Starting today at 8 p.m., portions of the MBTA Green Line service will be put on hold until Sunday, citing scheduled maintenance work that requires the temporary inconvenience for necessary improvements. Commuters who frequent the stretches from North Station to Babcock Street on the B Branch, Kenmore on both the C and D Branches, and Heath Street on the E Branch, will have to seek alternative means of transportation during this period, reports NBC Boston.
During the shut down, MBTA officials are outlining alternate routes including fare-free bus shuttles on the B, C, and D branches between Babcock, Kenmore, and Back Bay stations and along Route 57 from Kenmore to Packard's Corner; E Branch travelers can utilize the free Route 39 from Heath Street to Back Bay station, as detailed by Boston.com. Additionally, the Worcester Commuter Rail Line will provide fare-free travel between South Station, Back Bay, and Lansdowne, but regular fares apply past Lansdowne.
The Orange Line presents another viable option for circumventing the closed Green Line sections, offering service between Back Bay and North Station while replacement shuttle buses and accessible van services will run between Copley/Back Bay and North Station to accommodate those affected by the suspensions the MBTA has also set up fare-free zones at Kenmore Station and all surface-level stops westward to Riverside, leaving the fare gates ajar to help ease commuter flow in the impacted areas.
Looking ahead in the month of June, additional service interruptions on the Red, Blue, and Orange Lines are scheduled to take place, with the Blue Line closing from Saturday to June 15 between Bowdoin and Orient Heights and shuttle buses will fill in from Government Center to Orient Heights and with the Red Line from Braintree to JFK/UMass going offline over the weekend of June 14 to 15 for signal upgrades, according to Boston.com. The Orange Line will also face closures from Forest Hills to Back Bay from June 21 to June 29, extending to North Station on the weekends amidst the service changes, commuters can opt for free shuttle buses or the Silver Line's SL3 service between Chelsea and South Station which stops at Airport; the Red, Blue, and Orange Lines accommodating with accessible vans at all affected stations, ensuring accessibility remains a priority throughout the upgrades and servicing activities.
