MA: Orange Line closure: What to expect during the MBTA's upcoming work

After focusing on repairing its Red Line throughout much of September, the MBTA will close a substantial portion of the Orange Line for most of the next two weeks as it pushes to complete lofty maintenance goals by the year’s end.

From Oct. 8 to 20, the T will pause train service from the Orange Line’s southern end at Forest Hills station in Jamaica Plain to Back Bay station.

Over the upcoming long weekend, from Oct. 12 to 14, the closure will stretch further, from Forest Hills to North Station.

But brighter days and quicker train rides are ahead, MBTA officials say.

The recent three-and-a-half weeks of work on the Red Line allowed the agency to lift nearly 40 speed restrictions across 18 miles of track, areas where the deteriorating state of its infrastructure limited how fast trains could travel.

With the work completed, a round-trip journey on the Red Line’s Braintree Branch dropped by as much as 24 minutes, according to the T.

Now the Orange Line, no longer the Red Line, is the transit system’s most slow-zone-plagued branch.

MBTA data shows 27 speed restrictions remaining on the Orange Line as of Monday morning, compared to five on the Red Line, two on the Green Line and none on the Blue Line.

During the next stage of maintenance work, shuttle buses will replace Orange Line train service between Forest Hills and Back Bay stations from Tuesday morning, Oct. 8, through Oct. 20. The buses will also stop at Copley station, connecting passengers to the Green Line.

Riders can take the Commuter Rail for free between Forest Hills, Ruggles, Back Bay and South Station throughout the shutdown.

During the extended Orange Line closure from Oct. 12 to 14, riders are encouraged to take the Green Line for travel between Copley and North Station.

At the mercy of traffic, shuttle buses can take longer to reach their destination than the subway. Riders should factor extra travel time into their commutes, the MBTA said.

For example, a rider traveling between Downtown Crossing and Forest Hills may need to add 40 minutes to their regular commute if they take a shuttle bus, the T said. The agency “strongly encouraged” riders to opt for the Commuter Rail’s fare-free service during the closure.

Commuter Rail trains depart every 30 minutes during the peak morning and evening travel periods. The trains can reach Back Bay from Forest Hills in 10 minutes.

The closure comes as the MBTA works to bring all tracks into a “state of good repair” by the end of December, meaning its full length will be structurally sound, functional and compliant with safety standards.

Some multi-day or multi-week closures have been necessary to reach that goal.

If repair crews could only work each night when the subway system is normally closed, the massive backlog of maintenance projects could have taken years longer to complete, MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said this summer.

“It’s a lot of catch-up but I thank the public for their patience,” Eng, who was appointed last year after serving in top posts in New York City’s public transit, said. “Because at the end of this year, they will have a system that they can better rely on.”

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