Those who use the T are already bracing for the inevitable headaches that are coming once the Orange Line shuts down in just a few days, but those riders who use the Chinatown stop are now trying to figure out what else they're going to do because shuttles won't be an option at the transit station either.
The MBTA's shuttle plans do not include shuttle replacement rides at four stops along the Orange Line, including Chinatown, Downtown Crossing, State Street, and Tufts Medical Center.
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The T says the Coach buses that were hired to pick up passengers have a hard time trying to get around the congested streets around those particular stations.
Boston City Council President Ed Flynn, along with Mayor Michelle Wu and other state lawmakers, wrote a letter to the MBTA asking the T to add at least one shuttle at either Tufts or Chinatown in part because many rely on those two stops for their daily commutes.
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There are 2,000 doctors and stuff at Tufts that use the Orange Line everyday and that doesn't include any patients going in and out.
"I don't understand why they're not going to have a shuttle. Everyone can't drive. Right now I can't ride the bike so I don't know what's going to happen," an Orange Line rider named Karen said.
The Silver Line runs to both the Chinatown and Tufts stops, but access to the entire system is still limited.
On Tuesday, as riders braced for the looming shutdown, NBC10 Boston set out to time the travel from one end of the Orange Line to the other during rush hour, all-in-all 20 stops.
People were holding onto the trains on Tuesday before they are replaced by shuttle buses at most stops along the line.
“You may as well walk to downtown if you’re going to take a shuttle bus,” said Jim Hill. “We’ll see how that goes but I don’t suspect that will be particularly useful, especially anyone going at rush hour.”
T riders who plan to use the shuttle during the shutdown will have to hop off the bus and hop on connecting Green Line trains if they intend to pass through the four stops that are not going to be serviced by shuttle buses.
“I usually Uber to work then take the bus and train back home so that’s going to mess me up,” noted Anthony Howard. “So, probably it’s going to be a little bit more expensive definitively.”
Riders like Vivian Nguyen said these MBTA disruptions are going to disrupt their lives.
“Not good! Because I usually already don’t sleep a lot during the school year,” said Nguyen.
The longest shutdown in MBTA history begins Friday at 9 p.m., then on with the 30-day social experiment.
“Really anxious, I’m really worried about it because I just feel like there hasn’t been a lot of communication and the way that they’re shutting the entire line down all at once feels kind of insensitive to the residents,” said Jade Tyra.
In the end it took NBC10 Boston reporter Oscar Margain and photographer Dominic Aielli 44 minutes from Forest Hills to Oak Grove and 41 minutes on the way back.
There are several other services that are being provided during the shutdown to help soften the blow, from free Bluebikes to free Charlie cards loaded with credit for parents taking their children to school.
