MEDFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - Governor Charlie Baker is expected to hold a press conference on Wednesday to formally announce the 30-day shutdown of the Orange Line for overdue maintenance.
Rail service would be replaced with shuttle buses under the plan, which sources told 7NEWS would allow the MBTA to perform what they described as “overdue maintenance.”
The MBTA Board of Directors is expected to vote Wednesday morning on a contract with a bus company to provide shuttle services when the shutdown formally goes through.
An MBTA spokesperson would not confirm the plan for 7NEWS, but did say the agency is considering what they called “additional service diversions to accelerate construction work.”
“This contract is for buses that would support those efforts,” said an MBTA spokesperson. “The T is finalizing details and will share more information with riders very soon.”
The MBTA has been dealing with multiple high-profile incidents lately, particularly on the Orange Line where, two weeks ago, a fire caused by a loose piece of metal forced 200 passengers to walk to safety. Another incident involved a battery failure that forced the T to pull all-new Orange and Red Line trains out of service for a time.
The reported Orange Line shutdown comes after Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who uses the Orange Line herself, alluded last month to the fact that a major shutdown may be coming.
“Rather than just trying to do a little track here or there, on the weekend or late at night, actually doing it all in one sweep,” Wu told WBUR.
The reported shutdown also comes amid a federal investigation into the safety of the T, which Governor Charlie Baker spoke on last week.
“The FTA has been doing what I consider to be a really appropriate and necessary soup to nuts review around safety,” said Baker. “We are being very aggressive about implementing everything they come up with.”
Baker is expected to hold a press conference at Wellington State Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. when he is formally expected to announce the shutdown.
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