BOSTON — The Boston area’s first weekday commute since the shutdown of the rapid transit Orange Line went relatively smoothly Monday, according to news reports, with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority gearing up repair work along the 11-mile line that will be closed for 30 days.
Boston.com reports that MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak, in a Monday afternoon press conference, outlined work that was under way to address track issues. Rail has been replaced on the southbound track between the Downtown Crossing and State Street stations, one of six slow zones to be repaired, Poftak said, part of a total of 2,400 feet of rail to be replaced in the first few days. Other track work has begun near the line’s Wellington Yard, as well as the Jackson Square and Tufts Medical Center stations; signal upgrades are in progress near the Oak Grove and Malden Center stations; roof repairs have begun at Sullivan and Wellington stations; and lighting upgrades are under way at four stations.
Poftak also said MBTA’s commuter rail service saw an increase in service on Monday. No ridership figures were available for the shuttle buses substituting for the commuter rail line, since they are not equipped to track the information and they are operating fare-free.
The replacement system of buses and light rail is expected to get a stronger test today (Tuesday, Aug. 23) since post-pandemic work patterns show more people working from home on Mondays.
OK, so there was a bus-box truck collision near Wellington on Rte. 16 Monday–just a typical work day! Not well-explained operation; I found out the hard way (no SmartPhone) Friday night about how they were really handling downtown by tossing people on the Green Line downtown and then find Orange Line Bustitution on Nashua Street somewhere–lots and lots of walking. Glad to see Sullivan’s crumbling concrete getting attention; I’ve been watching it fall apart (like Quincy station) for over 30 years. Gotta use the Oak Grove commuter rail station to get the “stationage” and get on/off there; the MBTA cleaned out the junk they’ve been storing there for years and it now looks presentable–barely.