BOSTON (WHDH) - A new month is bringing with it a new closure on the MBTA Red Line as the T prepares to suspend train service between JFK/UMass and Braintree stations for more than three weeks.
The shutdown will begin on Friday and continue until Sept. 29 while crews work to repair 18 miles of track.
T officials said the work will allow them to remove 20 speed restrictions along the Red Line and improve round trip travel times by as much as 24 minutes.
As riders brace for the disruption, though, many voiced their frustration Tuesday afternoon.
“I feel like they happen every other week,” said one person when asked about Red Line service changes.
“It just kind of detours everyone’s day,” said Red Line commuter Shannon D’Arcangelo.
Beyond removing speed restrictions and improving travel times in the short term, the MBTA in a statement said planned track improvements will “lay the groundwork for the MBTA’s goal of raising current Red Line train speeds above current speeds where possible.”
“At the end, they will see that the speed restrictions will be gone,” said MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng. “They will have a smooth trip, a safe trip, and a faster trip than ever.”
Free shuttle buses will be making stops at Braintree, Quincy Adams, Quincy Center, Wollaston, North Quincy and Ashmont stations during the upcoming shutdown. There will be no shuttle at JFK/UMass.
D’Arcangelo said “It will be a little frustrating.”
“Coming into the office is a big part of my day-to-day, so definitely I’m going to have to start taking the bus and I’m sure it will be extremely crowded,” D’Arcangelo said.
“It just seems like they’re happening all the time in constant rotation,” said fellow commuter Sal Inglima. “It’s either the Green [Line] or the Red [Line]. It’s been going on for what seems like a year now. I’m not sure what’s going on, but it seems like it’s too much.”
In addition to shuttles, the T has announced fare-free service on the Commuter Rail’s Middleborough, Kingston, and Greenbush lines for the length of the Red Line shut down. The MBTA said there will be additional personnel at area Commuter Rail stations during morning and evening rush hour periods.
There will also be extra coaches on the Middleborough, Kingston, and Greenbush lines to accommodate additional ridership.
Though the T said riders are “strongly encouraged” to use the Commuter Rail, it will not be an option during the weekends of Sept. 7 and 8 and Sept. 14 and 15 when shuttle buses will also replace Commuter Rail trains.
Beyond the Red Line’s Braintree branch, the T said it plans to increase subway service on the Ashmont branch during the shutdown to maintain train frequency between JFK/UMass and Alewife stations.
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