MBTA Completes Red Line Braintree Track Work; Removes 37 Speed Restrictions

The MBTA completes track work on the Red Line Braintree Branch.

Courtesy of the MBTA Customer and Employee Experience Department.

BOSTON - The MBTA has completed track work on its Red Line Braintree Branch and subsequently removed 37 speed restrictions.

From September 6th to 29th, service was suspended between JFK/UMass and Braintree to allow crews to complete track work. Additionally, Ashmont Branch was closed on September 28th to allow for proactive overhead tunnel inspections. Across 18 miles of track, crews were able to bring the infrastructure to a state of good repair and improve travel time for riders.

Over 600 workers worked 24/7 and were able to perform upgrades to signals and station amenities as well as make security enhancements. The MBTA says trains are allowed to operate up to the maximum speed of 40mph and “laid the groundwork for our goal of increasing current Red Line train speeds to 50 miles per hour where possible.” Additionally, the MBTA reports “fall protection” was utilized by the MBTA’s internal Maintenance of Way personnel on the DeVaughn flyover area of the Red Line. This is a “transit bridge that spans over the adjacent Commuter Rail tracks.” Crews participated in fall protection training in advance of the service suspension. This allowed said crews to work on both track directions. As a result of the work, crews completed the following:

• “Replaced approximately 70,000 feet of rail 
• “Resurfaced and tamped approximately 86,000 feet of track 
• “Replaced more than 18,000 ties 
• “Replaced more than 2,000 spot plates 
• “Replaced approximately 3,500 third rail insulators 
• “Replaced more than 8,050 feet of guard rail 
• “Destressed over 81,080 feet of existing rail 
• “Completed approximately 390 thermite/“flash butt” welds 
• “Removed and replaced 152 WeeZee bonds with upgrades to additional WeeZee bonds. WeeZee bonds are part of a track circuit’s infrastructure 
• “Replaced approximately 1,500 feet of third rail heating elements 
• “Replaced and installed 60 track circuit loops  
• “Performed 40 timber replacements 
• “Replaced rail at four switches areas with four special track “frog” areas replaced 
• “Replaced approximately 800 cologne eggs”

At JFK/UMass, crews demolished and replaced the existing pedestrian bridge between spans 1 and 5. A new cast-in-place concrete deck, curbs, and drains were installed. On the Braintree-bound platform at JFK/UMass, crews worked on replacing almost 22,000 square feet of canopy roofing in addition to replacing the adjacent stairway and pedestrian bridge that connects to Columbia Road head house. Crews also replaced drains and secured electrical conduits.

Crews conducted inspections of the Furnace Brook Bridge replacement as well as the DeVaughn and Anderson Bridges. Throughout the suspension area, stairway and other structural inspections took place. In the station, crews cleaned, power-washed, and painted. This includes in busways, lobbies, and restrooms. Workers made modernization improvements to power and signals and made upgrades to security cameras throughout the suspension area. Along with tree trimming and vegetation removal, scrap rail was removed from the tunnel area.

MassDOT Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt said, “Well executed coordination by the MBTA has led to the successful completion of Red Line infrastructure work across 18 miles of track. . . The undertaking was made possible because of aggressive planning and multi-level coordination across the MBTA. I want to thank our riders for their patience during the shutdown and express my appreciation to General Manager Eng, his leadership team, and the crews who worked around the clock.”

“I couldn’t be prouder of the workforce that supported and delivered long awaited work for our riders on the Red Line Braintree Branch this month. Hundreds of on-site workers replaced nearly 70,000 feet of rail and over 17,000 ties on the Braintree Branch, nearly doubling the amount of ties replaced during the entire systemwide Track Improvement Program,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “We’re fulfilling our commitment to the public to build back a better T and hopefully rebuild public trust. The work accomplished has allowed us to immediately raise train speeds back to our current maximum speed of 40 miles per hour, returning over 20 minutes of roundtrip travel time to Braintree riders as we now work to further improve travel times along stretches of this Branch where possible. Thank you to the entire MBTA team and our contractors that planned and successfully accomplished the work to provide the public with the safe, reliable and more frequent service they deserve and expect.”

A full list of the speed restrictions that were removed can be read here.