Weekend Buses For Worcester Line Start This Weekend

From the MBTA:

The MBTA will replace weekend Worcester Line train service with free bus service during eleven weekends in two phases that begins the weekend of May 26 to accommodate the installation of federally mandated Positive Train Control (PTC) infrastructure. The first phase will occur from May 26 through June 17 with free bus service replacing train service between Worcester and Framingham Stations. The second phase will occur immediately following the first phase from June 23 through August 5 with no weekend train service between Framingham and South Stations. Free bus service will be available between Framingham and Wellesley Farms during the second phase with the bus also connecting to the Green Line at Riverside Station.

The first phase’s free weekend bus service between Worcester and Framingham Stations will make stops at all stations. Buses will connect to regular Worcester Line train service at Framingham Station where trains will make all stops between Framingham and South Station for a Zone 5 fare.

Phase 1 Worcester Line bus replacement map on weekends from May 26 to June 17.

The second phase’s free weekend bus service will make all stops between Framingham and WellesleyFarms Stations with the bus extending to Riverside Station on the Green Line for customers intending to connect to subway service to Boston destinations. Train service between Worcester and Framingham during these weekends will also be free with a standard one-way Green Line fare at Riverside Station costing $2.25 on a CharlieCard or $2.75 with cash/CharlieTicket.

There will be no train service or bus service to or from Auburndale, West Newton, Newtonville, Boston Landing, Yawkey, Back Bay, or South Stations during these weekends with customers encouraged instead to utilize nearby transit services or the bus connection at Riverside.

Phase 2 Worcester Line bus replacement map on weekends from June 23 through August 5.

The replacement bus schedule will be similar to the Worcester Line weekend train schedule, though customers should check the MBTA website for exact bus departure times. In some cases, buses may be unable to enter or turn around at stations with space limitations. Directional signage will be posted at every station and on the street to aid customers. All buses are accessible for persons with disabilities. Bicycles are prohibited on all buses during all service hours.

This shutdown of Worcester Line train service during these eleven weekends from May 26 to August 5 is necessary for crews to begin installation activities that include installing poles, fiber optic cables, signal houses, and antenna for the federally mandated PTC system. PTC is a safety control system designed to reduce train speeds when needed and prevent train-on-train collisions.

The first MBTA PTC installation began the weekend of July 8, 2017, on the Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Rail Line with various commuter rail lines across the system currently at various stages of PTC hardware installation. The MBTA’s PTC Implementation Plan submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration provides for the installation of hardware on all commuter rail lines and two pilot lines (Stoughton Line and Lowell Line) by the end of 2018 with full PTC implementation by December 31, 2020.

For more information on service changes along the Worcester Line, please visit the MBTA's website.

Image: File Photo