Track work on the red line is complete and the line is now “completely free of all slow zones for the first time in at least 20 years,” the MBTA said Monday.
The blue and orange lines were already free of speed restrictions and the green line will be after upcoming track work in December, returning the entire subway system to normal speeds, the transit agency said in a press release.
There were five announced red line shutdowns this year along Cambridge and Somerville sections, a total 36 days affecting approximately 37,000 daily riders here, the MBTA said. The latest started Nov. 17 and ended Sunday. Previous shutdowns were in February, July and October.
At their peak, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority trains travel 40 mph, but restrictions imposed March 9, 2023, for safety concerns led to extensive sections of rides that took trains down to 10 to 25 mph – and some green line track problems slowed trolleys so much that people could walk faster than the vehicles rolled.
The shutdowns were to give crews time to replace a total 5,000 feet of rail and do 13,000 feet of tamping, which supports the foundation below the rails and rail ties.
“The track in these areas of the red line is very challenging for crews to be able to access, but our workforce was given the unencumbered time on the track that they needed to finally do the work to completely remove these slow zones,” MBTA general manager and chief executive Phillip Eng said in the press release. “There’s more work to do on the green line next month to make the entire subway system slow zone-free, but we’re now well-positioned to efficiently maintain our system for years to come.”
On the red line, crews replaced 2,230 feet of rail, replaced 177 ties and 3,350 plates and resurfaced and tamped 13,800 feet of track. Workers also “maximized the outage by performing signal upgrades, security enhancements, station amenity upgrades and more,” the agency said. It cited plumbing and drainage improvements, concrete repairs, painting, bench repairs, brick replacement and power washing to stations throughout the shutdown area.
There was extensive work highlighted at Kendall/MIT, including repairs to stairways, the electrical room and a tunnel construction joint, and signal modernization including the installation of wires and cable at Central Square.
There is a Track Improvement Program meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Medford/Tufts Station where riders are invited to ask question, the agency said.
A stronger
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