BOSTON (WHDH) - A 30-day wait came to an end on Monday as Orange Line riders returned to the T after a month of riding shuttle buses in its stead.
Some riders said service was somewhat slow as commuters returned to the trains, following several weeks of nonstop maintenance that squeezed in five years’ worth of work, according to the MBTA.
“It’s really slow,” said rider Tumi Akin. “It’s moving much slower – I think there’s like a speed restriction.”
While the 30-day shutdown allowed for crews to remove at least six “slow zones” from the Orange Line, MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said commuters will likely notice some slow service for next few days. During the shutdown, the transportation authority noted that in the rail industry, temporary slow zones are often needed after rail and ballast work to allow the infrastructure to “settle.”
“As the week progresses, the ride will get faster as we do our inspections,” Poftak said. “We’re getting back into the groove of running the trains.”
Poftak spoke with reporters as he joined other local leaders such as Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in taking the line into work Monday morning.
“Even a little bit makes a big, big difference, so with the huge shuttle buses off our roads now, I think we’ll start to see an improvement in traffic and congestion, even in these next few days,” Wu said. “Our hope is that there will be more people getting on the train, seeing that it is an experience you can count on, you can rely on.”
Other Orange Line improvements included 14,000 feet of replaced rail, a new fleet of 72 train cars and cleaned up stations.
Due to the success of the shutdown, MBTA officials are also said to be considering future “diversions” to other rail lines in need of work.
Meanwhile, shutdowns for the Green Line’s D branch start Saturday and are expected to continue through stretches of late September and October, according to the MBTA. The branch will switch to shuttle service for three different nine-day periods, starting on Sept. 24. and ending on Oct. 30.
The MBTA ordered the shutdowns so crews could work on track replacement and upgrades at various station crossings.
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