old tunnel.
As part of the first phase of the project, the tunnel has been closed to travelers every weekend since June 10 and will remain closed on weekends, excluding public holidays, until February next year.
“The decision to suspend planned work was made to minimize additional travel impact caused by the suspension of regular MBTA Orange and Green Line service in the Haymarket Station area,” the statement said.
The project includes the restoration of the vaulted ceiling and ceiling of the 88-year-old tunnel; painting the inner walls of the tunnel; Installation of new lights, umbilicals and cables; and construction of a new road surface.
“Although the Sumner Tunnel is in need of repairs, it remains safe for traffic,” MassDOT said in the statement. “Recent incidents involving a construction site near MBTA’s Haymarket station have not impacted the structural integrity of the Sumner Tunnel,” MassDOT said in its statement.
Material from previous Globe articles has been used in this report.
Nick Stoico can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Nick Stoico.