MBTA Examining Tunnels Beneath Government Center Garage

The MBTA will keep subway service on downtown stretches of the Green and Orange Line offline for the foreseeable future in the wake of a Government Center parking garage collapse that killed a construction worker over the weekend.

T officials announced Sunday that the Orange Line will be suspended between North Station and Back Bay and the Green Line will be suspended between North Station and Government Center. Both lines will continue to run along stretches on either end of the shutdowns.

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Shuttle buses will operate between North Station and Government Center, and the transit agency encouraged Orange Line commuters to use Green Line stops between Park Street and Copley or the commuter rail to South Station.

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Starting Monday, service is suspended on the Orange Line between North Station and Back Bay and on the Green Line between North Station and Government Center until further notice.

A portion of the Government Center garage that is being demolished collapsed on Saturday, killing 51-year-old Peter Monsini of South Easton and sending another person to the hospital. The MBTA said it would suspend service in tunnels underneath the accident site, projecting impacts could last several days.

MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak described the accident as a "tragic" situation and loss of life Monday morning while explaining the impact on the MBTA Monday morning. The service disruption is expected to last at least a "period of days," Poftak said.

"Right now we are not able to get into the tunnel to assess the conditions. We need to make sure, number one, that the garage and the site is safe. Next, that our tunnels are safe, before we can run service," Poftak said. "So until we're able to do that, you know, it is somewhat guesswork right now."

Several agencies including the Suffolk County District Attorney's office and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration continue to investigate the collapse.

State House News Service contributed to this report.