Orange Line will be 'faster, safer, more reliable' after month-long repairs, MBTA says
BOSTON – The Orange Line reopened Monday, ending an unprecedented month-long shutdown for badly needed upgrades and repairs.
MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said Sunday he looks forward to welcoming riders back to a "faster, safer, more reliable Orange Line."
In 30 days since the shut down began, the MBTA said crews completed work that normally would have taken five years of night and weekend work to finish.
Slow zones will remain in place for about one week while the new track and ballast settles where work was completed.
Governor Charlie Baker had high praise for the MBTA, its' workers, and MassDOT for getting the project done on time.
"We all know the last 30 days have been inconvenient and complicated for riders and we appreciate their patience as the T did a ton of necessary work to accelerate infrastructure investments and service improvements across the system. We are also grateful for MBTA employees that have worked day and night over the course of the past 30 days," said Baker.
Some of the changes include replacing 14,000 feet of rail, adding 400 rail fasteners, installing track signal upgrades, and eliminating slow zones.
To ensure public safety, MBTA officials ran a number of test runs on these new tracks.
Seventy-two new Orange Line cars will also be available starting Monday which makes for a more spacious and comfortable ride for commuters.
Riders welcome the upgrades.
"It's been a real inconvenience. A lot of the places I go are on the Orange Line so I've had to take different routes. So the Orange line being reopened is going to be nice," one person said.
