MBTA suspends weekend service on Fitchburg Line to perform track upgrades

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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MBTA

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) plans to suspend weekend service on the Fitchburg Line from April 25 until November 22.

 

The suspension of weekend service will allow construction of major improvements on the line to continue through the 2015 construction season. This is the third year of the commuter rail improvement project that will continue improvements to track, signal, bridges and stations to reduce trip times and increase service reliability on the line.

The primary goal of the Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line Improvement Project is to increase benefits to users of the transportation system by offering reduced travel times and improved service reliability throughout the corridor.

Residents of the suburban and western corridor communities have essentially only two options for commuting to and from the Boston metropolitan area. MBTA says these modes of travel, highway and commuter rail, have been unreliable and unpredictable, particularly for daily commuters. Ridership levels on the Fitchburg Line have been adversely affected by poor reliability, infrequent service and long travel times, the longest on the MBTA Commuter Rail network. The Fitchburg Commuter Line has great potential to improve service for existing riders and to attract new riders.

The commuter rail improvement project includes track upgrades that will allow trains to travel at speeds of up to 79 miles per hour
, construction of high-level platforms for better accessibility
, replacement and updating of grade crossing warning systems
, construction of new and modified interlocking
, transfer of the Waltham Tower to MBTA Control Center
 and bridge repair and replacement.

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