MBTA Adds Coaches On Commuter Rail Trains Amid Orange Line Shutdown

MELROSE, MA — Many riders around Boston appear to be heeding advice from state officials to utilize Commuter Rail service when possible during the ongoing Orange Line shutdown.

Now facing busy train cars, the MBTA is adding coaches on some Haverhill and Needham line trains, agency General Manager Steve Poftak announced on Wednesday.

The expanded trains will run on the weekday 604 and 606 routes on the Needham Line, which reach South Station at 7:50 a.m. and 8:50 a.m., respectively. Expanded trains will also run on weekday 202 and 282 Haverhill routes, which get to North Station at 7:24 a.m. and 8:08 a.m.

Those four daily trains have been some of the busiest to date during the Orange Line shutdown, Poftak said, manifesting what he called a “significant increase” in Commuter Rail ridership.

“In many cases, it is a much faster alternative to the shuttle buses,” Poftak said of the trains, which can get to downtown Boston from Oak Grove station in less than 15 minutes.

In comparison, shuttle bus rides along the same route have taken close to an hour.

Officials have told would-be Orange Line riders to use the Commuter Rail if possible since they first announced plans for the Orange Line shutdown. Beyond the speed of the ride, officials say, more riders on the Commuter Rail will translate to less congestion on area roadways already packed with roughly 200 shuttle buses.

In addition to the Orange Line, shuttle buses are also operating for Green Line riders due to a shutdown between Government Center and Union Square stations that is running simultaneous with the Orange Line shutdown.

Poftak said this week that, while there are areas for improvement, the combination of shuttle buses, Commuter Rail service and other transit alternatives has worked “relatively smoothly.”

There had been no significant issues with shuttle buses, Poftak said on Wednesday, confirming that roughly 100 buses were operating on the northern side of Boston, with 60 operating on the southern side.

In light of the buses, Poftak asked residents who are on the roads to ensure that they respect bus lanes and other bus infrastructure to allow shuttles to keep moving.

Despite the smooth start, there have still been some hiccups to date in the Orange Line shutdown.

WBZ Traffic reported on Monday that a shuttle bus and a box truck were involved in a side swipe crash near Wellington Circle in Medford.

On Wednesday, Poftak acknowledged some cases of shuttle bus drivers veering off course. In at least one case, Poftak said, there was word that a bus driver who was unfamiliar with their route got lost after taking directions from a passenger.

“We certainly know there are areas where we can improve and we will continue to do so,” he said.

As buses and trains navigate around the Orange Line and Green Line paths, Poftak said planned work is progressing on schedule. Roughly 16% of the work had been completed as of Wednesday, including signal upgrades at Oak Grove and Malden Center station as well as various track replacement projects elsewhere along the route, Poftack said.

“This work is an example of what we can get done when we have these closures in place and when we have unfettered 24/7 access to the track,” he continued.

Pressed by a reporter about the MBTA’s ability to finish its planned work in time to reopen the Orange Line as scheduled on Sept. 19, Poftak noted that it still is early in the process.

“We still have 25 days to go,” he said. “There’s a lot of work to be done. We’re keeping a really close eye on the schedule.”

Though initially focused on the Orange Line shutdown, Poftak confirmed some of the MBTA’s planned fall service schedule in his press conference on Wednesday. He said that the agency would be extending a period of reduced subway train frequency on the Red Line, the Blue Line and the Orange Line once it reopens.

Hours later, the T announced the rest of its fall schedule, rolling out a plan with dozens of cuts to bus frequency across the Greater Boston area.

READ: MBTA Fall Schedule Reduces Bus Service, Extends Subway Frequency Cuts