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To the dismay of many of us, the entire Orange Line will be shut down for a month so that the MBTA can fix some of the many issues that have been plaguing the line.
When will the Orange Line be shut down?
The Orange Line will shut down on August 19 at 9pm and is scheduled to reopen at 5am on September 19. The line will be replaced by commuter line trains and shuttle buses.
Why is the MBTA shutting down the Orange Line for a month?
The Orange Line has been suffering some serious safety concerns recently and the MBTA has decided that a month-long total shut down would be the fastest way to get the trains, tracks and stations back up to a standard that is required for consistent, safe service for Bostonians. There have been train derailments, injuries, a train fire, a passenger death and collisions; all of which prompted this drastic measure.
What can we expect during the shutdown?
City of Boston Chief of Streets Jascha Franklin-Hodge said, “The loss of a major transit line is a transportation emergency. Where possible, we ask people to refrain from driving as we expect region-wide traffic impacts during this period.” Basically, expect lots of traffic around Boston due to the increased number of cars that will be on the road because commuters cannot take the T.
MBTA GM Steve Poftak commented, “I acknowledge the closure will be disruptive. But people want and deserve safe and reliable service and we want to give it to them, and this is a way for us to effectively invest in maintaining the system.”
There will be free shuttle buses available along the Orange Line route, however if you need to use the shuttle buses, expect a lot longer travel time as those buses will be driving on the same roads that will be experiencing the heavy traffic flow for the next several weeks. For up to date info on the Orange Line shutdown visit Boston.gov.
While it is not great that there will be even more traffic in Boston through the end of the summer, Boston has never been a great driving city, we are a walking city. So check out some of these walking tours and patio restaurants to skip the driving all together!