6-Day Service Interruption Near JFK/UMass Aims to Fix the Last Slow Zones On the Red Line

Shuttle buses are replacing Red Line subway service between Broadway and North Quincy stations from Tuesday, November 5th until Sunday, Nov. 10, for track work – one of the last scheduled service interruptions in the MBTA’s year-long blitz to eliminate slow zones across the subway system.

The closure will extend to the entire Ashmont branch of the Red Line for the weekend of Nov. 9 and 10. During the week, trains will continue to serve stations between Ashmont and JFK/UMass, but riders will need to switch to a shuttle bus or commuter rail at JFK/UMass to continue north into downtown Boston.

Only four slow zones remain on the entire Red Line, and all of them are located in the vicinity of the JFK/UMass station, where the Ashmont and Braintree branches meet.

In a press release issued this morning, MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng said that the T is on course to eliminate all slow zones across the entire rapid transit system within the next few weeks.

“Less than 1% of our subway system is now affected by track-related slow zones, down from March 2023 when we had the entire system running at restricted speeds. I’m confident we’re on schedule to eliminate all remaining restrictions by the end of this year,” said Eng.

Service alternatives

During the 6-day closure, the T is encouraging riders to use the parallel commuter rail service, which will operate fare-free between Braintree, JFK/UMass, and South Station.

As with past closures, Bluebikes and the City of Boston will also offer free unlocks during this Red Line closure. The code will offer riders five free 30-minute Bluebikes pedal rides (per-minute charges will still apply on e-bike rides). Enter the code MBTAREDNOV in the Bluebikes app to redeem.