Most of MBTA Green Line to Shut Down for 15 Days in December
BU riders will need to take free shuttle buses as B branch will close from North Station to Babcock
Much of the Green Line will be shut down for the next two weeks to allow replacement of the more than century-old wooden catenary trough seen here carrying power lines at Park Street station. Photo courtesy MBTA
Most of MBTA Green Line to Shut Down for 15 Days in December
BU riders will need to take free shuttle buses as B branch will close from North Station to Babcock
Most of the MBTA Green Line will shut down for the last two weeks of the semester, complicating daily commutes, holiday shopping, and travel plans for the BU community.
The B branch will shut down between North Station and Babcock Street from December 8 to 22 to allow for accelerated infrastructure projects. Trolley service will be replaced by free shuttle buses between Babcock and Back Bay stations, where riders can pick up Orange Line subway service. Trolleys on the B branch will continue normally from Babcock Street west to Boston College. Route 57 bus service will be fare-free during the service change.
The C and D branches will shut down between North Station and Kenmore during the same time period. C and D branch riders will be able to board shuttle buses at Kenmore.
The E branch will shut down from North Station to Heath Street; E branch travelers can take the #39 bus, with extra service planned.
“It is a big diversion,” says Ryan Coholan, T chief operating officer. “We know that anytime we affect any part of the core, it’s a big diversion.”
We know that anytime we affect any part of the core, it’s a big diversion.
The closure will allow the T to quickly replace the wooden trough in the tunnel holding overhead “catenary” (a mathematical curve) wires that provide power to the trolleys.
“That trough is 130 years old,” Coholan says. “It’s one of the few things that keeps me up at night, and [the project] is going to bring that to a good state of repair.”
Under Phillip Eng, the T’s general manager, the T has frequently opted to shut down lines, allowing accelerated completion schedules, rather than draw out repair projects over many months of work during off hours. And ridership on the line does go down as the holiday approaches.
This closure will also allow work to bring the ongoing Green Line Train Protection System installation closer to completion, T officials say, along with track work, signal modernization, and station cleaning and repairs.
“We could have segmented the work, but that impact is actually worse to the public,” Eng says. The December closure “allows us to do all this work in one period and get out. It really is getting a lot of work done. I understand every diversion we do impacts the public and our riders, but at the same time, this is going to give them a lot longer-term reliability.”
Planning ahead will be important. The T warns that riders using shuttle bus service should budget ample extra travel time. A rider traveling to Park Street from Boston College should allow at least an additional 20 minutes for the trip.
In addition to the free shuttle buses, travel on the 57 and 39 buses will be free during the project. The western portions of the B, C, and D branches that are still running will be fare-free as well.
The Worcester Commuter Rail Line will also be free between South Station, Back Bay, and Lansdowne—but only between those stops.
The Green Line will operate normally from North Station north into Somerville and Medford.