BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority eliminated 16 speed restrictions during two sets of maintenance shutdowns on the Green Line this month, the agency said Monday, including the completion of all work related to out-of-gauge track stemming from the construction of the Green Line extension between North Station and the Union Square and Medford/Tufts stations.
The work Jan 3-12 and Jan. 16-28, also significantly shortened a 17th restriction between the Haymarket and Government Center stations. As a result, Green Line restrictions have been reduced from 38 covering 4.35 miles as of Jan. 2 to 22 covering 2.26 miles as of Monday, according to the MBTA’s speed restriction dashboard.
“I’m proud of the work our crews were able to accomplish during this most recent Green Line shutdown – the Green Line tunnel in the downtown area received tremendous maintenance and attention that will have a generational impact on current and future riders, and we were able to tackle this critical work thanks to the unencumbered access to the track area,” MBTA CEO Phillip Eng said in a press release. “Importantly, our team was able to lift even more speed restrictions than were planned and significantly shorten another. This continues to be indicative of the new way the MBTA is doing business. I thank our riders for their patience as we know shuttle bus service replacement can be challenging, especially in the winter months. Thank you as well to the MBTA forces, working side by side with our crews from multiple contractors to deliver on the commitments we made.”
Work performed during the shutdowns included:
— Replacement of more than 1,300 ties and 10,800 feet of rail;
— Resurfacing and tamping of almost 8,900 feet of track;
— Replacement or rehabilitation of 12 switches;
— Replacement of 7,300 feet of catenary wire between the Haymarket and Boylston stations;
Station repairs and structural inspections, tunnel inspections, and signal and power-system repairs were also part of the project, along with variety of station painting, cleaning, and repair work.
More Green Line work is scheduled in February, along with a major Red Line project [see “MBTA to shut down portions of Red, Green lines …,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 26, 2024].
What Thomas Engel says: Photo caption is incorrect, no such thing or place as “Boylston Park”. In fact, the photo is taken from the T’s web site. That caption reads: “Track and ballast work was performed within the tunnel during the Green Line shutdown.” As a former Boston resident and T rider, my nitpick is that the MBTA can’t seem to keep covers on its light fixtures!
AIN’T NO BOYLSTON PARK!!! There’s a Boylston STREET but none of the line still in use looks like that. The closest candidate there for that is the track out to the old Broadway/Pleasant St. portal but that has been out of use since 1962. The tunnel shown is most likely coming into Haymarket from Scollay, er, Government Center where some of the 1898 tunnel is still in use. The two-track tunnel from Park St. to Scollay is TWO tracks except right at Scollay but the stretch in that photo is too long for the location at Scollay.
From the old Public Garden incline to Park Street was built cut and cover as in a roofed-over trench and there is no curving to the “tunnel” walls. Like a usual New York subway.
We’ll see how long this work holds up! I may get to ride it Thursday night. The Boston subways were designed to get people from outer points to downtown. Once Downtown they got around on surface cars on the street or in a real hurry–they walked!
FWIW Park Street to Boylston is American’s oldest subway. But I can’t say if the structure shown in the photo is original or a rebuild.
Interesting to experience the higher speed sections on the MTA in NYC.