BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority eliminated 16 speed restrictions during two sets of maintenance shutdowns on the Green Line this month, the agency said Monday, including the completion of all work related to out-of-gauge track stemming from the construction of the Green Line extension between North Station and the Union Square and Medford/Tufts stations.
The work Jan 3-12 and Jan. 16-28, also significantly shortened a 17th restriction between the Haymarket and Government Center stations. As a result, Green Line restrictions have been reduced from 38 covering 4.35 miles as of Jan. 2 to 22 covering 2.26 miles as of Monday, according to the MBTA’s speed restriction dashboard.
“I’m proud of the work our crews were able to accomplish during this most recent Green Line shutdown – the Green Line tunnel in the downtown area received tremendous maintenance and attention that will have a generational impact on current and future riders, and we were able to tackle this critical work thanks to the unencumbered access to the track area,” MBTA CEO Phillip Eng said in a press release. “Importantly, our team was able to lift even more speed restrictions than were planned and significantly shorten another. This continues to be indicative of the new way the MBTA is doing business. I thank our riders for their patience as we know shuttle bus service replacement can be challenging, especially in the winter months. Thank you as well to the MBTA forces, working side by side with our crews from multiple contractors to deliver on the commitments we made.”
Work performed during the shutdowns included:
— Replacement of more than 1,300 ties and 10,800 feet of rail;
— Resurfacing and tamping of almost 8,900 feet of track;
— Replacement or rehabilitation of 12 switches;
— Replacement of 7,300 feet of catenary wire between the Haymarket and Boylston stations;
Station repairs and structural inspections, tunnel inspections, and signal and power-system repairs were also part of the project, along with variety of station painting, cleaning, and repair work.
More Green Line work is scheduled in February, along with a major Red Line project [see “MBTA to shut down portions of Red, Green lines …,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 26, 2024].
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