Skip to Content
Streetsblog Massachusetts home
Streetsblog Massachusetts home
Log In
MBTA

Red Line’s Braintree Branch Reopens With 37 Fewer Slow Zones

By eliminating dozens of slow zones, the T expects the typical round-trip on this segment of the Red Line to run 24 minutes faster than it did a month ago.

A Red Line MBTA subway train pulls into a station, seen through the trees of a wooded hillside.

A Red Line train pulls into the JFK/UMass station in Boston on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024.

A 24-day closure of the Red Line's Braintree branch ended this morning, and according to preliminary data from the MBTA's speed restriction dashboard, the closure managed to repair roughly half of the remaining slow zones across the T's rapid transit network.

T officials report that crews replaced over 13 miles' worth of rail and over 17,000 rail ties during the closure.

The work restored a "state of good repair" between the JFK/UMass station and the end of the line in Braintree, and eliminated 37 slow zones where track problems had previously forced trains to slow to a crawl.

T officials report that now that those slow zones are gone, very round-trip on this segment of the Red Line should now run 24 minutes faster than it did a month ago.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the workforce that supported and delivered long awaited work for our riders on the Red Line Braintree Branch this month. Hundreds of on-site workers replaced nearly 70,000 feet of rail and over 17,000 ties on the Braintree Branch, nearly doubling the amount of ties replaced during the entire systemwide Track Improvement Program,” said MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng in a press statement issued Monday afternoon.

A small handful of slow zones still remain on the Red Line, according to the MBTA's official slow zones reporting dashboard.

Two slow zones remain on the Red Line's southbound tracks between Central and Kendall in Cambridge, plus three more between Andrew and JFK/UMass in South Boston.

The T is planning two more week-long partial Red Line closures – one between Broadway and North Quincy, and another between Harvard and Park – to fix those remaining slow zones in December.

As reported previously, the work on the Braintree branch also laid the groundwork to increase maximum speeds on this segment of the Red Line from 40 to 50 mph, which could shave another 1-2 minutes from the 9-mile trip between Braintree and the JFK/UMass station.

MBTA officials say that while the infrastructure is now in place to support faster speeds, the agency still needs to adjust schedules and conduct additional training for train operators before operating speeds increase further.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Massachusetts

MBTA Projects Get A $850 Million Boost From Fair Share Funds

The new funding will pay for backlogged "state of good repair" projects, accessibility improvements, and new maintenance facilities for electric buses and trains.

October 17, 2025

Methane Fuel Gets a Renewed Lease At the T

Plans to replace the MBTA's methane-fueled buses with zero-emission electric models are on pause.

October 15, 2025

Guest Column: It’s Time to Make Hyde Park Ave. Safe for Everyone 

"A walk to school or the corner store should not feel like a life-or-death decision."

October 14, 2025
See all posts