The MBTA reopened the full length of the Orange Line on Saturday morning after a week-long closure for track work, and for the first time since Deval Patrick was the Governor of Massachusetts, the line's trains are running at full speed, without any speed restrictions.
The T had closed the north side of the Orange Line for the past week to address nine remaining slow zones, all located north of the Assembly station in Medford and Malden.
The T had previously fixed 20 other slow zones during a 10-day closure of the southern end of the line earlier in October.
Speaking at a Boston Chamber of Commerce event earlier this week, MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said that "come Saturday, the Orange Line will be reopened from Oak Grove… That will be the first time the Orange Line is restriction-free in 15 years."
When Eng joined the MBTA in April 2023, the median travel time for the 11-mile trip from Forest Hills to Oak Grove was 51 minutes – an average speed of 13 mph.
Operating without slow zones, the same trip today should consistently be under 40 minutes.
Remaining slow zones could be gone this month
According to the T's official speed restrictions dashboard, there are only 7 slow zones that remain on the entire MBTA rapid transit system.
Additional track work during a 6-day closure of the Red Line in Dorchester next week could eliminate the last four slow zones on the Red Line.
The T will close the Red Line between Broadway and North Quincy from Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, until Sunday, Nov. 10. The closure will extend to Ashmont on the weekend of Nov. 9-10. Visit MBTA.com/redline for additional details.
The T is also planning a closure on the Green Line between Park Street in downtown Boston and East Somerville/Union Square for Monday Nov. 11 through Sunday the 17th.
