Hey, there! Log in / Register

Trainless weekends on the Orange Line downtown begin tonight

The T starts six weekends of shutdowns on the Orange Line between Sullivan Square and Tufts Medical Center starting at 8:45 tonight. There will be bus service between Haymarket and Sullivan Square; people heading to State, Downtown Crossing and Chinatown will have to transfer to the Green Line.

That should be especially fun for those hypothetical riders trying to get from Forest Hills to, say, Assembly Square, but the T says it'll all be worth it in the end after they've finished making Downtown Crossing, Haymarket, State and Chinatown shiny and newer, with new signs and everything. The work also includes replacing a total of about half a mile of track.

The addition of these 6 weekend shutdowns allows the MBTA to complete work on the Orange Line level of these stations almost a year earlier than previously planned.

Neighborhoods: 
Topics: 
Free tagging: 


Ad:


Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!

Comments

It's worth stressing that there will be no bus substitution serving anything downtown on these weekends (starting Friday evenings at 8:45 pm).

People traveling from Forest hills and southerly stations downtown will need to get off at Back Bay and walk to Copley for the Green line or seek some of the posted alternative surface buses to get about. Similarly coming south you'd get on the Green line to Copley and walk to Bank Bay.

Worth noting that Bus #39 inbound stops at Copley, and outbound is between these two stations (Copley and Back Bay) so if coming from Forest hills or you are near the Rt #39, you might want to take that instead on those weekends and ditto heading back south.

up
Voting closed 0

I have to go to Sullivan tomorrow from Forest Hills so #39 it will be. I understand why they need to do this but I still want to complain about it!

up
Voting closed 0

They are offering a special $1 rate for the first 30 minutes, weekends until December. It's about 30 minutes from FH to Copley. Give it a whirl!

Edit: Sorry I see this is a repeat of info already posted further down the thread.

up
Voting closed 0

Some people can't ride bikes, sir.

up
Voting closed 1

I understand there is work that needs to be done, fine. I find the timing of the rate increase, then the decrease in service interesting, fine. What I don't understand is the bussing after 8:15 on weekday nights from Wellington to Oak Grove. I try to avoid busses as the trip from Malden Center to Oak Grove is ridiculous, rather than going down Summer and Glenwood which would take less than 5 minutes, the bus travels from Malden Center almost to Medford Center, then turns back and goes up side roads. It adds a ridiculous amount of time.

Granted, this affects very few people, but bussing on that end of the Orange Line has been going on for years. This session started this summer and is going on through the end of the year. I have to think there is something besides track maintenance behind the decision to run busses. And previously it started at 8:45, now 8:15.

Maybe someone (roadman)? can explain what they have been doing on that end of the line for years.

up
Voting closed 0

I no longer live off the Orange Line. The evening and weekend shutdowns I experienced during many years of living in Malden were extremely difficult, and prevented me from traveling certain places during the closures. They've been going on for years. Ironically, I find my train commute from Boston to Providence LESS frustrating, (though obviously longer, and not without its own unexpected delays).

Here are some links to the work they are doing on the Orange Line, though, if the glossy pictures make anyone feel better:

https://www.mbta.com/projects/2019-capital-acceleration-plan
and
https://www.mbta.com/projects/orange-line-improvement-program

up
Voting closed 0

But I believe the previous nighttime shutdowns were for signal work (yes, they are going to shut things down again down the road to install a completely new system, but in the meantime they needed to ensure that the system that was installed in the early 1970s didn't fall completely apart) and for work on Assembly Station (they did the same thing with Blue Hill Ave station down my way, only in the evenings, but every evening for months on end.)

I cannot figure out why it's been happening recently, but I would guess it is because they don't want things to fall completely apart. It sucks, but if it builds towards something better, it's gotta happen.

up
Voting closed 0

Some entrances to stations where the Orange Line intersects other lines will also be closed. See this page for a list of closed entrances at North Station, Haymarket, State, and Downtown Crossing.

up
Voting closed 0

on each weekend from now through December 15. See this page for more information.

up
Voting closed 0

If you can ride a bike. People like me, this deal does not help.

up
Voting closed 0

Wish there was a Facebook-style heart for this comment

up
Voting closed 0

Will it be real T buses providing shuttles, which already adds time to a commute/trip, or will it be those terrible intercity greyhound style ones with one door for loading and unloading and a narrow aisle to the seats. I get Baker needs to prove his Republican credentials by crippling public transit, but that is just cruel. Hes already made it miserable first in the Weld admin and now as Governor, you dont need to pile on with terrible bus substitution.

up
Voting closed 0

According to the news, they are using MBTA buses instead of motorcoaches for the shuttles.

up
Voting closed 0

such as Boston to Lowell. That would have been quite uncomfortable in a T bus.

up
Voting closed 0

This is particularly ridiculous for those of us who live in East Boston (where many people are commuting for WORK on the weekends). Having to haul ass on foot or bike from State to Tufts (or State to Haymarket) is ridiculous. Also egregious for the people of Chelsea who rely on the 111 but need to connect to the Orange Line.

In addition to no bustitution downtown, immediately after this we're going to be subjected to six weekends of no Red Line between Broadway and Kendall/MIT and it looks doubtful that there will be shuttle buses from DTX (how would you fit them?). Am I supposed to swim across the Charles?

up
Voting closed 0

Believe it or not you can take the blue line to government center and catch the green line down to Copley or Arlington...

up
Voting closed 1

Which has literally nothing to do with the Orange Line or the Red Line.

up
Voting closed 0

I was going to suggest Green to PArk Street, but you were talking about the second shutdown (red line) not the first one (Orange Line). I suppose either the 9 or 10 from Copley then, but good luck with that.

up
Voting closed 0

So if you have to transfer between Copley and Back Bay, do you get some sort of free transfer? There's no tunnel obviously, so you have to leave one station to get to the other.

up
Voting closed 0

The entire orange line is free this weekend and the bus shuttles are free so the only time you have to pay is entering the green line. So yes it's a free transfer

up
Voting closed 0

And when this fails again, what is plan b?

up
Voting closed 0

prepares three envelopes.

up
Voting closed 1

Only one of these things can cause an issue affecting the trains, and as they've been doing that throughout the system, we can say that for the most part any failures will be limited to the Monday morning commute.

up
Voting closed 0

That's the new gimmick by Baker & Pollack. RMV, MBTA, etc. Its the board's fault: not the secretary's fault, not the governor's fault

up
Voting closed 0