Red Line Transformation Program | Projects

A man on the sunlight JFK/UMass platform, with a Red Line train pulled up.

2015 – 2022

As part of our $8 billion, 5-year capital investment program that began July 1, 2018, we're rebuilding the Red Line.

This work, including signal upgrades, a new test track and vehicle testing facility, and an upgraded yard and maintenance facility, will result in faster, more comfortable trips on the Red Line, as well as less crowding on platforms and in stations.

It will also support the all-new, expanded Red Line fleet of 252 modern, spacious vehicles, ensuring that an additional 65,000 riders per day can take the Red Line.

Contracts have been awarded for the following projects as part of this initiative:

Red Line signal upgrades: Design started in 2019
New Red Line vehicles: Vehicle buildout began in Springfield, MA in 2019
Red Line test track: Scheduled to be complete by winter 2020
Cabot Yard Maintenance Facility: Work began in summer 2019

Building a Better T 2020

A crew member cuts track at Haymarket as part of rail replacement during the first Orange Line weekend shutdown of 2020

Some of our Red Line Transformation projects are being accelerated in 2020 to deliver results to riders sooner.

Learn more about this work

Red Line Signal Upgrades

The train detection electronics and relays inside the signal bungalow at Forest Hills Station will be replaced.

The analog signal system on the Red Line will be fully replaced with new, digital infrastructure.

Contract awarded: November 2018
Projected completion: January 2022
Budget: $217 million (total value for Red Line and Orange Line signal upgrades)
Status: Preliminary design has been completed. Intermediate system design is ongoing and expected to be completed by the end of January 2020.

Learn more about Red Line signals

Digital signals require less manual labor than the current analog system, reducing the time and money required for maintenance. In turn, this will result in:

Improved service reliability
A renewed lifespan for the entire system
More efficient communications about system diagnostics

New Red Line Vehicles

New Red Line train at the Wollaston Station platform — The first new Red Line train went into service on December 30, 2020, pictured above at Wollaston Station.

The Red Line fleet will be entirely replaced with modern, more efficient, more spacious vehicles by 2024.

Contract awarded: 2014
Projected completion: 2024
Budget: $1 billion (total value for Red Line and Orange Line new vehicles)
Status: One new train added to the fleet; more in production

Learn more about new Red Line vehicles

The 252 new Red Line vehicles (including 34 more cars added to the fleet) will feature:

More spacious interiors, wider doors, more handrails, and LED lighting systems for your comfort
2 more accessibility areas on each vehicle
Modern visual and audio communications systems, including new audio and visual door open and close warnings
Onboard diagnostics for operators and maintenance staff

Red Line Test Track

A Red Line vehicle on the new Red Line test rack

The existing Red Line test track and third rail were fully replaced in the summer of 2019 for easier, faster testing of new Red Line vehicles. Work on the new vehicle testing facility is expected to be completed by late spring 2020.

Contract awarded: November 2017
Projected completion: Spring 2020
Budget: $21 million
Status: Ready for new Red Line vehicle testing February 2020

Learn more about the Red Line test track

We will test and commission new Red Line vehicles on an all-new test track. With these new tracks, we can test vehicles more efficiently before they’re sent into service.

The existing test track and third rail were fully replaced, and a new access track was installed with a direct connection to Cabot Yard to allow for vehicle delivery. Remaining work includes a new vehicle testing facility, which we expect to complete by late spring 2020.

Cabot Yard and Maintenance Facility

Cabot Maintenance Facility: Planned improvements, including a maintenance platform, car wash, paint booth, wheel truing machine, and cranes. Rendering by designer on record.

Cabot Yard, the facility where we store and care for Red Line vehicles each day, will be fully replaced for safer, more efficient maintenance.

Contract awarded: August 2018
Projected completion: Fall 2022
Budget: $213 million
Status: 13% complete as of November 2019

Learn more about upgrades to Cabot Yard

The upgraded Cabot Yard and all-new facility will help crews move trains through the yard more easily, decreasing the time needed for maintenance. It will feature:

All new rail yard tracks, power system, and signals
New diagnostics equipment
A canopy for outdoor maintenance work
An efficient, environmentally-friendly car wash
Standardized vehicle turnouts and crossovers for easier maintenance

Codman Yard Expansion and Improvements

An aerial view of Codman Yard, where Red Line vehicles are stored each night

We’re upgrading the Codman Yard facility, where we store and maintain Red Line vehicles each day, to help accommodate the new and expanded Red Line Fleet and to bring it into a State of Good Repair for improved safety and reduced maintenance costs.