Looming closure latest hit for MBTA Red Line riders
BOSTON - MBTA Red Line riders are used to finding the work around. No matter where they are headed, commuters tell us the one thing they know they can rely on is delays.
"Oh, it takes forever, like an hour maybe," said commuter Zahra Mfarmi of Quincy. "Yeah, it's so crazy."
Grace Borell said she made a last-minute change of plans to get to work Thursday. "I was going to take public transportation, but I will be late, so I have to take an Uber," Borell said.
We talked to commuters on the same day the MBTA announced the 16-day partial closure of the Red Line. It is set to close the line from the JFK/UMass to Ashmont stops along with the Mattapan line from October 14-29. Shuttle buses will be provided.
The announcement comes at a time when the Red Line is experiencing the worst of the slow zones the MBTA put in place last year. The transportation advocacy organization TransitMatters uses the MBTA's own data to log rider experience. They track everything from wait times to ridership on each of the lines.
TransitMatters data showed the slows zones sent travel times on the Red Line soaring. In August of 2022 they added 12 minutes of travel time on the line. Cut to August 23, 2023, and the data showed an hour and nine minutes of additional travel time due to slow zones.
The data, according to TransitMatters, also showed ridership has plummeted on the line compared to that of the pre-pandemic daily average. It dropped from 183,000 daily riders in January of 2020, to 83,000 daily riders clocked just last week. That has resulted in a loss of profit via fares.
Jarred Johnson, Executive Director of TransitMatters said, "I think what is going to be critical is that the MBTA needs to be crystal clear about what riders can expect after the diversion is done and that they will be able to measure up to that and that there is a measurable benefit to riders."
The MBTA said the expeditated track work will consolidate six months of weekend work into 16 days. The goal is to eliminate many of the slow zones that are plaguing the line.