With the goal of expediting safety and reliability improvements through core infrastructure investments as part of the MBTA’s $8-billion Building a Better T program, the MBTA accelerated essential track and intersection work on the entirety of the Green Line C Branch during a 28-day shutdown in service in July and on the entirety of the E Branch during a 28-day shutdown in service in August. During this accelerated work, Green Line trolley service on these branches was replaced with alternate services that included bus shuttles.
“Each month-long Green Line diversion this summer enabled one full year’s worth of work to be completed in just a few weeks, and these improvements will result in faster and more reliable service for riders,” Baker said. “By allowing crews longer periods of 24/7 access, the T is able to complete important upgrades more quickly and save money along the way.”
“The Green Line C Branch and Green Line E Branch capital improvement projects demonstrate the MBTA’s commitment to being aggressive about capital projects that are vital to improving safety and service,” Pollack said. “Despite the public health challenges in recent months due to the coronavirus, the MBTA is delivering on previously announced projects which improve the core infrastructure, replacing or repairing track, signals, power, and other assets.”
“We exceeded our track replacement goals by replacing over three miles of E Branch track, allowing us to provide a safer, more reliable trip for riders,” Poftak said. “While ridership has been reduced during the pandemic, the MBTA has had a busy spring and summer making accessibility, infrastructure, customer experience, and safety improvements."
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The suspensions in Green Line C and E Branch service was part of both the MBTA’s $8-billion Building a Better T program and the MBTA’s Green Line Transformation program. Though this work was previously announced and planned during the summer when ridership is historically lower, doing this work also allowed its completion at a time when ridership on the Green Line was significantly decreased due to the pandemic. Completion of this work on both branches results in improved safety and reliability, fewer unplanned service disruptions, and improved travel times for riders. During the closures, work crews accomplished the following:
- Allowed for a more reliable trip and the removal of longstanding speed restrictions through the replacement of 2.5 miles of track on the C Branch and over three miles of track on the E Branch
- Allowed for improvements to safety, accessibility, and the rider experience through the replacement of seven road crossings and four individual pedestrian track crossings on the C Branch and the restoration of six road crossings and five individual pedestrian track crossings on the E Branch
- Performed additional customer improvements that included upgrades to system maps, walkways, station brightening, and yellow tactile edging at C and E Branch Stations
