Orange and Red Line improvements are going to cost another $1B
Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
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MBTA officials have announced that another $1 billion will be needed to complete repairs on the agency's Orange and Red lines.
According to the Boston Herald, Angel Pena, chief of capital transformation at MBTA, said it is working on two separate and different plans to obtain the additional money, which will be released next spring.
The Herald quotes Pena, “It is our hope that lessons learned during [the initial 30-day shutdown for Orange Line repairs] can serve as a roadmap for future ventures where the aim is to increase the longevity of our system and improve the safety, accessibility, reliability, and service.”
Pena, talking about the Orange Line shutdown, said, “While we were able to complete our scheduled work during the surge, there’s still much work to be done to improve reliability and build back trust with our riders.”
According to MBTA officials, the Red Line needs new track and significant expansion at Codman Yard, while the Orange Line needs more track work in the Southwest Corridor, a new signal system, and more maintenance.
The T is planning to close parts of lines for work over the next six to 18 months, according to MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak.
Read more articles on track maintenance.
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