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Red Line Schedule Update for the Remainder of the Week

Posted on June 18, 2019

red line Red Line commuters should continue to allow for extra travel time.

commuter rail Today is last day for supplemental Commuter Rail trains between South Station, JFK/UMass, Quincy Center, and Braintree.

commuter rail Customers wishing to use regularly scheduled Commuter Rail service between Braintree, Quincy Center, and JFK/UMass can continue to do so with a valid CharlieCard or CharlieTicket through Friday.


The MBTA today announced a Red Line schedule update for the remainder of the week and provided an update on recovery efforts on the Red Line. Since restoring the one-seat ride last weekend, the MBTA has seen the length of passenger trip times from Braintree to downtown Boston decrease and more trains are running per hour. Due to improved service and reduced ridership on the supplemental Commuter Rail service, the MBTA will no longer run extra trips starting Wednesday.  

“Since last week, ridership on the extra Commuter Rail trains has dropped significantly as many of our customers have returned to the Red Line, where service has steadily improved in terms of trains running per hour and the length of passenger trip times,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “We want to thank riders for taking advantage of the extra service and for their continued patience as crews work around the clock to restore power and make signal repairs.”

Schedule Update

red line Red Line

Since Sunday’s service restoration, passenger trip times from Braintree to downtown Boston have been reduced by 10-15 minutes per trip. Red Line customers are still advised to plan for extra travel times due to manually operated switches that require trains to travel at a slower speed through a certain segment of Red Line track. 

The MBTA has shortened wait times by successfully increasing the number of trains in service during rush hours periods, now averaging 10 trains per hour. Last week, an average of six trains ran per hour.

Customers are advised that travel on the Red Line is slightly faster than the Commuter Rail from Braintree to Boston, though regularly scheduled Commuter Rail trains remain options at Braintree, Quincy Center, and JFK/UMass Stations.

commuter rail Commuter Rail

Customers wishing to use Commuter Rail trains that already make regularly scheduled stops between Braintree, Quincy Center, and JFK/UMass can show a valid CharlieCard or CharlieTicket through the end of service on Friday, June 21, to board those trains. Customers may also use a CharlieCard or Ticket to ride between Porter and North Stations as well as along the Fairmount Line through Friday, June 21. 

This week, ridership on the supplemental Commuter Rail trains has decreased as people return to the Red Line. To ensure reliable on-time performance for other lines on the Commuter Rail, these trains will be returned to the Old Colony Commuter Rail Lines.

Supplemental outbound Commuter Rail service between South Station, JFK/UMass, Quincy Center, and Braintree will be available for this evening’s commute. Beginning tomorrow, this service will no longer be available. 

Regularly scheduled Commuter Rail trains continue to be available on the Kingston, Middleborough, and Greenbush Lines.

Crews continue to monitor real-time predictions for accuracy and any remaining station platforms where countdowns are turned off will be re-activated as train arrival prediction accuracy is verified by the MBTA.

Supplemental Evening Outbound Service for Tues, June 18

StationExtra Train Extra Train Extra Train 
StationSouth StationExtra Train 4:30 PMExtra Train 6:00 PMExtra Train 7:20 PM
StationJFK/UMassExtra Train 4:36 PMExtra Train 6:10 PMExtra Train 7:30 PM
StationQuincy CenterExtra Train 4:50 PMExtra Train 6:20 PMExtra Train 7:37 PM
StationBraintreeExtra Train 4:56 PMExtra Train 6:30 PMExtra Train 7:45 PM

Recovery and Repair Update

The Red Line derailment continues to be under investigation. Operator error (including speed), foul play, and track infrastructure have been ruled out as the probable cause at this time. 

After disassembling the car that derailed, MBTA personnel are in the process of determining potential causes of its failure through rigorous evaluations of the car’s components. The MBTA is also conducting an audit of the entire Red Line fleet, performing thorough inspections of cars to ensure all vehicles meet all safety and performance requirements.

MBTA workers and contractors continue to repair damaged signals, switches, and bungalows in the area impacted by the derailment. This includes the following repairs and updates for:

  • Repairing and replacing all damaged third rail (approximately 200 feet), and 200 feet of rail near track switches, which was accomplished last week.
  • Wire and cable work continues as quickly as possible.
  • Power and signal work is ongoing with necessary repair parts arriving on scene through the week to be assembled.  

MBTA and Red Line Investments

The $8 billion that the MBTA plans to spend over the next five years is the most in any five-year period ever – and this funding will have tangible results and provide a more reliable ride for our customers.

The MBTA is investing nearly $2 billion in the Red and Orange Line improvement program, which will completely replace the cars and signal systems, and upgrade track and maintenance facilities, of both lines. 
 
The MBTA is investing $350 million on the signal systems and $470 million for track and maintenance facility upgrades.

The MBTA is working to deliver 252 new Red Line cars and expects the first Red Line pilot car to be delivered this summer.
  
This is aggressive capital spending to completely update these major lines, and customers are going to see tangible results of these investments in the next couple of years.

The MBTA has also made a number of investments along the Red Line since 2015 including replacing third rail and track, and signal work.

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