MBTA Announces April Service Changes

Service changes are taking place to support critical maintenance work near Boston College, Maintenance of Way work at Bowdoin, signal upgrade work at North Station, work taking place on the Neponset River Bridge, and critical track renewal work on the Ashmont Branch and Mattapan Line.

The MBTA today announced service changes in April on the Green, Blue, Newburyport/Rockport, Haverhill, Lowell, Franklin/Foxboro, Red, and Mattapan lines.

Riders can find more information on service changes through in-station signage, in-station public announcements, and at mbta.com/alerts. Transit Ambassadors and MBTA staff will be available on-site to offer information and assistance during these service changes. Riders are encouraged to subscribe to T-Alerts or to follow the MBTA on X @MBTA, @MBTA_CR, and @MBTA_CR_Alerts for up-to-date service information.

On the Green Line B Branch:

Boston College Station will be closed beginning at approximately 8:30 PM on Friday, April 11, and continuing each day through the weekend of April 12 – 13.
- Riders can board and disembark at the intersection of Lake Street and Commonwealth Avenue, which is less than a 2-minute walk (about 350 feet) from Boston College Station.
- This service change is in place for crews to perform annual programmed maintenance, addressing routine needs and ensuring that all infrastructure remains in peak operating condition. This maintenance includes inspections, adjustments, and repairs to keep the system safe and running smoothly throughout the year.

On the Blue Line:

Bowdoin station will be closed during the following dates and times:
- Beginning at approximately 7 PM on Friday, April 11, and continuing all day Saturday through Monday, April 12 – 14.
- Beginning at approximately 7 PM on Friday, April 25, and continuing all day Saturday through Monday, April 26 – 28.
  - Riders can board and disembark the Blue Line at Government Center station, which is less than a quarter mile or about a four-minute walk from Bowdoin.
  - Riders should anticipate slightly longer time between trains of about 7 – 8 minutes beginning at 7 PM through the end of service on April 11 and April 25.
  - This service change is in place for Maintenance of Way crews to perform critical infrastructure upgrade work.

On the Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Rail Line:

Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Rail Line service will be suspended between North Station and Swampscott during the following dates:
- The weekend of April 5 – 6.
- Every day, Friday through Sunday, April 25 – 27.
  - A dedicated diversion schedule is available on mbta.com.
- Express shuttle buses will operate directly between Swampscott and North Station.
- Shuttle buses will also make local stops between Swampscott, Lynn within the busway at the legacy station, Wonderland for connections to the Blue Line subway, Chelsea Station for connections to the Silver Line 3 (SL3), and North Station.
- The last outbound shuttle bus will also make a special late-night stop at Salem and Beverly Depot.
- Commuter Rail fares will be free between Swampscott and Newburyport or Rockport.
- Passengers may utilize the SL3, which travels through Chelsea and East Boston to Logan Airport, the Seaport District, and South Station, making connections to many area bus routes (including the 111, 112, and 116) as well as the Blue and Red lines.
- This service change was in place to support critical signal upgrade work at North Station.

On the Haverhill Commuter Rail Line:

Haverhill Commuter Rail Line service will be suspended between Oak Grove and North Station during the following dates:
- The weekend of April 5 – 6.
- Every day, Friday through Sunday, April 25 – 27.
  - A dedicated diversion schedule will be available on mbta.com.
  - Passengers should instead use Orange Line subway service between Oak Grove and North Station.
  - This service change is in place for crews to perform critical signal upgrade work at North Station.

On the Lowell Commuter Rail Line:

Lowell Commuter Rail Line service will be suspended between Anderson/Woburn and North Station during the following dates:
- The weekend of April 5 – 6.
- Every day, Friday through Sunday, April 25 – 27.
  - A dedicated diversion schedule will be available on mbta.com.
  - Free and accessible shuttle bus service will replace train service between Anderson/Woburn and North Station. Both local and express shuttle buses will operate.
  - This service change is in place for crews to perform critical signal upgrade work at North Station.

On the Franklin/Foxboro Commuter Rail Line:

Franklin/Foxboro Commuter Rail Line service will be suspended in the following areas during the following dates:
- Between Forge Park/495 and Readville every day, Friday through Sunday, April 11 – 13.
  - A dedicated diversion schedule will be available on mbta.com.
  - Free and accessible shuttle bus service will replace train service between Forge Park/495 and Readville.
- Between Foxboro and Readville on Friday, April 11.
  - A dedicated diversion schedule will be available on mbta.com.
  - Free and accessible shuttle bus service will replace train service between Foxboro and Mansfield on the Providence Commuter Rail Line for continued service to South Station.
- These service changes are in place due to work taking place on the Neponset River Bridge.

On the Red Line Ashmont Branch and Mattapan Line:

As previously announced, Red Line Ashmont Branch service between JFK/UMass and Ashmont as well as the entire Mattapan Line will be replaced with free and accessible shuttle bus service for nine days from April 1 – 9.
- Free and accessible shuttle buses will make stops at all Ashmont Branch and Mattapan Line stations.
- Riders are encouraged to utilize the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line, which will be fare-free during this service change.
- Weekday shuttle bus frequencies are as follows:
  - Shuttle buses operating between JFK/UMass and Ashmont will operate every three-to-five minutes all day.
  - Shuttle buses operating between Ashmont and Mattapan will operate every five-to-six minutes all day.
  - Riders will need to transfer between the JFK/UMass-Ashmont and Ashmont-Mattapan shuttle bus services at Ashmont.
- Weekend shuttle bus frequencies are as follows:
  - Shuttle buses operating between JFK/UMass and Mattapan via Ashmont will operate every 8 – 12 minutes all day with some shuttle buses terminating at Ashmont.
- Riders using shuttle buses during these service changes should budget ample extra travel time.
  - For example, a rider travelling to Park Street from Mattapan should budget at least an additional 45 – 60 minutes of travel time in addition to their regular commute.
- Bus Route 18 will be detoured during this time period. Riders are encouraged to see T-Alerts for full detour information.
- Riders should note that Red Line trains will operate between Alewife and Braintree. Trains will operate every seven-to-eight minutes.
- An accessible van will be available for the duration of the service change, serving all Red Line stations between JFK/UMass and Ashmont only. Riders should see station personnel or use the call box to request the accessible van.
- This service change is in place for crews to perform critical track renewal work on the Ashmont Branch and Mattapan Line. The MBTA will maximize the service outage by performing additional work, including walkway safety replacements at Geneva Avenue, Dorchester Avenue, and Adams Street, track and power upgrades at Codman Yard, stairway improvements at JFK/UMass and Fields Corner, power switch box replacements, inspections at the Dorchester Greenway, duct bank replacements at Freeport Street, and a variety of station enhancement work.

On the Red Line:

As previously announced, Red Line Ashmont Branch service will operate with shuttle trains between Ashmont and JFK/UMass for 21 days April 10 – 30.
- A shuttle train is one train that will operate, back and forth, between Ashmont and JFK/UMass on a single track. Two shuttle trains will be operating between Ashmont and JFK/UMass during this work – one on each track. Shuttle trains will terminate at JFK/UMass. Riders will need to transfer from the Ashmont side of JFK/UMass station to the Braintree side for continued service towards Alewife, or southbound service to Braintree.
- Riders will experience longer wait times during this service change and should allow extra travel time.
- JFK/UMass – Ashmont shuttle trains will terminate at JFK/UMass. Riders will need to transfer between the JFK/UMass – Ashmont shuttle train and other Red Line service at JFK/UMass for service toward Alewife or Braintree.
- Riders should note that shuttle buses will not be offered as an alternative during this service change (because shuttle trains will be operating).
- This service change is in place to perform critical special track work at the crossover near Ashmont.

The MBTA previously announced service changes in March. More information is available here.

The MBTA understands how these service changes affect riders’ daily travels during this period, but we are committed to improving your travels long term with more reliable, timely, and safe service. We thank riders for their patience as we deliver this important work and for continuing to ride our system.