REMINDER: 12-Day Closure of the Green Line B Branch to Begin Monday, July 17, Bringing a Safer, More Reliable Ride to Green Line Riders

The MBTA is reminding riders that free accessible shuttle buses will replace Green Line B Branch service for 12 days between Kenmore and Boston College from Monday, July 17, to Friday, July 28, to make critical track upgrades along the Green Line’s B Branch. During this service change, crews will complete full-depth track replacement at Packard’s Corner and from Harvard Ave to Griggs St Stations bringing these areas into a state of good repair.

A Green Line B Branch train rides on tracks at street level. The full-depth track replacement will take place at Blandford Street, Packard’s Corner, and from Harvard Avenue to Griggs Street Stations. — The full-depth track replacement will take place at Blandford Street, Packard’s Corner, and from Harvard Avenue to Griggs Street Stations.

The MBTA continues to look for additional opportunities to amplify work in this area. In addition to trackwork, crews will also be replacing duct banks and underground conduits that provide power to the Green Line and repainting pedestrian crossings, bike lanes, and platform edges. In preparation for the 12-day closure, crews have started to mobilize and weld rail near Packard’s Corner Station. Crews will be working throughout the 12-day surge, with shifts starting at 6 am and 6 pm. Once construction is complete, over 2,000 feet of track will be replaced, which will result in fewer service disruptions and a faster ride for all B Branch riders.

“Safety and reliability for our riders will always be our top priority and this critical work will address long needed repairs along this section of the Green Line B Branch,“ said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “We are committed to delivering for the public and the communities that we serve and by accelerating this work, we can complete the work before the start of school in the most efficient and timely manner.”

Free accessible shuttle buses will replace service along the B Branch during the closure. Shuttle buses will provide service to all stops on the B Branch where accessibility allows. Shuttle buses will not stop at Allston Street, Griggs Street, BU East (inbound only), or Packard’s Corner Stations due to inaccessible conditions and work locations. The Route 57 bus stop located at BU East will also be bypassed due to construction in the area. In collaboration with the Boston Transportation Department, southbound traffic on Harvard Avenue will be limited to buses and commercial deliveries to businesses on the street. Northbound traffic on Harvard Avenue will not be disrupted, though street parking will become pick-up and drop-off only.

“As a team, we all understand how disruptive service changes can be,” said MBTA Chief of Capital Transformation Angel Peña. “That is why it is our goal to accelerate efforts with this 12-day full access closure completing these much-needed upgrades as safely and efficiently as possible. Our riders depend on the T, and it is up to us to ensure these improvements are executed in order to provide them with the service they need and deserve.”

An MBTA employee speaks with MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng about the Green Line Transformation project at a open house in Boston University’s Sleeper Auditorium. — An Open House was held on Wednesday, June 28, in Boston University’s Sleeper Auditorium.

An MBTA employee speak with an attendee of an open house at Boston University about the Green Line Transformation project. — To find information that was provided at the Open House, please visit the event’s webpage here.

To preview and discuss the upcoming work, the MBTA held an in-person Open House on Wednesday, June 28, at Boston University. To find more information that was provided at the Open House, please visit the event’s webpage here.

A hotline is available to the public to report a construction-related issue on the B Branch during the time of the closure at (617) 222-4100. Advisories are posted at all stations along the B Branch, as well as additional signage at Haymarket and Park Street. In order to mitigate noise in the area, crews will be lining dumping bins and trucks with sound-deadening material, using silencers on all construction equipment, and limiting loud construction at night. The MBTA work will be supported by police details from the Boston University Police Department and Boston Police Department to ensure police details are in place during the service outage and to prevent any disruption to work.

Green Line Transformation follows a holistic approach to transforming the Green Line. Multiple Levels of Transformation align the program: Improving Safety & Bringing Infrastructure into a State of Good Repair, Enhancing Accessibility, Replacing Legacy Fleets, Increasing Passenger Capacity, and Modernizing Rider Experience.