BOSTON — The rapid transit Orange Line is free of speed restrictions for the first time in 15 years as the result of maintenance work completed on Nov. 1, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority reports.
Work completed on two segments of the line — Oak Grove-Ruggles Oct. 26-27 and Oak Grove-North Station Oct. 28-Nov. 1 — resulted in the repairs allowing the removal of nine restrictions, the MBTA said on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Less than 1% of the rail network is now affected by slow orders.
“I’m confident we’re on schedule to eliminate all remaining restrictions by the end of this year,” MBTA CEO Phillip Eng said in a press release. “This is truly an all-hands-on-deck, cross-functional effort that exemplifies teamwork and determination. Moving beyond this, we are committed to addressing future needs timely and not allowing such conditions to build up, impacting all that depended on us.”
The latest work is part of the ongoing Track Improvement Program announced last year [see “MBTA announces plan to eliminate all slow orders …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 10, 2023].
The just-completed included replacement of approximately 17,500 feet of rail and 2,600 ties; 180 feet of full-depth track replacement; 10 additional rail welds; and resurfacing and tamping of approximately 20,600 feet of track. Other work included station improvements; third-rail repairs and replacement, along with other power-system work; and surveys of other areas for future work.
The Orange and Blue lines are both currently free of speed restrictions, while the Red and Green lines have a total of seven. At the start of the year, there were 143 restrictions systemwide.
