Riders on the Red, Green and Orange Lines don't have to be jealous of evening shutdowns on the Blue Line; they'll get plenty of chances to ride a bus next month

With the first of the 8 p.m. shutdowns of the Blue Line for track work beginning tonight, the MBTA is announcing a series of similar shutdowns on the Red and Green Lines, along with shutdowns on the Orange and Silver Lines, as the T works through all the slow zones that have turned many commutes into something like riding the back of a snail even aside from the reduced service caused by a lack of dispatchers.

The Blue Line will be shut at 8 p.m. tonight through Thursday and then again May 1-4. Buses will run instead, but anybody who's used to using Bowdoin will have to get to another Blue Line stop for a bus. The T says: "Crews will be replacing close to 2,000 feet of rail, over 450 ties, and perform more than 3,000 feet of tamping."

The Red Line will be shut between Park Street and JFK/UMass May 6 and 7, with bustitution. "This service change will allow MBTA crews to continue to perform critical rail and tie replacement work to alleviate speed restrictions in this area."

The Red Line between JFK/UMass and Braintree will be shut at 8:45 p.m. on May 8-12, May 15-19, May 22-25, and May 30-31. Need to get somewhere on the Braintree branch? The T says you can ride on commuter rail. "This service change will allow MBTA crews to perform critical rail and tie replacement work on the Braintree Branch that will alleviate speed restrictions."

The Red Line south of Broadway on both Ashmont and Braintree branches will be shut on the weekends of May 13-14 and May 20-21, with bustitution in the works. "This service change will allow MBTA crews to perform work on the Savin Hill Bridge on the Ashmont branch as well as continued rail and tie replacement work on the Braintree branch."

Courthouse Station on the Silver Line will be shut at 8:45 p.m. on May 5 and altogether the weekend of May 6-7. "This service change will allow for improvement work to take place at Courthouse."

And, of course, let's not forget the ongoing demolition of the former Government Center garage and its affect on the Orange and Green Lines. Orange Line trains will bypass Haymarket the weekends of May 13-14 and May 20-21, while Green Line service will be suspended between North Station and Government Center. No busing, come on, just walk to another station, but the T says it will provide on-demand van service to folks who need a ride.

On May 27 and 28, the B Line will bypass Kenmore, while the C Line will not run at all between Cleveland Circle and Copley Square, and the D Line will be out of service between Fenway and Copley. "These service changes will allow crews to perform track work in various locations along the Green Line."

Signage will be in place during all scheduled changes in service to direct riders to shuttle bus stops. Extra MBTA personnel and Transit Ambassadors will also be on-hand to assist riders.

MBTA alerts (there are also some upcoming shutdowns on some commuter-rail lines).