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    1. Rail
    2. Infrastructure

    MBTA Orange Line closure work 50 percent complete

    Sept. 7, 2022
    Work crews are making progress on rail replacement, track renewal and tie replacement, special track work and rail fastener work.
    Related To: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
    MBTA
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    Fifty percent of the work taking place along the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Orange Line during the 30-day closure is complete. 

    Additionally, the scheduled work is on schedule overall. 

    Overall, work teams have completed: 

    • 44 percent of rail replacement; 
    • 49 percent of track renewal / tie replacement; 
    • 84 percent of special track work, like track work at crossovers; and 
    • 22 percent of cologne eggs and rail fastener work. 

    Earlier in the project, crews completed rail replacement between Downtown Crossing and State Stations over an unencumbered two-day period, which was about 900 feet of track. This track replacement was one of the six slow zones that the MBTA was aiming to address during the Orange Line shutdown. To put this into context, when MBTA crews work during overnight hours when the subway is closed, they can replace about 39 feet of track a night after materials are staged and the third rail power is cut. The rest of the slow zones are also in the process of being completed. 

    As of this week, an additional four of the MBTA’s projects have been completed: crossover improvements at Ruggles Station; rail welding at Forest Hills Station; canopy work at Sullivan Square Station; and security enhancements at North Station. Crossover work at Jackson Square Station was also finished.  

    Tie replacement work also continues between the Dana Bridge and Community College Station. Work teams near Wellington Station began de-stressing rail and continued electrical connections at special track work locations. At the Tufts Curve, crews are continuing to replace cologne eggs, which are fasteners that allow crews to directly affix rail to the concrete pads utilized on certain parts of the Orange Line. The signal upgrades at Oak Grove and Malden Stations have also reached 47 percent completion. 

    As progress is made on track and signal upgrades, work teams are also leveraging the Orange Line shutdown to complete opportunity projects. Over this past week: 

    • Crews have continued to complete punch list items at Sullivan Square Station. 
    • Testing of the new security enhancements at North Station is now complete. 
    • The replacement standpipe for fire protection at Tufts Medical Center Station is being painted and is near completion. 

    Additionally, 56 new Orange Line cars are now available for service. This means that when service re-starts on Sept. 19, Orange Line riders’ commute will be predominantly on new cars. The MBTA is actively working to get a full complement of new Orange Line cars ready for the restart of service. 

    The Orange Line closure continues to address a maintenance backlog and planned construction investments, all of which are focused on safety improvements and returning the system to a state of good repair. Thirty days of 24-hour access will replace more than five years of Orange Line delays and weekend diversions.