BOSTON (WHDH) - The MBTA announced Friday that it expects normal Red Line service on a segment of the track between Broadway and JFK/UMass Stations to resume by Aug. 15.
MBTA officials say the improvement is due to signal restoration after a train derailed last month.
A newly released surveillance video recording shows the moment the train jumped the tracks, sending sparks and passengers flying.
Restoration of this segment will result in increased train speeds through the area and a reduction in the time trains spend stopped at stations, saving commuters roughly 5 minutes of travel time.
“We thank our customers for their patience while the work continues and regret the frustrations caused by these delays on the Red Line. We will continue repair efforts around the clock until we get back to full service along the entire line,” MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said. “I want to thank the MBTA teams and our contractors for their ongoing efforts to make repairs, and I look forward to continued progress.”
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Restoring the signal system through the stretch of track is critical in the effort to return the Red Line to normal service, MBTA officials say.
The derailment last month resulted in a significant increase in travel times across the entire Red Line. Restoring the signals between Broadway and JFK/UMass is expected to decrease travel time.
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Three signal bungalows have been repaired and a new, fourth one, has been added.
MBTA officials say that 21 of the 29 damages signals have been restored along with 11 of the 19 switches.
MBTA forces and contractor personnel have been working seven days a week to make repairs to signals, communications, and power infrastructure to improve service, and work will continue to continue progress.
As a result, the MBTA is currently running 10 trains per hour through the Red Line core, or roughly one train every six minutes.
Over the past several weeks, the MBTA routinely advised customers to plan for an additional 20 minutes of travel time.
The agency is estimating that restoring signals between Broadway and JFK will cut that time in half.
RED LINE SERVICE UPDATE: Repair efforts expected to return Broadway to JFK/UMass to normal service by August 15https://t.co/fNzUVOAasx
— MBTA (@MBTA) July 19, 2019
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