SOMERVILLE, MASS. (WHDH) - Halfway into the monthlong Orange Line shutdown, the scheduled round-the-clock track work is now almost halfway done too, according to the MBTA.
The track replacement work is 49% complete, 44% of the rail replacement is done, or 62,000 linear feet, as well as 84% of special track renewal.
“We continue to prioritize safety here at the T, holding safety briefings every day at our active work zones and performing multiple safety observations every day,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak.
He added that 93% of new Orange Line trains are ready for service, as well.
Poftak added that the work is on schedule and the MBTA is “cautiously confident” about the T’s ability to finish the work on time by September 19. In the meantime, shuttle buses are replacing the route.
Poftak’s update came on the heels of The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) releasing a scathing 90-page safety report Wednesday, prompting the MBTA to launch the Quality, Compliance and Oversight Office to address the FTA’s findings.
The FTA emphasized throughout the report that the T’s investment into longer-term projects came at the detriment of day-to-day maintenance. The report also noted dysfunction in the T’s operating conditions and policies, procedures, and training.
The T was ordered to make 53 actions outlined in the report, half of which the T said it has already implemented or begun to implement.
State lawmakers scheduled a second hearing on state MBTA oversight for early October. MBTA leadership was originally grilled by state lawmakers in July in response to numerous failures and safety issues the T has faced in recent years.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)