Residents of the city of Boston, in the state of Massachusetts, will have to adapt their schedules and travel routes during the last two weeks of October. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), the company responsible for public transportation in Masschusetts, has announced the closure of the Ashmont branch railway line and the Mattapan line. According to an official statement from the MBTA, this closure will be in effect from the 15th to the 29th of October.
During this period, these two railway lines will be temporarily replaced by buses. Bus number 18, which covers the route from Andrew to Ashmont, will be available free of charge for all public transport users, as indicated by the MBTA. This change will particularly affect the Haitian community, which represents the third-largest immigrant community in the state of Massachusetts.
The neighborhood of Mattapan, predominantly inhabited by Haitians, will be particularly impacted by this decision, as the trolley connects with the red line, with its final stop at Ashmont.
During the 16-day closure, the MBTA will offer a free and accessible shuttle service to Ashmont branch and Mattapan line users. In addition, the Fairmount suburban railway line and bus line 18 will also be free during this period. Line 18 serves the stations Andrew, Savin Hill, Fields Corner, Shawmut, and Ashmont. As the MBTA General Manager points out, this decision will allow them to catch up on long-overdue repair work.
“The safety of the MBTA system is of the utmost importance, and this 16-day closure will allow us to address many of the worst speed restrictions on the red line much more quickly than we could have done with only night and weekend work,” said Phillip Eng, General Manager and CEO of the MBTA. He added: “We understand that service changes can be challenging, and I want to thank the public for their patience as we carry out these critical and targeted works between JFK/UMass and Ashmont stations, as well as on the Mattapan line.”
This decision comes after a federal government directive urged the MBTA to undertake repair work as quickly as possible, in response to several recent incidents.
According to the MBTA, “the tracks between the stations JFK/UMass and Ashmont, as well as on the Mattapan line, are among the oldest in the system and need replacement. This deviation will allow the teams to replace the rails, ties, and ballast to improve reliability and reduce maintenance requirements.”
During these 16 days, engineers from the largest public transportation company in Massachusetts will take on a colossal challenge, working 24 hours a day to complete work that would normally take six months.
Despite recent safety concerns regarding MBTA trains, the General Manager assures that everything will proceed smoothly.
“The MBTA can expedite these important works by working around the clock for 16 days with unrestricted access, which would have taken six months if teams had worked only during nights and weekends. Following this work, all speed restrictions will be lifted in this area, improving travel times for Ashmont Branch and Mattapan Line users,” promised the number one of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation.