MBTA to shut down portion of Red Line for 16 days
Track replacement on Ashmont Line comes as slow zones keep expanding
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WITH SLOW ZONES continuing to expand across the MBTA subway system, the authority is preparing to shut down a troubled section of the Red Line for 16 days in October to replace all of the track and do away with most of the speed restrictions that currently plague that section of the system.
MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said he intends to shut down the Red Line from JFK/UMass to Ashmont and the trolley line that runs from Ashmont to Mattapan from October 14 to October 29 to do the track replacement work. He said substituting free buses for the subway and trolley during that period will allow MBTA employees and contractors to get the track repair work done in a little over two weeks instead of six months of night and weekend work.
“We’re going to get in and get it done,” Eng said at a meeting of the MBTA board of directors at the state transportation building.
Speed restrictions are typically put in place when track conditions have deteriorated to such a point that it becomes dangerous for a train to travel at more than 40 miles per hour. The shutdown on the Red Line is being scheduled as speed restrictions continue to climb across the entire subway system, despite a heavy focus on addressing rail defects over the last five months.
“That goes to the years of disinvestment and the age of our system,” Eng said when asked by reporters for an explanation. “The longer you leave a condition in place it will continue to deteriorate. … The worse conditions can deteriorate faster.”
Thomas Glynn, the chair of the MBTA board of directors, said the number of slow zones is higher than he thought it would be by now. “It’s another example of them not doing this work over the last 20 years,” he said, noting that 500 middle managers were cut loose by the authority a number of years ago.
Asked if the rail system is crumbling, Glynn said: “Yes, and what happens is when they do inspections something that was fine six months ago is not OK this month.”
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu sits in at an MBTA board meeting on August 24, 2023. Next to her are board members Chanda Smart and board chair Thomas Glynn. (Photo by Bruce Mohl)
Another factor may have been a breakdown in the MBTA’s system of detecting rail defects and making repairs in a prompt manner. The whole issue of slow zones gained prominence in early March, when Jeffrey Gonneville, who at the time was serving as acting general manager, ordered a slowdown of trains across the entire subway system after he learned there was no documentation that track defects uncovered by scans and inspections had been repaired. The systemwide shutdown was later lifted after an engineering review, replaced by more of a patchwork quilt of slow zones that started at around 23 percent of the system, dipped slightly for awhile, and then began rising again.
The T hired Carlson Transport Consulting to review track testing data and inspections for the last 24 months and interview past and current managers and staff of the T’s maintenance of way division, which is charged with repairing track defects. “Evaluate all collected and reviewed materials and interview and provide summary of evaluation including opinion on root causes, failure modes, and lines of responsibility,” the contract states.
Carlson was initially given 90 days to get the work done, but was subsequently granted an extension until Tuesday. T officials now say they expect a report on the situation by Labor Day.
Eng said removing speed restrictions will allow trains to return to their normal speed levels on that stretch of track. He said additional work on the JFK/UMass, Savin Hill, Fields Corner, Shawmut, and Ashmont subway stations will also be completed during the shutdown, including painting, power-washing, vegetation removal, repair of light fixtures, and removal of tripping hazards.
“You all have no idea how excited I am to be here,” said the mayor, who is a transportation policy wonk and an advocate for eliminating fares. “This is one of my life bucket items.”