BOSTON — The latest Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority service shutdown for track maintenance work led to removal of 10 speed restrictions on the rapid-transit Orange Line, the agency says.
Service was suspended between the Wellington and Back Bay stations from May 28 through June 6. During that period, nine slow orders were addressed in the shutdown area, as well as one just outside the work zone. As a result, restrictions on the Orange Line, which numbered 34 and accounted for 4.15 miles prior to the suspension, were at 26 and accounted for 3.24 miles the day after the work ended, according to the MBTA’s speed restriction dashboard.
“As we restore our track infrastructure across the system, the work during this Orange Line outage demonstrates our commitment to the public to deliver more reliable service. In just 10 days, we replaced over 12,000 feet of running rail in this area,” MBTA CEO Phillip Eng said in a press release. “With each diversion, we are identifying opportunities to become more efficient, maximizing the amount of work performed through improved planning, scoping, and close coordination between our Capital and Operations teams to lead hundreds of workers in tight constrained work locations. … There’s more work to do on the Orange Line at the end of this month, and I thank our riders for their patience while we work to deliver them a safer, smoother, and more reliable trip.”
Along with the running-rail replacement, work included replacement of 388 ties, more than 1,100 feet of full-depth track reconstruction, and resurfacing and tamping of more than 7,800 feet of track. A number of other right-of-way and station repairs and improvements were also part of the project.
Must be that new math. 10 restrictions removed reducing the number of restrictions from 34 to 26.