Special to the Journal
The MBTA has announced service changes in August on the Blue, Orange, Lowell, and Fitchburg lines.?
Riders can find more information on service changes through in-station signage, in-station public announcements, and at mbta.com/PlannedWork. Transit Ambassadors and MBTA staff will be available on-site to offer information and assistance during these service changes. Riders are encouraged to subscribe to T-Alertsor to follow the MBTA on X @MBTA, @MBTA_CR, and @MBTA_CR_Alerts for up-to-date service information.??
On the Blue Line:
The MBTA will perform continued work on the Blue Line in August to continue to rebuild the Line and ensure that additional sections of track are improved to the same state of good repair standards that support reliable and robust service. Crews will accomplish essential infrastructure upgrades, heavy track renewal, and other critical revitalization work. Building on the success of the Track Improvement Program, this regular, planned renewal and revitalization work is ongoing and continuous, ensuring the long-term stability of our infrastructure and preserving the system for future generations of riders.
To accomplish this work, the following service suspension will take place:
Blue Line service will be suspended between Airport and Wonderland for nine days, August 9 – 17.
Free and accessible shuttle buses will make stops at all stations during this service change.
Riders using shuttle buses should budget ample extra travel time. For example, a rider traveling to Government Center from Wonderland should budget at least an additional 20 – 30 minutes of travel time in addition to their regular commute. ?
Riders using regular Blue Line train service between Bowdoin and Airport should also budget extra travel time. The time between each weekday train will be approximately 10 minutes, which is about double what it is typically.
On the Orange Line:?
The MBTA will accomplish signal upgrade work on the Orange Line in August. By upgrading its signals, the MBTA will significantly increase operational efficiency and improve scheduling reliability for riders.
To accomplish this work, the following service suspension will take place:
Orange Line service will be suspended between Wellington and Back Bay during the weekends of August 2 – 3, August 9 – 10, and August 23 – 24.
Free and accessible shuttle buses will operate during this service change.
Local shuttle buses will make all stops between Wellington and North Station.
Express shuttle buses will operate directly between Wellington and North Station.
For service through the downtown area near Back Bay, riders are encouraged to utilize parallel Green Line service between North Station and Copley (which is less than a quarter-mile or about a four-minute walk from Back Bay). The MBTA will increase Green Line service during this time to accommodate Orange Line riders.
There will be free fares with the fare gates open at Back Bay, Copley, Wellington, and North Station.
Riders are encouraged to consider fare-free Commuter Rail service between Oak Grove and North Station as well as between Forest Hills and South Station.
Accessible vans will be available at downtown Orange Line stations between Back Bay and North Station as well as Copley on the Green Line.
On the Lowell Commuter Rail Line:
The MBTA will perform work on the High Line Bridge Replacement Project in Somerville in August. The High Line Bridge carries the Lowell Line over the High Line access road as well as a railroad yard in Somerville between North Station and West Medford. When complete, the project will provide safer, more resilient, more reliable service on the Lowell Line; bring the bridge into a state of good repair; reduce future maintenance costs; and reduce unplanned service impacts and delays.
To accomplish this work, the following service suspension will take place:
Lowell Commuter Rail Line service will be suspended between North Station and Lowell during the following dates:
Beginning at approximately 10 PM on Friday, August 15, and continuing through the entire weekend, August 16 – 17.
Beginning at approximately 10 PM on Friday, August 22, and continuing through the entire weekend, August 23 – 24.
A dedicated diversion schedule will be available on mbta.com.
Free and accessible shuttle bus service will replace train service between North Station and Lowell.
There will be no shuttle bus service at Winchester Center. Passengers should instead use Wedgemere Station as an alternative shuttle bus location.
On the Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line:
The MBTA will perform work in August as part of the North Station Terminal Area Signal System Improvement Project. This project is replacing the obsolete signal system that controls the movement of MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak trains in and out of North Station with a new, state-of-the-art microprocessor system that requires less maintenance and reduces failures and train delays. The area where work is taking place is a complex network of tracks and switches that connect the station tracks at North Station, five major Commuter Rail lines, and the Boston Engine Terminal where trains are stored and maintained.
To accomplish this work, the following service suspension will take place:
Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line service will be suspended between North Station and Porter Squareduring the weekends of August 16 – 17 and August 23 – 24.
Passengers can instead utilize existing subway service on the Red and Green Lines.
To travel from Porter Square to North Station, passengers can take Ashmont-/Braintree-bound Red Line service to Park Street, connect to Union Square-/Medford/Tufts-bound Green Line service, and disembark at North Station.
To travel from North Station to Porter Square, passengers can take Riverside-/Heath Street-bound Green Line service to Park Street, connect to Alewife-bound Red Line service, and disembark at Porter Square.
The MBTA previously announced service changes in July. More information is available here.
The MBTA understands how these service changes affect riders’ daily travels during this period, but we are committed to improving your travels long term with more reliable, timely, and safe service. We thank riders for their patience as we deliver this important work and for continuing to ride our system.
For more information, visit mbta.com/PlannedWork or connect with the T on X @MBTA and @MBTA_CR, Facebook /TheMBTA, Instagram @theMBTA, Threads @thembta, or TikTok @thembta.
