The MBTA has yet to lift the speed restriction for the entirety of the Green Line, despite optimism from the head of the agency it could be lifted before service began Saturday morning.
The restrictions will remain in place at least until the end of service on Saturday.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
"The MBTA continues to prioritize safety and at this time cannot lift the Green Line line-wide speed restrictions as further evaluation and validation of specific locations are needed." said the agency in a statement.
"The MBTA has identified 30 speed limit signs that need to be relocated on the Green Line, and that work is taking place today. After that work is completed, the MBTA will re-run test trains on the entire line. The MBTA apologizes for the continued disruption to service for its riders." they added.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
The T notified riders of the pause on social media.
Once again, riders have to plan around the T, this time with St. Patrick’s Day crowds adding to the ongoing speed restrictions across all subway and trolley lines.
The MBTA is offering a guide to St. Patrick's Day celebrations here.
The acting head of the MBTA said Friday that he was "optimistic" that the last of the global speed restrictions placed on the lines last week could be lifted by Saturday morning. The entirety of the Green Line remains under the restriction more than a week after an inspection of part of the Red Line triggered the global speed restrictions on all of the T's four heavy and light rail lines.
Pockets of track on all lines remain restricted — when the Green Line's global restriction ends, about 25% of the total track remain under restrictions, according to the MBTA, meaning trains won't be able to go over certain sections of track faster than 25 mph, or 10 mph on restricted curves and other specialized stretches of track.
"I remain focused on the safety of fixing the system. That is what our riders want and deserve," interim MBTA General Manager Jeff Gonneville said at a news conference.
He noted that a "dedicated and robust" independent investigation into what led to the slowdowns is underway. But he said he was satisfied with the pace of the systemwide track inspection, given how much has needed to get done while keeping trains running.
Gonneville reiterated that riders should continue to plan for additional travel time and longer headways on all subway and trolley lines, given the pockets of slow zones that will persist.
Next week, the T plans to unveil a new dashboard that lets riders know where exactly speeds are restricted on the subways and trolleys.
Rail speeds were reduced on all T lines last Thursday based on findings by a Department of Public Utilities inspection on the Red Line earlier in the week. It found several issues that required immediate attention, including concerns with priority-one track conditions, electrical access boxes on the right of way and headlight operations within the tunnels, and missing or inconsistent documentation around which repairs were actually made.
The sudden announcement slowed trains systemwide. Global speed restrictions were lifted the next day for the Red, Blue, and Orange lines, but they remained on the Green Line and — until this Thursday — the Mattapan trolley.
