MBTA Successfully Completes Expedited Critical Track Work on Red Line between JFK/UMass and Park Street, Removes Nine Speed Restrictions

The MBTA today announced the successful completion of critical track work that was planned on the Red Line between JFK/UMass and Park Street Stations. Shuttle buses replaced service between these stations during the evenings from November 14-16 and all day during the weekend of November 18-19.

“Each step we take to repair our infrastructure is the building block for rebuilding public trust and restoring the level of service that the public deserves. The MBTA is proud to have completed this critical work, removing nine speed restrictions on the Red Line – which is three more than we set out to remove! Part of this success is the collaborative coordination between contracted work and our growing in-house Maintenance of Way staff. I know that we have many challenges ahead, but this reconfirms a new way of doing business at the MBTA to safely improve our tracks and infrastructure and providing a faster, more reliable ride for the public,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “I thank our riders for their patience as we completed this critical work and the MBTA team for their tireless efforts. As we continue to move towards restoring service levels across the system, lessons learned will continue to be incorporated to streamline efforts and better serve the public.”

Today, less than 10 miles of Red Line track is currently speed restricted – a first since March 8 when the MBTA first initiated slow zones systemwide. The early access and weekend diversion allowed crews to replace over 2,000 feet of rail and 115 ties on the Red Line, improving reliability as the MBTA incorporated state of good repair work as part of the planned work. The MBTA alleviated six speed restrictions in this area between South Station and JFK/UMass and maximized the unencumbered access to the track area by alleviating another three restrictions near Downtown Crossing Station. The following speed restrictions are no longer in place:


Speed Restriction Number	Restriction Information and Location	Status
Speed Restriction Number	509898	Restriction Information and Location	25 mph restriction northbound between Broadway and South Station	Status	Removed
Speed Restriction Number	523861	Restriction Information and Location	25 mph restriction northbound between Andrew and Broadway	Status	Removed
Speed Restriction Number	523834	Restriction Information and Location	25 mph restriction southbound between Andrew and JFK/UMass	Status	Removed
Speed Restriction Number	523836	Restriction Information and Location	10 mph restriction southbound between Andrew and JFK/UMass	Status	Removed
Speed Restriction Number	501845	Restriction Information and Location	10 mph restriction southbound between Andrew and JFK/UMass	Status	Removed
Speed Restriction Number	490414	Restriction Information and Location	10 mph restriction southbound from Andrew to JFK/UMass	Status	Removed
Speed Restriction Number	577719	Restriction Information and Location	10 mph restriction northbound between Park Street and Downtown Crossing	Status	Removed
Speed Restriction Number	577721	Restriction Information and Location	25 mph restriction northbound from South Station to Downtown Crossing	Status	Removed
Speed Restriction Number	577527	Restriction Information and Location	25 mph restriction southbound between South Station and Downtown Crossing	Status	Removed

The MBTA also maximized these closures by performing a variety of in-station work, including new and cleaned signage within tunnel areas; restoration and sanding of the platform benches at Broadway, Andrew, and South Station; new rubber flooring on the stairway at Broadway; painting at Broadway and Andrew; and platform tripping hazards fixed at South Station.

The MBTA expedited this important work by replacing Red Line trains with shuttle buses starting around 8:45 PM on November 14-16, allowing crews access to the tracks earlier than would otherwise have been possible during overnight work. Shuttle buses also replaced service during the weekend of November 18-19, allowing crews unencumbered access to track areas last weekend.