The MBTA announced the completion of critical track work on the Red Line during service suspensions between Alewife and Kendall/MIT the evening of July 12 and during the day July 15-26; from Alewife to JFK/UMass during the weekends of July 13-14 and July 27-28; and between Alewife and Park Street during the weekend of July 20-21 and evenings of July 15-26.
With unencumbered access to track areas, crews accomplished the following:
– Replaced 21,725 feet of rail
– Removed over 30,000 feet of scrap rail from within the tunnels
– Replaced approximately 1,700 feet of restraining rail
– Replaced 250 ties
– Resurfaced and tamped nearly 11,500 feet of track
– Replaced over 2,600 tie plates
– Replaced 21 primary floating concrete slabs and 25 secondary floating concrete slabs
– Replaced 50 WeeZee bonds
– Repaired or replaced 16 track bonds due to damage
– Removed and reinstalled approximately 4,500 feet of balancing cable by the Signal Department
– Replaced and fully tested approximately 55 individual track circuits
– Replaced and fully tested 10 track circuit loops
– Installed cable hanger assemblies in the northbound tunnel from Alewife to Harvard for nearly 13,000 feet
– Replaced approximately 5,000 feet of the roof of Alewife’s east headhouse
– Gauged about 2,000 feet of Red Line track, including curves and at crossovers, by the Maintenance of Way team
As a result of this work, the following speed restrictions have been removed:
– Speed Restriction 000019: Northbound between Central and Harvard
– Speed Restriction 000043: Northbound between Central and Harvard
– Speed Restriction 000044: Northbound between Central and Harvard
– Speed Restriction 000056: Southbound between Porter and Harvard
– Speed Restriction 000085: Southbound between Harvard and Central
– Speed Restriction 000037: Southbound between Harvard and Central
– Speed Restriction 000036: Southbound between Harvard and Central
– Speed Restriction 000013: Northbound between Kendall/MIT and Central
– Speed Restriction 000151: Northbound between Kendall/MIT and Central
Additional work to enhance the rider experience included:
– Removal of all signal assets in the shutdown area by signal personnel
– Tile repairs at Alewife by brick layers
– Sanding and repair of in-station benches by carpenters/laborers
– Stairway repairs including hand railing, concrete repairs, replacement of anti-slip treads, tile repairs, leveling and resetting, painting, and more
– Infrastructure repairs within the right-of-way area and bike rack repairs at Davis by ironworkers
– Annual tunnel inspections at Alewife by bridge inspectors
– Graffiti removal and painting of station walls, doors, standpipe valves, inspector booths, and trash receptacles by painters
– Replacement of damaged or graffiti-covered areas by sheet metal workers
– Production of new head house signs at Central and signage cleaning or replacement on fare vending machines, escalators, elevators, stairways, busways, and platforms by the Sign Shop
– Drain cleaning and pumping, including water removal from abandoned tunnels and from under the southbound platform at Harvard by plumbers/laborers
– Replacement of A/C units in various locations by HVAC crews
– Repairs to the Garfield Street pump room by machinists and electricians
– Water intrusion mitigation efforts at Porter, including installation of a water-diverting trough
– Security improvements within Red Line stations by the Security team
– Painting of the existing dry standpipe at Park Street for visual clarity
– Demolition of the old Kendall/MIT outbound head house and erection of steel for the new head house
– Signal bungalow upgrades between Alewife and Central
For more information, visit [mbta.com/TrackProgram](https://mbta.com/TrackProgram) or connect with the T on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MBTA, Facebook /TheMBTA, Instagram @theMBTA, Threads @thembta, or TikTok @thembta.