MA: Here are July’s scheduled MBTA and Commuter Rail shutdowns, and how to navigate them

The MBTA will partially close two of its key subway lines and direct riders to shuttle buses on select weekends in July as it performs essential maintenance work, authorities said.

The closures will impact a central section of the Red Line running through downtown Boston on two weekends, as well as a lengthy stretch of the Orange Line between Medford and the Back Bay on a third weekend.

Separately, the T will close the Framingham/ Worcester commuter rail line between Framingham and South Station on the weekend of July 26 and 27 for accessibility upgrades.

Red Line

Red Line subway service between Kendall/ MIT station in Cambridge and JFK/UMass station in Dorchester will be suspended and replaced with shuttle buses for two long weekends this month.

The first closure begins Thursday, July 10, at 8:30 p.m. and continues through the weekend. Service will resume Monday morning, July 14. The T will then repeat the closure on the weekend following, beginning at 8:30 p.m. on July 17 and lasting through the end of the weekend.

In place of train service, riders will be directed to free shuttle buses at the affected stations. Buses will not stop at Park Street, by Boston Common, but will stop at State and Haymarket stations for connections to the Orange, Blue and Green lines.

At the mercy of Boston traffic on the shuttle buses, riders should factor extra travel time into their commutes. The MBTA warned that a journey from Downtown Crossing south to Ashmont or Braintree would take an additional 30 to 45 minutes beyond the regular commute.

The disruption will allow the MBTA to perform “regular, planned maintenance work,” the agency said.

During the closure, the MBTA will waive fares at JFK/UMass, Kendall/ MIT, Haymarket, State and South Station. Officials also encouraged riders to use the commuter rail free of charge between Braintree and South Station and between Porter and North Station.

Orange Line

A two-day partial closure of the Orange Line later this month will allow the MBTA to continue installing a modern signal system, the essential yet hidden infrastructure that controls how trains move down the tracks, the T said.

The Orange Line will shut down between Wellington Station in Medford and Back Bay Station in Boston on the weekend of July 26and 27.

In place of trains, local shuttle buses will make all stops between Wellington and North Station. Express shuttles will travel directly between the two stations. For service through Downtown Boston, riders will be directed to the Green Line, which runs parallel to the Orange Line between North Station and Copley.

Copley is less than a quarter mile from the Orange Line’s Back Bay stop.

The T said it would increase Green Line service during the shutdown to handle the influx of riders from the Orange Line.

During the shutdown, the agency will drop fees at Back Bay, Copley, Wellington and North Station. However, riders were encouraged to take the commuter rail for free alternate service between Oak Grove and North Station and between Forest Hills and South Station.

Separately, the T plans announced a plan to partially close Jackson Square Station in Jamaica Plain to allow for accessibility upgrades on nights from the end of July through much of August.

Southbound Orange Line trains — those headed toward Forest Hills — will skip Jackson Square from 9 p.m. until the end of service from July 26 through Aug. 9.

Forest Hills-bound riders hoping to exit at Jackson Square will need to exit one stop later at Stony Brook and board an Oak Grove-bound train to double back to Jackson Square, T officials suggested.

Forest Hills-bound riders looking to board the train at Jackson Square will instead need to board an Oak Grove-bound train, exit one stop up at Roxbury Crossing, and then board a Forest Hills-bound train to their destination, authorities said.

From Aug. 10-24, Orange Line trains will skip Jackson Square in the Oak Grove-bound direction.

To exit at Jackson Square, Oak Grove-bound riders will need to disembark at Roxbury Crossing and board a Forest Hills-bound train back to Jackson Square. Oak Grove-bound riders who would like to board at Jackson Square should board a train headed for Forest Hills, exit at Stony Brook, and then board an Oak Grove-bound train to their destination, the T said.

Commuter Rail

The MBTA also plans to suspend commuter rail service between Framingham and South Station on the weekend of July 26-27 to allow for accessibility upgrades at Natick Center Station.

In place of commuter rail service, the T will run four free shuttle bus routes:

• Route 1: Opererating between Framingham, West Natick, Natick Center, Wellesley Square, Wellesley Hills and South Station
• Route 2: Operating between Wellesley Hills, Riverside on the Green Line D Branch for connections to the subway, Auburndale, West Newton, Newtonville, Boston Landing and South Station 
• Route 3: Operating between Framingham, West Natick, Natick Center, Wellesley Square, Wellesley Hills and Back Bay  
• Route 4: Operating between Wellesley Hills, Riverside on the Green Line D Branch for connections to the subway, Auburndale, West Newton, Newtonville, Boston Landing and Back Bay

Shuttle buses will not stop at Wellesley Farms or Lansdowne. Passengers who typically board at Wellesley Farms should instead board at Riverside. Those who typically board at Landsdown should instead board about a quarter-mile away at Kenmore.

A “dedicated diversion schedule” will also be available on MBTA.com, the agency said.

Commuter rail service will also be free between Worcester and Framingham during eh shut down.

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