Latest MBTA track work clears final Orange Line speed restrictions

Men working on railroad tracks with commuter train in background

BOSTON — The rapid transit Orange Line is free of speed restrictions for the first time in 15 years as the result of maintenance work completed on Nov. 1, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority reports. Work completed on two segments of the line — Oak Grove-Ruggles Oct. 26-27 and Oak Grove-North Station Oct. 28-Nov. 1 […]

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MBTA Orange Line project eliminates 20 speed restrictions

Machinery working on underground rail line

BOSTON — A 13-day suspension of service for maintenance on a portion of the Orange Line led to the lifting of 20 speed restrictions, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has announced. The ongoing, year-long Track Improvement Program has now reduced the amount of the MBTA rail transit system under speed restrictions to 1.8 miles, or […]

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MBTA sets Red, Green line shutdowns in November

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority logo

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will continue its effort to address maintenance needs on its rail transit system with a series of projects in November on the Red and Green lines, as well as on three commuter rail lines. Previously announced work on the Orange Line is already in progress and is scheduled […]

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MBTA Green Line train ran red signal, was speeding prior to derailment, NTSB says

Diagram showing scene of light-rail derailment in Cambridge, Mass.

WASHINGTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line train that derailed earlier this month ran through a red signal and was traveling at 36 mph in a 10-mph zone immediately before derailing, according to the preliminary investigation report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The derailment occurred when the train reached a switch that […]

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MBTA Green Line resumes operation after Tuesday derailment (updated)

Aerial view of derailed light rail trainset

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Service resumed late this morning (Thursday, Oct. 3) after a day and a half of shuttle-bus substitutions on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Green Line in the wake of Tuesday’s derailment of a Green Line train near Lechmere station in Cambridge. On Wednesday, the MBTA had said it was “unclear” when service […]

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MBTA Green Line remains disrupted following derailment

Small segment of MBTA transit map

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Service on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Green Line remains disrupted today (Oct. 2) following a Tuesday derailment of a Green Line train — an incident the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. The MBTA says in a post on social media site X that shuttle buses continue to replace service between […]

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Seven taken to hospital following MBTA derailment

Aerial view of derailed light rail trainset

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Seven people were taken to hospitals for treatment following the derailment of a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line train this evening (Oct. 1) near the Lechmere station in Cambridge, WBTS-TV reports. The incident occurred about 5 p.m. About 50 people were reported to have evacuated from the light rail vehicle onto […]

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Keolis preparing request for MBTA battery-electric equipment

Purple and silver multiple unit trainset with pantograph

BOSTON — Keolis Commuter Services, contract operator of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, has announced plans to release a Request for Proposals for battery-electric rolling stock later this year. The new equipment will be used on the commuter system’s Fairmount Line under a plan proposed by Keolis last year and approved by the MBTA board […]

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MBTA Red Line work eliminates 37 speed restrictions

Wooden ties undergoing replacement on transit line

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority eliminated 37 speed restrictions on an 18-mile section of track during a 24-day shutdown of a portion of its Red Line Braintree Branch, the transit agency says. Work was conducted between the JFK/UMass stations from Sept. 6 to Sept. 29, with one day of work also extended onto […]

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MBTA sets October maintenance shutdowns

Map of rail lines

BOSTON — A series of shutdowns on the rapid transit Orange Line and a week of disruptions for the Mattapan Line trolley operationare the primary focal points for Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority track work in October, part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to address a maintenance backlog. Two weekends of shutdowns on the Green Line […]

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MBTA receives $472 million for North Station bridge project

Raised draw brdige

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has been awarded $472 million in federal funding for the replacement of the North Station Draw One Bridge, a project that will increase capacity and improve train speeds for Amtrak and MBTA commuter trains. The funding announced Monday comes from the National Infrastructure Project Assistance, or Mega, program, […]

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News photo: MBTA’s ‘Cranberry’ locomotive

"Cranberry" red and silver locomotive with bilevel commuter coaches

ATTLEBORO, Mass. — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has, in fairly subtle fashion, joined the list of commuter operators employing locomotives with heritage paint schemes. Newly rebuilt GP40MC No. 1129 — handling a test train of Hyundai-Rotem bilevel cars — passes through Attleboro on Aug. 28, 2024, displaying a version of the “cranberry” paint scheme […]

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