Building A Better T: Second of 4 Weekend Red Line Diversions Starts Friday Night

Bus shuttles will be provided between Broadway and Kendall/MIT for 4 weekends beginning at 8:45 PM on Fridays and lasting through the end of service on Sundays.

Work being done as part of the 2019 Capital Acceleration Plan.

Learn more at mbta.com/RLwork

Today the MBTA reminded customers that weekend Red Line service between Broadway and Kendall/MIT Stations will again be suspended this weekend beginning at 8:45 PM on Friday through Sunday as part of the MBTA's 2019 Capital Acceleration Plan. This suspension of Red Line service is the second of 4 weekend Red Line diversions. (Note: Regular Red Line train service will operate the weekend of Thanksgiving, November 29 - December 1.)

“As we continue to build a better T, I want to thank our customers for their continued patience during these weekend diversions,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “While we recognize these diversions are disruptive, they provide additional time to accelerate critical investments that will improve the safety and reliability of the MBTA for the long term.” 

The MBTA's 2019 Capital Acceleration Plan allows the MBTA to expedite upgrades to core infrastructure and to perform maintenance activities, including cleaning and painting at stations. During last weekend’s Red Line closure, crews completed the following: 

• The replacement of 460 feet of track at Downtown Crossing (northbound/Alewife-bound), improving reliability and reducing service disruptions.
• The installation of 478 feet of new running rail at Downtown Crossing (northbound/Alewife-bound).
• The installation of 460 feet of new third rail at Downtown Crossing (northbound/Alewife-bound).
• Station brightening work that included cleaning and washing as well as the installation of new platform tactile edging, new wayfinding, and new signage at Downtown Crossing (southbound / Ashmont-/Braintree-bound).

Accelerated work will continue to take place on the Red Line for 3 more weekends with a continued focus on station improvements and track replacement at Downtown Crossing and Park Street Stations. Last weekend’s shutdown and the 3 more to come allow the MBTA to complete work on the Red Line level at Park Street 4 months earlier than planned and at Downtown Crossing nearly a year earlier than planned.

During these weekend shutdowns, bus shuttles are provided between Kendall/MIT and Broadway Stations. Due to 1-way traffic patterns, shuttle service toward Alewife will not stop at Park Street and shuttle service toward Ashmont/Braintree will not stop at Downtown Crossing. Full shuttle bus and alternate travel information can be found at mbta.com/RLwork. 

The upcoming weekends in which Red Line service is suspended between Broadway and Kendall/MIT Stations are:

• 8:45 PM on November 22 through November 24.
• 8:45 PM on December 6 through December 8.
• 8:45 PM on December 13 through December 15.

More Details on The Work

The broad limits between Broadway and Kendall/MIT are necessary as these areas are “portal” access points for work crews to load in construction equipment and materials into the underground portions of the Red Line. The broad closure limits also give the MBTA a valuable work window to perform work that would otherwise require additional service shutdowns, including track and power maintenance between stations, including third rail insulators and connections; tunnel debris clean-up, which will reduce the risk of nuisance smoke and fire; detailed inspections and surveys of tunnel infrastructure for future repairs and long-term investments; and station repairs and maintenance to platforms, escalators, elevators, stairs, and fare equipment.

More Information