Mattapan Line back to speed

The MBTA has lifted a speed restriction that covered the entire Mattapan Line, but kept speeds capped at 25 mph on the Green Line.

The Green Line is now the only subway line still under a so-called global restriction, following a Department of Utilities track inspection that prompted the MBTA to implement a systemwide speed restriction of 10-25 mph last Thursday.

Blanket restrictions were lifted on the Red, Blue and Orange Lines last Friday, but slow zones still cover roughly 32% of the heavy rail system.

“The global speed restriction on the Mattapan Line has been lifted and replaced with block restrictions where necessary,” the MBTA tweeted on Thursday. “The Green Line remains under a global speed restriction. Subway riders should continue to plan for additional travel time and longer headways.”

Interim General Manager Jeffrey Gonneville said on Monday that riders should expect subway trips to take 20 minutes longer while restrictions are in place.

Gonneville directed operations to implement the systemwide restriction last Thursday evening following negative findings from a Red Line track inspection conducted by the Department of Public Utilities.

The DPU had asked the MBTA to provide paperwork confirming the results of magnetized track inspections conducted in February.

But Gonneville said this documentation was incomplete and in some cases, missing entirely, making it unclear what parts of the track were safe or had already been repaired.

MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo did not respond to multiple requests for comment about when the Green Line speed restriction would be lifted, and how many slow zones remain in place on the Red, Orange, Blue and Mattapan Lines.