The MBTA will shut down the core segment of the Red Line through downtown Boston this week, running bus shuttles in lieu of subways between Kendall/MIT and JFK/UMass from Monday, August 19 through the end of the day on Monday, August 26.
The closure had previously been scheduled to end on Sunday, to resume subway service for the Monday morning rush hour, but just before the weekend began the T announced that it was extending the closure for one more day because two construction vehicles had collided and interrupted work in the early-morning hours of Friday.
The incident is under investigation and the driver of one of the vehicles involved was sent to a local hospital for evaluation.
Shuttles negotiate slow downtown streets
Because of one-way streets in downtown Boston, shuttles will not stop at Park Street station or directly outside the Downtown Crossing station entrances.
Instead, riders coming to or from other subway lines should plan to use shuttle stops at Haymarket and State Street. The shuttle stop for Downtown Crossing will be located at the corner of Federal and Franklin Street (northbound) and the corner of Otis and Summer Streets (southbound), a few blocks east of Downtown Crossing.
Additionally, the T will offer free commuter rail service between Braintree, JFK/UMass, and South Station on the south side, and Porter and North Station on the north.
As in past shutdowns this year, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the City of Boston are sponsoring five free Bluebikes unlock codes during the closure. Use the code MBTAREDAUGUST in the Bluebikes app to get your free rides.
The T intends to fix 26 speed-restricted slow zones during the closure, mostly in downtown Boston and in the vicinity of the JFK/UMass station.
