Another week-plus shutdown looms for a core section of the MBTA.

The agency plans to upgrade its century-old signals in the Green Line’s central tunnel, requiring the closure of much of the line through Downtown Boston from Sept. 19-20 and Sept. 26-Oct. 4.

The nine-day shutdown will extend as far west as Allston on the Green Line’s B branch, to Kenmore Square on the C and D branches and to the end of the E branch at Heath Street.

For Green Line riders, it means another full work week and multiple weekends without full access to the subway system. The T performed similar work last month, requiring extensive shutdowns of all four Green Line branches for nine days.

The agency is also preparing for a five-day shutdown of the Orange Line between Forest Hills and Back Bay for repairs at Ruggles Station, one of the busiest stops on the transit network.

The Sept. 10-14 closure will be the Orange Line’s second extended disruption in recent weeks. The MBTA closed the other half of the line, from Back Bay to Oak Grove, for 11 days in August for track and signal upgrades.

The agency also announced single-weekend shutdowns of sections of the Red Line, Blue Line and several commuter rail lines for other maintenance work in the coming weeks.

Phillip Eng, the MBTA general manager and the state’s top transportation official, has said that fully closing sections of the track is the most efficient and affordable way to complete extensive repairs, far more so than limiting the work to overnight shifts.

Still, the shutdowns could significantly impact the travel of tens of thousands of riders. The Orange Line averaged about 105,000 riders each weekday over the last year, while the Green Line averaged about 50,000, according to data collected by TransitMatters, a public transit advocacy group.

Green Line

The Green Line work, taking place in the heart of America’s oldest subway system, requires shutting down a broad section of the tracks to give work crews unencumbered access.

The work is part of an ongoing effort to upgrade the Green Line’s signals — a critical system that controls how trains move along the tracks. The MBTA is replacing the more than 100-year-old analog signals with a modern equivalent that will allow trains to run more frequently and reliably, it said.

The T will close the Green Line from Government Center to Babcock Street on the B branch, Government Center to Kenmore on the C branch, North Station to Kenmore on the D branch, and Heath Street to North Station on the E branch.

The MBTA will replace trains with free and accessible shuttle buses across portions of the shuttered area. Buses will travel between Back Bay and Babcock Street on the B branch and Back Bay and Kenmore on the C and D branches. The T also directed riders to the Orange Line, which runs parallel to the Green Line through downtown Boston.

Instead of shuttle buses, the T advised E branch riders to take the Route 39 bus between Heath Street and Back Bay. The 39 will be free during the shutdown, as will the Route 57, which runs along portions of the B branch through Allston- Brighton.

All shuttle buses are accessible to riders with disabilities, though some are lift-equipped, coach-style vehicles, while others are ramp-equipped, low-floor buses, the MBTA said. Riders can also speak with MBTA staff at stations to request an accessible van for travel between North Station and Copley/Back Bay.

The MBTA’s website provides full details on alternative travel options.

Orange Line

During the Sept. 10-14 partial Orange Line shutdown, shuttle buses will replace trains between Back Bay and Forest Hills.

The MBTA said riders could also take the commuter rail fare-free between Forest Hills, Ruggles, Back Bay and South Station.

A commuter rail trip from Forest Hills to Back Bay takes approximately 10 minutes, the T said.

Shuttle buses, however, can take far longer on the city’s traffic-choked streets. A rider traveling to Downtown Crossing from Forest Hills should add at least 30 minutes to their normal commute if traveling by shuttle.

Red Line and Blue Line

The partial closures of the Red and Blue lines are less extensive.

The MBTA will close the Red Line between JFK/UMass and Ashmont on the weekend of Sept. 19-20 as maintenance crews work on two bridges in Dorchester.

Shuttle buses will stop between JFK/UMass and Ashmont. The Red Line’s Braintree branch will run more frequently over the weekend, increasing from trains every 14 minutes to every seven to eight minutes.

Portions of the Blue Line will be reduced to a single track on the weekend of Sept. 26-27 as the MBTA repairs track switches near Wonderland station.

At Wonderland, riders will need to board all trains on the outbound platform.

Trains will alternately terminate at either Wonderland or Orient Heights, the MBTA said.

Commuter rail

The MBTA will also close portions of multiple commuter rail lines on the weekend of Sept. 19-20: the Framingham/ Worcester line between Framingham and South Station, the entirety of the Needham line, and the New Bedford/Fall River, Greenbush, and Kingston lines between Braintree and South Station.

On the Framingham/ Worcester line, shuttle buses will replace trains between Framingham and South Station, traveling four different routes. Full details on shuttle bus service are available on the MBTA’s website.

The commuter rail will also be fare-free between Worcester and Framingham.

The New Bedford/Fall River, Greenbush and Kingston line closure is tied to the bridge work affecting the Red Line’s Ashmont branch that weekend.

Passengers can instead take the Red Line’s Braintree branch for travel between South Station and Braintree that weekend.

The Needham Heights line closure will begin slightly earlier than the other lines, starting at 11 p.m. on Sept. 18.

The MBTA will not run shuttle buses during the shutdown.

Instead, passengers can take Bus Routes 35, 36 and 37 between West Roxbury and Forest Hills to reach the Orange Line. Passengers can take Bus Route 59 between Needham Junction and Newton Highlands, which will run later into the evening that weekend.

Buses will not stop at Hersey.

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