Fall weekend transit woes
MBTA balancing short-term pain, faster fixes to lines
The T’s plans to shut down major downtown train stations for work on weekends this fall could extend into 2020 and even into weekdays — and it’s already infuriating straphangers.
“We are looking at what we can do in 2020 to accelerate construction on the system, so it will definitely include more weekend diversions, and we are exploring the possibility of weekday diversions,” MBTA general manager Steve Poftak told reporters outside Monday’s T board meeting.
Poftak briefed the board about the T’s $27.5 million plan to close the busy downtown stretches of the Red, Orange and Green lines this fall so the struggling transit agency could speed up repair work.
The schedule includes closures on the Orange Line on six straight weekends from Oct. 5-6 through Nov. 9-10 on the central stretch of line from Tufts Medical Center to Sullivan Square. The Red Line from Broadway to Kendall/MIT then would be shut down on weekends from Nov. 16-17 to Dec. 14-15.
In addition, closures are proposed on the Green Line’s B branch on several weekends including Sept. 7-8, and Nov. 2-3 and 23-24. The C branch would see a closure Oct. 26-27.
Some of the projects such as track replacement, Poftak said, could take five to 11 months longer without the shutdowns.
“We understand it’s an inconvenience,” Poftak said, but, “We heard loud and clear that folks wanted a faster pace and they wanted to see results.”
But riders expressed outrage online Monday — particularly in light of the subway fare hike that went into effect last month as the T struggled with derailments.
“All of these delays and closures and you still raised prices?” wrote Twitter user Nicholas Tran.
“Actions providing actual relief to riders, like lowering fares, would go a long way to making this believable,” tweeted Harold Sipe. “Given the history of your … lack of honest disclosure on issues this is a good start but tough to believe.”
“All the maintenance issues, all the lack of planning, all the system failures. This was all a surprise to you?” Bob Donahue wrote. “You couldn’t have made a more TONE DEAF announcement. #mbtafail”
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce chief James Rooney, however, praised the T for taking the more drastic action after criticizing the agency earlier this year for being too meek with its plans.
“It’s long overdue for the T to have a more bold approach to dealing with the backlog of work that has accumulated over many, many years,” Rooney told the Herald. “It’s a safe bet that this work will prevent something disruptive from happening in the future. … It will be managed inconvenience as opposed to chaotic inconvenience.”
Poftak also highlighted one bright spot on Monday: Six of the shiny new Orange Line train cars that have been zooming up and down the test tracks for months will enter service by the middle of the day Wednesday, replacing one of the aging trains on the line after months of delay. More of the 152 scheduled new trains will follow in September, he said.