Major service disruptions announced for several MBTA lines and commuter rail next month

Yes, you guessed it. More construction is hitting the tracks of the MBTA this May. 

The MBTA announced in a press release this week that the planned work will “improve reliability across the system.” The changes will impact the Red, Orange, Green, and commuter rail lines. 

Red Line

Red Line service will be suspended between Park Street and JFK/UMass from Wednesday, May 1 through Thursday, May 9. During the same time, evening Red Line trains will not operate after 8:30 p.m. between Park Street and Ashmont. 

Later in the month, Red Line service will change during the weekends of May 11-12 and 18-19. Service will be suspended between Broadway and Braintree, in part for work involved with the Dorchester Avenue Bridge replacement project. The bridge is slated to be demolished this spring and replaced by late 2024.

For all of these changes, free shuttle buses will replace service between suspended stations. 

Green Line

Green Line service will bypass Magoun Square on the Medford/Tufts branch all day on Saturday, May 4. Passengers are encouraged to take the 80 or 88 bus instead, which operates from Magoun Square to Lechmere. 

Orange Line

The Orange Line will stop service between Wellington and North Station starting around 8:45 p.m. on Friday, May 17 and continuing through the weekend (May 18-19). On Monday, May 20, service will stop again from 8:45 p.m. through Friday, May 24. Shuttle buses will replace service between Wellington and North Station. 

From May 28 to June 6, service will be suspended between Wellington and Back Bay all day, every day. Shuttle buses will be available only between Wellington and North Station, after which passengers can use parallel green line service from North Station to Copley. 

Commuter rail

Several lines of the commuter rail are going to be affected by the spring construction. The Kingston, Middleborough, and Greenbush lines will not run between South Station and Braintree on the weekends of May 11-12 and 18-19. 

From Saturday, April 27 to Sunday, May 5, service will be suspended on the Middleborough/Lakeville line from Middleborough/Lakeville to Bridgewater, which are adjacent stations. 

The Fairmount line service will be suspended between Readville and South Station during the weekend of May 4-5. 

During the weekend of May 18-19, service will be suspended between North Station and Swampscott on the Newburyport/Rockport line and between Ballardvale and North Station on the Haverhill line. 

For all commuter rail lines, shuttle bus service will be available for all suspended stations. For more information about specific closures, alternate routes, and updates, visit the MBTA website.