MBTA Completes Red Line Track Work; Removes Nine Speed Restrictions

Crews performed track work within the Red Line tunnel. Complimentary photo by the MBTA Customer and Employee Experience Department.

BOSTON – MBTA’s progress has allowed it to remove nine speed restrictions on its Red Line.

Over the course of several weekends in July, service from Alewife to Kendall/MIT was suspended to allow crews to complete important track work and subsequently lift nine speed restrictions. A full list of speed restrictions can be found here.

RT&S has frequently reported on the recent track work completed by the MBTA. During this particular outage, crews performed signal work and station upgrades, which include power washing, painting, tiling, and installing new lighting.

Crews were able to replace 21,725 feet of rail, 1,700 feet of restraining rail, 250 ties, over 2,600 tie plates, 21 primary floating concrete slabs and 25 secondary floating concrete slabs. These floating slabs are concrete slabs that are located between “the tracks and rubber disks that absorb sound and vibration from the tracks.” Crews also removed more than 30,000 feet of scrap rail within the tunnels and resurfaced and tamped close to 11,500 feet of track.

As part of the track circuit’s infrastructure, workers replaced 50 WeeZee bonds. They were able to either repair or replace 16 track bonds that had been damaged and remove/reinstall around 4,500 feet of balancing cable. 55 individual track circuits and 10 track circuit loops were also replaced and tested.

In the northbound tunnel from Alewife to Harvard, crews installed cable hanger assemblies for up to 13,000 feet. The MBTA says each hanger assembly was mounted every 5 feet or so. 2,000 feet of Red Line track was gauged. This includes curves and at crossovers. Additionally, the roof of Alewife’s east headhouse saw a replacement of approximately 5,000 square feet.

Below is a list of other work that took place along the Red Line:

• “Signal personnel supported contractor crews in the removal of all signal assets in the shutdown area. 
• “Brick layers repaired broken tiles at Alewife. 
• “Carpenters/Laborers sanded and repaired in-station benches throughout the shutdown stations. 
• “Stairway repairs were made throughout the shutdown area, including repairs to hand railing, concrete repairs, replacement of anti-slip treads, tile repairs, leveling and resetting, painting, and more. 
• “Ironworkers made repairs to infrastructure within the right of way area and repaired the bike rack at Davis. 
• “Bridge Inspectors performed annual tunnel inspections at Alewife. 
• “Painters clear-coated benches, removed graffiti, painted station walls, painted doors, painted standpipe valves, applied nonslip tape on stairs, painted inspector booths, and painted trash receptacles. 
• “Sheet Metal workers replaced areas that were damaged or covered with graffiti. 
• “The Sign Shop produced new head house signs at Central, cleaned or replaced signage on fare vending machines, at escalators and elevators, at stairways, and at busways and platforms. 
• “Plumbers/Laborers cleaned and pumped drains, including pumping water out of abandoned tunnels and from under the southbound platform at Harvard. 
• “HVAC crews replaced the A/C units in various locations throughout the shutdown area. 
• “Machinists and electricians made repairs to the Garfield Street pump room. 
• “At Porter, water intrusion mitigation efforts were put in place, including diverting water by installing a trough. 
• “The Security team accomplished security improvements within Red Line stations.  
• “The existing dry standpipe at Park Street was painted for visual clarity. 
• “The old previous Kendall/MIT outbound head house was demolished with the steel for the new head house erected. 
• “Signal bungalow upgrades took place between Alewife and Central.”

MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng said, “I’m proud of the major infrastructure work our contractors and MBTA crews were able to accomplish, replacing over four miles of running rail on the Red Line and more. . . Accomplishing this work, giving our riders a quicker and smoother trip, was the result of early planning and continuous coordination by the MBTA teams responsible for planning and performing this effort to reverse years of underinvestment. We have committed to our riders and the communities we serve that we would deliver safe, reliable, and more frequent service, and section by section, we are doing just that.”