Signal priority technology, dedicated lanes, and real-time info help keep Swift running swiftly. If they had failed to do this, it would have been, of course, a further blow to the MBTA. At 5:16am the first trains departed Oak Grove & Forest Hills, officially reopening the Orange Line. I was heartbroken when they closed it.. Service along Metrolink's Orange County Line and Inland Empire-Orange County Line will be fully restored beginning Saturday, May 27. This is, you know, getting human beings to agree and to work together, to feel that their complaints will be answered and responded to. The Orange Line shutdown is making way for sweeping repairs, improving safety, capacity, and reliability. Follow us so you don't miss a thing! Commuters arrived at the Oak Grove MBTA station for the morning commute inbound into Boston from Oak Grove on the MBTA Orange Line. You could see partial shutdowns on the Red Line in the future and in fact, again on the Orange Line, because work is not complete there as well. Contact Customer Support at 617-222-3200 or visit https://t.co/ErdqrukfIi pic.twitter.com/8QbxuHL9Na. All in all, I think the FTA report is a is a real great move forward to getting the T to engage in some of the most important work it has to do to reform. Orange Line is suspended between North Station and Back Bay due to a structural issue with the Government Center Garage. Fast. Also, I work at a college on the shut down Green/Orange lines. Data says yes. To her, the shutdown was an indication of what could come next. Wu and incoming Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper noted that the shutdown will go into the school year, and affect students who take the train to work as well as staff and families. The highly anticipated return of subway service comes as the MBTA works to comply with dozens of required actions from the Federal Transit Administration, which began inspecting safety at the T after a long series of incidents, including the dragging death of a Red Line passenger in April. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who regularly rides the MBTA's Orange Line, weighed in on what a 30-day shutdown means for commuters and the system as a whole. Alston: You told us not too long ago that this was going to be a reality for many T commuters for the next few years. GBH News transportation reporter Bob Seay joined Morning Edition co-host Paris Alston to talk about what's happened over the past 30 days that the T's Orange Line was shut down and what we can expect moving forward. Sign up for Morning Edition co-hosts Paris Alston and Jeremy Siegel's newsletter, "The Wake Up," landing in your inbox every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday morning. One of the goals of the shutdown was to decrease commuter travel times. Those are the real hot spots that were going to be looking at throughout the morning to see if theres adjustments that we need to make. Ultimately, the last 30 days, it showed us what is possible when we reconfigure streets to support transit, he said. All rights reserved, three 9-day closures on the Green Line's D Branch, MBTA Orange Line, Green Line Extension Repairs Complete; Rides Resume Monday, MBTA Green Line D Branch Closures Begins Sept. 24, Karen Read case to be highlighted on upcoming Dateline' episode, I'm devastated for them:' Holliston neighbors help 2 men burned in house explosion, Warren rounding up feedback on crumbling' Cape Cod bridges. And, you know, a lot of them thought that the service was pretty good, that was provided. Workers are upgrading the signal system for trains near the Oak Grove and Malden Center stations. Seay: Well, I would have to give it an A-minus, perhaps, because I think that they did defy expectations. Weigh in below, or email [emailprotected], and your response may be included a a future article. The MBTA has said free shuttle buses are running between Oak Grove and Haymarket/Government Center and between Forest Hills and Back Bay/Copley. ), One more down, 219 to go: T eliminates another slow zone, The B branch closure begins today on the Green Line here's what to know. "During the first two weeks of September the public, workers, and thousands of students are coming back to Greater Boston. After a successful 30-day closure, were pleased to welcome riders back to the Orange Line. #Priorities, Orange line reinforcements heading our way #MBTA pic.twitter.com/apud8lbquz, i do appreciate the Orange Line being like, i'm sorry this is me, eat dirt, i won't change for you. The pair praised the shiny, new-looking grips on the stairs and the stations general cleanliness as they made their way down to the platform. Service: Orange Line Red Line Yellow Line Blue Line Silver Line Normal service. Seay: The MBTA has gone ahead and created a separate office to deal with all of the recommendations from the Federal Transit Administration. The city councilor said it remains critical for the MBTA to actively engage the communities impacted by the shutdown.. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. Around 7:20 a.m. he stepped onto an Orange Line train at Forest Hills, chatting with other passengers. In response to the slowdown, transit officials said the work they did during the month-long shutdown wasnt enough to alleviate the slow zones immediately, the Globe reported. GBH News transportation reporter Bob Seay joined Morning Edition co-host Paris Alston to talk about what's happened over the past 30 days that the T's Orange Line was shut down and what we can expect moving forward. pic.twitter.com/YrMbjTtbuy, There are also certain stops along the way where we should see multilingual signage, just directing people where to go, Wu said. Glad to report it was an on-time commute, Baker wrote in a tweet. METRORAIL ORANGE LINE (Vienna Fairfax-Gmu) is operational during everyday. The Rider's Guide is a tool to provide riders with . Earlier this summer, before it was finished with a final report, the FTA ordered the T to address long-deferred maintenance on the Orange Line, especially in an area near Tufts Medical Center Station that had a speed restriction in place for years. "There will be a little bit of a transition period, but we're headed in a great direction. They did provide shuttle bus service that for the most part, people thought was good, even though it cost them time commuting. I'm very pleased with the results. So looking back over the past month, what's the grade that you would give the T for how it handled the shutdown? Some regular Orange Line commuters have said their daily commutes were doubled as a result of the detours. Baker has also been critized over the years for not taking the MBTA during his time in office, but the Republican apparently opted to take the Commuter Rail into work on Monday. Holidays: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Once we got downstairs to the Hyde Park Ave side of Forest Hills station, there were 5 shuttle buses ready to go (& some friends to ride with)! Even on a good day, the MBTA and the Orange Line are likely to engender a fair amount of criticism -- and cynicism -- on Twitter. (Matt Stone/MediaNews. So glad to be back, said Wayne Haley, a 59-year-old construction worker from Mattapan, while taking the first northbound Orange Line train out of Forest Hills Station at 5:15 a.m. I was getting killed with my car for parking.. Show Lines Serviced: All Red Line Orange Line Silver Line Blue Line Yellow Line Green Line (Currently Displaying ORANGE Lines Serviced.) Join us. Any decrease in that is concerning for us.". Read her statements here. "Use your helicopter." The posters were created and. While most accounts from the shuttle buses ferrying Orange Line passengers Monday morning appeared to so far offer uneventful trips, one of the conveyances reportedly took a wrong turn in downtown Boston and got lost, according to the Boston Globe. So where are we with all of that? Boston Mayor Michelle Wu also took the Orange Line to work Monday, and said her trip from Forest Hills to State Street was about 25 minutes long. Purple Line Express trains continue to make only express stops between Howard and Belmont. Quick facts. Poftak: You know, I'm hopeful. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. ), Report: The MBTA doesnt regularly inspect fire suppression systems. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. Roosevelt Red Line Green Line Orange Line Bob Seay: Well, I think we all were skeptical that this could be done, considering the T's past track record. The City of Boston announced that it will offer free passes to Bluebikes during the shutdown as an alternate means of transportation. I want to also thank all of the @MBTA employees for their work to make everyones commutes as smooth as possible, Baker said. Buses stop at all stations and depart after about 10 seconds. Stay up to date with everything Boston. Charlie Baker said he rode the Haverhill line of the Commuter Rail for his morning commute on Monday. Stream GBH's Award-Winning Content For Parents And Children. There has to be a culture of safety. Officials also said that, when service is restored, the "vast majority" of the trains on the tracks will be the new cars that the T has bene rolling out though not without problems, some of which have required the fleet to be pulled from service. Shuttle buses provided. I think that was a really good move, to take it out of the usual day-to-day management responsibilities of the T. The other thing that came up at that meeting, we saw the DPU really having to take a more active role in monitoring safety at the T. There were a couple of employees who complained that sometimes their complaints went unanswered by T officials. Alston: So, Bob, I remember when the shutdown first began, we asked you what were the metrics you were going to be looking at to critique how the shutdown was going. Paris Alston is co-host of Morning Edition at GBH News. Follow Boston.com on Instagram (Opens in a New Tab), Follow Boston.com on Twitter (Opens in a New Tab), Like Boston.com on Facebook (Opens in a New Tab), Meet the Ts very happiest passengers. Before the shutdown, the Orange Line facilitated about 100,000 trips per day, according to the MBTA, bringing commuters to work, students to school and visitors to many of Bostons top tourist attractions. Monday marks the start of the first work week when Orange Line commuters will have to navigate the range of service alternatives to get to work, school, and other appointments. Many residents travel to work, school, appointments, and other destinations that are beyond those hours, he said in a statement. The Orange Line is the most reliable train that we have, so Im excited for my commute to be 20 minutes instead of 45.. Welcome back Orange Line riders! Sep 19, 2022. All rights reserved, Orange Line train that caught fire over the Mystic River, Sources first told NBC10 Boston about the Orange Line shutdown, Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter, There are also safety upgrades in the works on the Red Line, work that started Monday, MBTA Expected to Shut Down Orange Line for 30 Days, Sources Say, MBTA Commuter Rail Train Stops Without Electricity, Passengers Use Emergency Exits, Karen Read case to be highlighted on upcoming Dateline' episode, I'm devastated for them:' Holliston neighbors help 2 men burned in house explosion, Warren rounding up feedback on crumbling' Cape Cod bridges. Charlie Baker are expected to announce a month-long shutdown of the busy line to allow for immediate repairs, people sharpened their knives and broke out their best T-related one-liners. Thats not good.. Hours: Sat 7 a.m. - 1 a.m.; Sun 7 a.m. - midnight. New train, yes! Wu exclaimed as the train pulled up around 8:25 a.m. All 10 trains running on the Orange Line Monday morning were shiny new models, according to an online tracker by TransitMatters. pic.twitter.com/aPorYowF8a. For any Boston riders who want their information directly from the source, the City of Boston launched a site page on Boston.gov to share information related to the Orange Line shutdown, including free shuttle and school transportation information. He said slow zones are still in place, but following the repairs those will begin to be lifted over the next five to seven days. The Orange Line is a rapid transit line of the Washington Metro system, consisting of 26 stations in Fairfax County and Arlington, Virginia; the District of Columbia; and Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com. As The Boston Globe . Old track was demolished near Wellington yard. I think this is the first shutdown to come, because as they look deeper into other areas that theyre responsible for, theyre going to say, Oh my God, we need to do this now, weve got to do that now, Thibault said. Friday, May 26, 2023. View the states real-time traffic map for Massachusetts here. The closure coincides with the MBTA also closing the Green Line and Government Center stations starting on Aug. 22 for 28 days. The Orange Line will shut down from Friday, Aug. 19, until Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, the longest shutdown of an entire line in MBTA history. Info: wmata.com 31 Check out the live map for the latest on traffic in and around Boston: Bluebikes, the Boston areas public biking network, set a new record on Saturday for most rides in a single day. The work coming during the shutdown will complete infrastructure upgrades that would have taken five years of night and weekend service changes, Baker said. The team and I have been in close contact with the T over the weekend and today to monitor the diversion and construction progress., I want to also thank all of the @MBTA employees for their work to make everyone's commutes as smooth as possible. After removing old track over the weekend, crews completed rail replacement on the southbound tracks between the Downtown Crossing and State Street stations Monday, Poftak said. How did your morning commute go? Well take a look at what the @MBTA has done over the past 30 days on @NBC10Boston & @NECN this morning. Poftak shared some of the specifics about what workers have accomplished thus far. Contact Us Today! During the shutdown, maintenance workers will replace more than two-thirds of a mile of track, including where trains have to operate at reduced speeds, and upgrade signals, MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said. It cost people a lot of time. According to the report, the T increased speed limits in three slow zones, but the trains still cant run at maximum speed. Poftak said that there were around 100 to 110 shuttle buses running on the North side of the Orange Line route Monday, and about 50 to 60 buses running on the south side of the route. orange Rail Line Vienna & Dunn Loring stations are closed due to summer construction. The shuttle bus, which departed Oak Grove around 5:40 a.m., missed a turn for North Station, taking a loop around the Government Center garage onto the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The Orange Line may be back, but the frequency is not back. The Orange Line will shut down from Friday, Aug. 19, until Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, the longest shutdown of an entire line in MBTA history. Despite some delays and complaints about trains moving slowly over recently replaced tracks, most riders welcomed the Orange Lines return Monday. For people with disabilities needing assistance with the Public Files, contact Glenn Heath at 617-300-3268. To accommodate the vehicles, officials said several specific roadways will be closed to general traffic to allow shuttle buses to run more efficiently, including State Street, Dartmouth Street, and Washington Street. Terms of Use Malden resident Geovanna De Paula tells NBC10 Boston she may be catching a ride with a friend to school in Boston some mornings. This morning there are some growing pains here, but this is something well work through.. Bluebikes operates nearly 4,000 bikes and 400 stations throughout Greater Boston, including Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, Salem, and Everett. When service resumes, the majority of Orange Line trains on the rails will consist of new cars double what the MBTA had running before the shutdown. But thats not the end of the Ts troubles. A lot of the FTA report, beside, you know, pick up the pace of maintenance, is management and communication. The posters were created and shared on Twitter last week by a user named Steve H (@just_steve_h). Well, do it. And today there is celebration at the MBTA and they have reason to celebrate. When I got off at Forest Hills and eventually found our way to where the shuttle buses were, there were five lined up ready to go and everybody had a seat, she said. Thanks to our riders for their patience & our crews for their efforts #BuildingABetterT. Commuters boarded an inbound Orange Line train from Oak Grove. Metro Forward (@wmata) June 3, 2023 Then, two of those Orange Line stations will remain closed into July. Info: wmata.com Thru closing, Sunday, July 16th, buses replace trains btwn Vienna & West Falls Church due to summer construction. "The Orange Line is a critical rapid transit corridor that has both neighborhood business districts and access to the Back Bay and the downtown," said Dimino. This is one of the six slow zones that the MBTA was aiming to fix during the shutdown. In addition to the Orange Line getting back on track Monday, the Green Line's Union Square extension, which has also been closed, is reopening to riders. Officials have repeatedly urged riders to seek alternative routes, such as by utilizing free shuttle bus or Commuter Rail service or the Silver Line, although one advised drivers to avoid the region altogether for the next month. >> orange line passengers will be running on 14,000 feet of new track along with 60 new cars. #wcvb https://t.co/EkShAADA4Z, Dedicated bus lanes are the BEST pic.twitter.com/nPzF3kS4SA. "We have these big, beautiful plate glass windows out the front, it's definitely a draw for people who are coming off the train, we get a lot of business that way. Please enter an email address and/or phone number that we can easily contact you with. The MBTA completed five years of improvements within the 30-day closure, Gov. It's going to be a smoother, more reliable ride. There are also safety upgrades in the works on the Red Line, work that started Mondayand is planned again from Aug. 8 through Aug. 11. The MBTA is now planning for three 9-day closures on the Green Line's D Branch, as well as another shorter closure on the Red Line to Braintree. It's the longest service diversion of an entire line in the T's history, Baker said at a news conference at the Orange Line's Wellington Station. But after news broke Tuesday night that the MBTA and Massachusetts Gov. Thirty days of 24-hour access will replace more than five years of Orange Line delays and weekend diversions, the MBTA states on its website. "No Orange Line Service 8/19-9/16," reads the poster, which is not all dissimilar to the actual signage informing riders about the closing. The shutdown has officials warning that it will cause significant traffic delays throughout the region. So I think tomorrow actually might be a bigger test for us.. Semester starts Sept 6. While Bluebikes didnt specify what exactly may have driven the numbers up, its probably no coincidence that Saturday was the first full day of the 30-day shutdown of the MBTAs Orange Line and that to provide alternative commuting options for would-be T riders, Boston has offered free Bluebikes passes, which allow anyone to make an unlimited number of 45-minute trips. We are making good progress, and again, we are confident we will be reopening on the morning of Monday the 19th," he told reporters Friday. Yes, Im the general manager, he told one man. And people did adapt. orange. Asked what feedback she heard from her fellow passengers, Wu said people were pleasantly surprised at the availability of the shuttle buses. And that's due to the lack of dispatchers. ", Massachusetts gets $58 million to get the lead out of schools, Fishing ban may only be one step toward preventing king salmon, orca extinctions, Pilgrim Nuclear denied permit to discharge radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay, As Shark Week marks its 35th year, local shark researcher reflects on conservation successes, Herbal supplement Kratom targeted by lawsuits after a string of deaths. Of course, the T is still facing many challenges. All rights reserved, work then two-thirds done was on schedule to wrap up on time, Massachusetts Gov. After observing the conditions on the ground during the Orange Line shutdown Monday in Chinatown, Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn is calling for shuttle bus service to be expanded in the neighborhood. This will be fun. The orange line 2 weeks later: https://t.co/SJfXDxHgoZ. The current Argyle station entrance is closed. But after news broke Tuesday night that the MBTA and Massachusetts Gov. The course also has an ice cream spot serving 24 flavors and brings food trucks in for special events. As a small thank you for our riders' patience during the 30-day diversion, we're handing out @dunkindonuts $5 gift cards at select Orange Line stations.To our Orange Line riders, thank you for your support as we worked toward #BuildingABetterT pic.twitter.com/pvYkEeHljx. When the MBTA originally announced its plans for the month-long shutdown, it did not include plans for a shuttle bus stop in Chinatown. Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. "I do believe this will be a major, positive and significant decision for the Orange Line and for the riders over time, but it's going to be a complicated exercise and we accept that.". Commuters are urged to use Green Line service through downtown. All rights reserved, But after news broke Tuesday night that the MBTA and Massachusetts Gov. The end of the project will also mean the end of the major disruptions on the streets of Boston, Somerville Medford and Malden, where scores of shuttle buses have replaced the subway trains. Buses arrive every 10-12 minutes on weekdays and every 15-20 minutes on early mornings, evenings, and weekends. The first weekday commute without the Orange Line is upon us. Please enter an email address and/or phone number that we can easily contact you with. That's one thing we learned, that people can adapt. But I think there was a general understanding that it might be worth it. De Paula will be competing on the roadways with shuttle buses of commuters who would usually take the T, riders opting to drive instead of using the shuttles, and the usual commuters using their cars. Alston: So the T is going to have to work on that. About Us Boston's historic ties to slavery have long been known, but rarely discussed. pic.twitter.com/OyDJja7CYR, As @MassGovernor @CharlieBakerMAs Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said, the best way to deal with the @MBTA #OrangeLine shutdown is to avoid the region altogether!I cant WAIT until The Tall Governor takes that advice & we can get some competent leadership for the T!