MBTA Successfully Completes Critical Track Work on Orange Line to Remove Nine Speed Restrictions, Orange Line Is Restriction-free for First Time in Nearly 15 Years

The Orange Line is now completely free of all speed restrictions for the first time since 2010.

Less than 1% of the subway system is affected by speed restrictions.

The MBTA today announced the successful completion of critical track work on the Orange Line while service was suspended between Oak Grove and Ruggles October 26 - 27 and between Oak Grove and North Station October 28 - November 1. As a result of unencumbered access to track areas, crews accomplished important work to lift nine speed restrictions, resulting in a safer, more reliable trip for riders.

Following additional Track Improvement Program work that took place on the line earlier last month, the Orange Line is now completely free of all speed restrictions for the first time since 2010. Currently, slow zones are affecting less than 1% of the entire subway system. The last slow zones are expected to be removed by the end of next month.

During these seven days of unencumbered access to this area of the Orange Line, work crews replaced nearly 17,500 feet of rail and 2,600 ties. During the 30-day Orange Line shutdown in 2022, crews replaced only 6,000 feet of rail and about 2,900 ties. The tremendous amount of work accomplished on the Orange Line this past month is due to the close collaboration and coordination of multiple work crews on-site and during the pre-planning phases of these service suspensions.

"I would like to thank the MBTA team members who have been part of the Track Improvement Program for their hard work and express appreciation to our riders for being flexible during construction," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. "Mobility access for everyone is critical and the successful completion of Orange Line projects advances our commitment to leave the communities where we live and work in better condition than we found them. Transportation systems have to work if we want our communities to thrive."

"We made a commitment to the public to deliver safe, reliable trips and upon completion of this most recent work, I'm pleased to confirm another major step forward towards that promise - the Orange Line is now completely free of speed restrictions for the first time in 15 years," said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. "Less than 1% of our subway system is now affected by track-related slow zones, down from March 2023 when we had the entire system running at restricted speeds. I'm confident we're on schedule to eliminate all remaining restrictions by the end of this year. This is truly an all-hands-on-deck, cross-functional effort that exemplifies teamwork and determination. Moving beyond this, we are committed to addressing future needs timely and not allowing such conditions to build up, impacting all that depended on us. All the credit goes to my leadership team and our workforce for delivering essential repairs more efficiently and effectively. I'd be remiss if I didn't thank our riders for their patience as we bring them the faster, safer, more reliable, and frequent trips that they deserve."

This service change was in place to support critical track and tie replacement work as part of the Track Improvement Program. Workers also maximized the outage by performing signal upgrades, security enhancements, station amenity upgrades, and more.

With unencumbered access to Orange Line stations, crews accomplished the following work:

• Replaced approximately 17,500 feet of rail 
• Resurfaced and tamped approximately 20,600 feet of track 
• Replaced approximately 2,600 ties
• Completed 180 feet of full depth track replacement 
• Completed an additional 10 rail welds between Back Bay and Massachusetts Avenue

As a result of this critical work, the following safety-related speed restrictions are no longer in place:

A variety of other work also took place along the Orange Line to further enhance the rider experience, including:

• Stair repairs at Malden Center and Wellington, including repairs to concrete and handrails, waterproofing, painting, and tread replacement
• Inspections of the Wellington Pedestrian Bridge
• The completion of surveys of door areas in the Orange Line right of way and within the Wellington Yard with areas in need of further work documented
• The completion of scanning surveys of northbound track areas between Tufts Medical Center and Back Bay with scanning targets identified in southbound track areas
• Power inspections, switchbox repairs and installations, and third rail repairs and installations
• The completion of replacement work of the roof at Sullivan Square
• The completion of work and cleaning at the Medford underpass pump room
• The installation of new lighting on both platforms at Tufts Medical Center
• Cleaned and power washed stations, replaced door frames, performed painting work, replaced maps and signage, repaired fencing, and repaired and replaced benches throughout the shutdown area
• Cleaned drainage areas throughout the shutdown area
• The completion of work on the power substation roof at Wellington, inspection and minor repairs to the roof, and the removal of fallen branches from the roof
• Camera and security enhancements
• The coordination of bridge inspection work with MassDOT, including inspection of bridge deck over I-93 and joint repairs of the Gilmore Bridge.
• The coordination of inspections of the Cambridge Street Bridge with the City of Boston

Riders are also encouraged to connect with MBTA staff at the following upcoming Track Improvement Program pop-up event:

• Tuesday, December 3
  • Station Pop-Up
  • Medford/Tufts
  • 4 PM - 6 PM