The MBTA is suspending Red Line Braintree Branch service between JFK/UMass and Braintree for 24 days, from Friday, September 6th to Sunday, September 29th to repair some of the last remaining slow zones on the Red Line.
This closure is part of the MBTA’s year-long Track Improvement Program. Over the next few weeks, MBTA crews will perform significant track repairs, including replacing 18 miles of track.
Unlike past closures, this one won’t merely be restoring regular speeds – it will also be laying the groundwork for trains on this segment to run faster than it has in several decades.
MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng says that “at the end of these 24 days, we'll be restoring service back to a 40 mph maximum speed, and then over the next few months we will be raising speeds up to 50 mph.”
Here are some tips to navigate the Red Line Braintree Branch closures:
- There will be free shuttle buses between Braintree, Quincy Adams, Quincy Center, Wollaston, North Quincy, and Ashmont.
- Please note there will be no direct shuttle service to or from JFK/UMass; and that riders should use the fare-free Commuter Rail service where possible.
- The Commuter Rail will be fare-free between Braintree, Quincy Center, JFK/UMass, and South Station.
- Riders are encouraged to use the Middleborough, Kingston, and Greenbush Commuter Rail lines.
- However, during the weekends of September 7-8 and September 14-15, these Commuter Rail lines will be replaced with shuttle bus service between South Station and Braintree.
- Additional trains and extra coaches will be provided to accommodate increased ridership.
- Regular Commuter Rail fares will be collected for travel beyond Braintree.
- There will be increased subway service on the Ashmont Branch with trains operating approximately every eight minutes between Ashmont and Alewife.
- Plan extra time in commutes to anticipate longer than normal wait times for trains. For example, a trip from Braintree to Park Street may take an additional 40 minutes compared to usual travel times.
- Keolis Customer Service Agents, MBTA staff, and Transit Ambassadors will be available at Braintree, Quincy Center, and JFK/UMass stations to assist riders, especially during weekday rush hours.
Riders can also find updates on service changes via in-station signage, in-station public announcements, at mbta.com/RedLine, speaking to Transit Ambassadors and MBTA staff on-site, subscribing to T-Alerts or following the MBTA on Twitter @MBTA, @MBTA_CR, and @MBTA_CR_Alerts.
