Boston: 'Get it fixed': Red Line riders begin 3.5-week shutdown

[marmar]

For the next 24 days, the MBTA will shut down a major portion of the Red Line for long-overdue maintenance on 18 miles of tracks.

The work beginning Friday will close the Red Line’s Braintree branch from its terminus in Braintree to the JFK/UMass station in Dorchester — a stretch “that needs to be restored and replaced,” MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said. “That is a significant amount of work we’re doing in literally 24 days.”

But when the project is completed on Sept. 29, assuming no delays, trains will safely move much more efficiently, according to the MBTA. Roundtrip travel on the branch could improve by 24 minutes, the agency said.

That’s “giving people back time in their days,” Eng said Wednesday at a news conference in Brookline. .................(more)

https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/maintenance/news/55138823/ma-red-line-riders-begin-shutdown

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. The redline is a vital link to the South Shore....lots of commuters use this line to get into Boston.

It will be tough to have this out of use for 2 and a 1/2 weeks, but shaving 19 minutes from the ride is going to be a huge time-saver for the users, once the upgrades are finished.