Latest MBTA Plan: Stop Weekend Service For $8B Repair Work

BOSTON — If you travel along the Green Line evenings or weekends, you know the drill. Shuttle buses replace the train as crews work to repair the track. This is something Green Line riders — along with Red and Orange line riders could see much more of. On Monday, the MBTA is bringing a plan before the control board proposing to shut down parts of the Green, Red and Orange lines on the weekend to speed up repairs.

It could mean detours and shuttle buses for hundreds of thousands of riders. The MBTA is already investing nearly $2 billion in the Red and Orange Line improvement program, which will completely replace the cars and signal systems and upgrade track and maintenance facilities for both lines. And the MBTA is investing $350 million on the signal systems and $470 million for track and maintenance facility upgrades.

But the proposal would expand that and speed up work to the tune of $27.5 million. The $8 billion that the MBTA plans to spend over the next five years to upgrade the system is the most in any five-year period ever.

Following a derailment earlier this year on the Red Line at the JFK/ Umass station, major signal work has been completed in a key area between Broadway and JFK/UMass Stations, allowing the MBTA to now run the regularly scheduled 28 trains through the Red Line during rush hour.

The restoration of the signals between Broadway and JFK/UMass was followed by several consecutive days of testing to ensure the system was functioning and could be monitored and controlled by the MBTA’s control center. Restoring this key segment of the signal system has also allowed the MBTA to improve travel times, resulting in a time savings of about 5 minutes for customers, according to officials.

“These service improvements are an important milestone as the MBTA progresses towards full restoration of service. It will result in a noticeable improvement in Red Line service for our customers,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak in a statement. “I want to express my deep gratitude to our customers for their patience as we continue toward a full recovery. I also want to thank our entire workforce and contractors for their continued commitment to working seven days a week to restore the Red Line to regular service.”

The MBTA is working to deliver 252 new Red Line cars and expects the first Red Line pilot car to be delivered later this summer.

Watch the control board's meeting: