Orange Line ‘Slow Zones’ To Remain In Place For Several More Months

SOMERVILLE, MA — The speed restrictions on the Orange Line that have slowed trips since the end of the 30-day shutdown in September will stay in place through November and into December, Boston 25 News reported.

In a letter to U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said some of the remaining slow zones on the Orange Line will remain in place until December, more than two months after they were scheduled to be eliminated.

Poftak said crews are still working on the tracks in several areas, including five different sections of the Orange Line’s northbound tracks and another five stretches of the southbound track.

“As riders continue to return to the system, I understand the frustration many of them feel,” Poftak wrote in the letter Tuesday. “On behalf of the more than 6,400 hardworking men and women of the MBTA, we acknowledge that safety incidents have occurred and that our service levels aren’t where we want them, in part due to staffing challenges, that have forced us to make hard decisions that represent prioritizing safety above all else. These challenges are impacting major transit agencies across the country.”

Poftak’s letter came in response to an Oct. 14 hearing, during which Markey pressed Poftak for specific data on the remaining slow zones.

In September, just days before the Orange Line reopened, Poftak said the slow zones would remain in effect for roughly one week after Orange Line service resumes to allow the track to settle.