MBTA’s Building a Better T prepares for Blue Line work in mid-May

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has announced a 14-day full closure of the Blue Line between Bowdoin and Airport stations beginning May 18, allowing for accelerated track and infrastructure work to take place.

During this accelerated work, shuttle buses will replace service between Bowdoin and Airport Stations for 14 consecutive days, including both weekdays and weekends, beginning at the start of service May 18 through the end of service May 31.

“The work accomplished during this closure will lead to numerous benefits, including increased train speeds, shorter travel times and a more reliable service schedule,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “Our main focus continues to be safety, especially during the COVID-19 situation, with the MBTA’s shuttle plan including measures that promote social distancing. We know these diversions can be an inconvenience, but the service suspension allows us expedite critical track and tunnel infrastructure work and remove the restrictions that currently limit train speeds.”

This work comes as part of the MBTA’s plan to quicken the pace of infrastructure projects in 2020 and the MBTA is assessing whether other projects can be further accelerated. This Blue Line work was previously scheduled to be accomplished through a series of weekend diversions later this year, and doing the work now allows its completion at a time when both transit ridership and traffic on the roadways that shuttle buses will use is much lower than it is likely to be by the fall. The MBTA says it recognizes that many essential riders do continue to use the Blue Line and that ridership may rise as the commonwealth begins to consider reopening opportunities within the coming weeks. The MBTA’s shuttle plan includes measures to promote social distancing that protect MBTA workers and riders, and the MBTA says it will carefully monitor ridership levels on the shuttle buses, adjusting service levels if needed.

In compliance with the executive order that went into effect on May 6, MBTA customers must wear face coverings while onboard shuttle buses. Additionally, to promote social distancing efforts and protect the health and safety of MBTA riders and bus operators, ridership on shuttle buses will be limited. The MBTA will also operate additional shuttle buses than originally planned with a robust fleet of shuttles on standby to accommodate ridership demands as needed.  

Blue Line construction is part of the MBTA’s $8 billion Building a Better T program to replace subway fleets, modernize stations and upgrade tracks, signals and switches. In 2019, the MBTA executed a plan to expedite projects for customers, delivering projects 2.2 years faster than originally planned across the Red, Orange and Green Lines. Building off this accelerated work, the MBTA launched its 2020 Infrastructure Acceleration Plan in February 2020 aimed at improving service, safety and reliability on faster timelines through temporary shutdowns and diversions in service for several subway lines and the commuter rail. The 2020 plan will deliver projects eight years faster than originally planned, and will result in track replacement, upgraded intersections and station improvements. 

Shuttle bus information

Due to the road geography around most Blue Line stations within the diversion limits, accessible shuttle buses will stop at stations between Bowdoin and Airport in a loop configuration. Buses will travel from Bowdoin to Maverick to Airport to Maverick again to Aquarium to State to Government Center before returning to Bowdoin to repeat the loop.

To save time and expedite trips for essential riders, an express shuttle bus will operate between Airport and Government Center that makes select stops. Customers seeking the express bus should see station personnel and/or station signage for more information and pick-up/drop-off areas.

More information about the work

Work accomplished during this 14-day shutdown builds off track replacement work that took place at Bowdoin during last fall’s weekend diversions as part of the 2019 capital acceleration plan. This current work includes:

• The installation of a new track pad near Airport Station.
• Track replacement work along the Blue Line that will remove a long-standing speed restriction between Maverick and Aquarium, effectively reducing trip times by up to fifty-one seconds between Airport and Maverick (one way).
• Harbor tunnel leak mitigation and drainage work between Maverick and Aquarium that will reduce water-/leak-related service delays, improving reliability.
• Fire standpipe relocation between Maverick and Aquarium.

Accomplishing this work during 14 consecutive days allows this work to be finished more than two months sooner than previously planned. Sections of track between Bowdoin and Airport are also currently being scheduled to close in August 2020 for additional work on harbor tunnel improvements.

Following track work, the MBTA typically implements speed restrictions as a safety precaution, and customers should expect these to last for several days while the T monitors the proper settlement and consolidation of new track and stone ballast. Speed restrictions are lifted once engineers have confirmed proper settlement has occurred.