Red Line To Be Back To Speed By Labor Day: MBTA

BOSTON — Following the Red Line derailment June 11, prompting delays across the MBTA system and raising concern about proposed fare increases set to go into effect July 1, crews focused on repairs to track and power systems in the area of JFK/UMass Station. It was slow going. And all last week commuters had service back, but endured continued delays. Now, the MBTA says it will be speeding up work to repair the signal system. But the line won't be back up to former speeds until Labor Day, according to an annoucement.

The MBTA said right after the derailment, which is still under investigation, trains could only run at a rate of approximately one train every 10 minutes, or six trains per hour, during peak travel hours through the Red Line core, which spans from JFK/UMass to Alewife.

With both contractor personnel and MBTA forces working around the clock, train speeds could then safely increase to 25 miles per hour through most of the affected area. As a result, the MBTA was able to restore Red Line frequency to one train every six minutes during rush hour, or about 10 trains per hour.

In order to safely operate trains at six-minute intervals, while also allowing crews to continue signal-system repairs, the MBTA said Red Line trains are passing through the JFK/UMass area under a carefully controlled manual operation. This complex process involves more than 50 people at a given time to safely coordinate the movement of trains between the Red Line core and the Braintree and Ashmont branches.

“While we recognize anything but full service falls short of our customers’ expectations, our current recovery schedule reflects the MBTA’s urgent approach to the massive task of returning the Red Line to full service,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak in a statement. “As recovery efforts continue, I want to thank the MBTA workforce for their urgency and professionalism, and I want our customers to know that we deeply appreciate their patience.”

Red Line recovery work is expected to continue through the summer to gradually restore impacted portions of the Red Line to full service. The goal is to have it back to normal by Labor Day, the MBTA said.

Red Line customers are still advised to plan for extra travel times due to manually operated switches that require trains to travel at a slower speed through a certain segment of Red Line track.

In the meantime, a number of people are calling for a halt to the fare increase until full service is back. Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu is promoting a protest.

Catch up on this story:

• After Train Derailments In 2019, System Still 'Safe:' MBTA
• MBTA Fare Increase 'Unfair' Until Red Line Is Fixed: Boston Mayor