The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has completed more critical track work that was planned on the Red Line between JFK/UMass and Park Street Stations. Shuttle buses replaced service between these stations during the evenings from Nov. 14 to Nov. 16 and all day during the weekend of Nov. 18 to Nov. 19. The work follows critical track work MBTA completed on the Red Line’s Ashmont Branch between JFK/UMass and Ashmont Stations and the Mattapan Line for 16 days in October.
“Each step we take to repair our infrastructure is the building block for rebuilding public trust and restoring the level of service that the public deserves. The MBTA is proud to have completed this critical work, removing nine speed restrictions on the Red Line – which is three more than we set out to remove. Part of this success is the collaborative coordination between contracted work and our growing in-house Maintenance of Way staff. I know that we have many challenges ahead but this reconfirms a new way of doing business at the MBTA to safely improve our tracks and infrastructure and providing a faster, more reliable ride for the public,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “I thank our riders for their patience, as we completed this critical work and the MBTA team for their tireless efforts. As we continue to move towards restoring service levels across the system, lessons learned will continue to be incorporated to streamline efforts and better serve the public.”
Today, less than 10 miles of Red Line track is currently speed restricted – a first since March 8 when the MBTA first initiated slow zones systemwide. The early access and weekend diversion allowed crews to replace more than 2,000 feet of rail and 115 crossties on the Red Line, improving reliability as the MBTA incorporated state of good repair work as part of the planned work. The MBTA alleviated six speed restrictions in the area between South Station and JFK/UMass and alleviated three restrictions near Downtown Crossing Station.
The MBTA also maximized these closures by performing a variety of in-station work, including new and cleaned signage within tunnel areas, restoration and sanding of the platform benches at Broadway, Andrew and South Station, new rubber flooring on the stairway at Broadway, painting at Broadway and Andrew and platform tripping hazards fixed at South Station.
The full list of speed restrictions no longer in place on the Red Line can be found at MBTA’s website.
