The MBTA general manager called the shutdown an “unprecedented but long overdue” part of a plan to improve service across the network.
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The MBTA will shut down Red Line service on the Braintree for 24 days in September as part of ongoing maintenance and improvement work across the system.
Service will be suspended from JFK/UMass to Braintree from Sept. 6 through Sept. 29. During that time crews will conduct work on 18 miles of track that should eliminate 20 different slow zones and allow train speeds of up to 40 mph.
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MBTA General Manager Philip Eng said the shutdown will be "unprecedented" but necessary for the agency's long-term goal of providing better service.
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"Once complete, we estimate that our riders taking a round trip between Braintree and JFK/UMass stations will save 24 to 27 minutes a day," Eng said in a media release. "We’re committed to communicating our progress, listening to the public, and delivering on the promises we make to provide better service. I look forward to returning faster, safer, more reliable Braintree branch service to our riders on September 30.”
The MBTA said there will be shuttle buses made available, as well as Commuter Rail travel options and increased service on the Ashmont branch while the work takes place. The plans for these alternatives have not been finalized yet.
After a series of safety and performance issues in the last few years prompted a federal investigation, the MBTA began an overhaul of its system. There have been several rounds of service shutdowns on different branches as work continues, including a historic month-long closure of the Orange Line that started in August 2022.
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