MBTA December 2023 service change list for Orange, Green, Silver, Newbury/Rockport lines

The latest round of MBTA train and bus service changes was announced Thursday, including a nearly monthlong closure of the Green and Orange lines in downtown Boston.

The announcement comes as the troubled agency said it needs $24.5 billion to bring all its systems into working order. Some of the closures, including the Orange and Green line closures at Haymarket Station from Nov. 27 to Dec. 22, are separate from the list released last week as part of the T's plan to end the many slow zones on its train lines.

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The Haymarket closure is necessary because of the continued demolition of the Government Center Garage. The T referred a question about the timeline for the demolition to the contractor doing the work.

A plan to lift the speed restrictions on the MBTA will require time and more shutdowns.

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"The MBTA will continue working to improve service reliability across the system," the T said in a statement sharing the December service changes.

Here are the changes coming to the T this December, as released by the MBTA:

Green Line

Evening Green Line trains on both Green Line Extension (GLX) branches between North Station and Union Square Station as well as Medford/Tufts station will be suspended beginning at approximately 8:45 PM through the end of service every day from November 27-December 10, 2023.
- Accessible shuttle bus service will replace trains between North Station and Medford/Tufts station.
- Train service between Lechmere and Union Square Stations will be suspended. Green Line Union Square branch riders are instead encouraged to consider alternative routes, including the 86, 91, and CT2 bus routes between Union Square and East Somerville Station on the Medford Branch. These bus routes also travel to Sullivan Square Station on the Orange Line. In addition, Route 87 travels between Union Square and Lechmere Station.

GLX riders should also note that shuttle buses will replace Green Line trains between Lechmere and North Station all day from start to end of service on December 4 and December 5. More details are below.

This service change is in place while crews perform critical track work that alleviates current tight gauge conditions. Additionally, crews will perform track work on the Lechmere Viaduct.

As previously announced, Green Line service will be suspended all day from start to end of service from Monday, November 27, through Sunday, December 3, on the B branch between North Station and Babcock Street Station, on the E branch between North Station and Heath Street Station, and on the C and D branches between North Station and Kenmore station. Additionally, all day from start to end of service on December 4-5, the Green Line service change will be extended to Lechmere. This service change is in place as part of the MBTA’s Track Improvement Plan and will accommodate structural repairs at Boylston Station, track reconstruction throughout the Green Line underground central subway, and work to alleviate a speed restriction on Commonwealth Avenue in Allston. A page with dedicated information for riders will be available soon at mbta.com/GreenLine. Travel alternatives during this service change are below:

B Branch: Accessible shuttle buses will operate between Babcock Street and Copley Stations. From Copley, riders can travel less than a quarter mile (about a 5-minute walk) to Back Bay Station on the Orange Line for continued service to the downtown area and North Station (/Lechmere on December 4-5). Riders can also utilize free Route 57 bus service for alternate travel between Kenmore and Babcock Street.

C and D Branches; Green Line between Kenmore and North Station: Accessible shuttle buses will operate between Kenmore and Copley stations. From Copley, riders can travel less than a quarter mile (about a 5-minute walk) to Back Bay Station on the Orange Line for continued service to the downtown area and North Station (/Lechmere on December 4-5).

E Branch: Riders are asked to instead utilize the parallel Route 39 bus service, which will be free and operates from Heath Street station along Huntington Avenue to Back Bay Station. From Back Bay, riders can utilize the Orange Line for continued service to the downtown area and North Station (/Lechmere on December 4-5).

Additionally, the Commuter Rail will be fare-free between South Station, Back Bay, and Lansdowne stations during this Green Line service change. Riders should note that regular fares should be purchased beyond Lansdowne.

As previously announced, accessible shuttle bus service will replace Green Line D branch trains between Kenmore and Riverside stations all day from start to end of service for 10 days from December 11-20, 2023. This service change is in place while crews perform work as part of the Track Improvement Plan, which will alleviate speed restrictions along the line.

Green and Orange lines

Due to the continued demolition of the Government Center Garage by private developer HYM Construction, Orange and Green Line service changes will take place in the downtown Boston area all day from November 27-December 22:

Orange Line trains will bypass Haymarket Station. Orange Line riders should instead exit at North Station or State, less than a half-mile from Haymarket (or a four- to eight-minute walk), and travel to the Haymarket area.
Green Line service will be suspended between North Station and Government Center Station. Riders are instead asked to walk above ground between these stations – Government Center, Haymarket, and North Station are each less than a half mile from each other (about a five- to 10-minute walk). The distance between Government Center and North Station is about three-quarters of a mile (about a 13-minute walk).
Riders are also reminded that Orange Line / Green Line connections can also be made via the Winter Street Concourse, which connects Park Street and Downtown Crossing Stations.

Silver Line

Silver Line Routes 1, 2, and 3 will be re-routed to the street level between Silver Line Way and South Station during the weekend of December 2-3. This service change will allow for continued safety, waterproofing, and station resiliency improvement work at Courthouse Station.

Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Rail Line

Free, accessible shuttle buses are replacing Newburyport/Rockport Line trains between Swampscott and North Station from start to end of service from December 2-10, 2023.
- Passengers should note that there will be no service at Chelsea and River Works.
- Passengers at Chelsea are instead encouraged to utilize the Silver Line 3 for service to and from Boston.

Regular train service will operate between Newburyport/Rockport and Swampscott.

The full diversion schedule will be available at mbta.com soon. The normal shuttle bus schedule between Lynn and Swampscott will be suspended as this service change will include shuttle bus service to Lynn.

Passengers are reminded that bikes are not allowed on board shuttle buses and to purchase regular fares for travel between Swampscott and their station of origin/destination.

This service change allows crews to perform Automatic Train Control (ATC) work. ATC is a federally mandated safety system that sends signals to trains about potentially unsafe conditions, automatically slowing and stopping a train if needed.