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The MBTA is making upgrades to the Red and Green Lines, two of its most traveled routes, and shuttle buses will be replacing trains next month.
Under its Green Line Transformation Program, prep work for track upgrades on the B branch of the Green Line will take place June 6-10, with construction slated to begin on June 20, according to a project update email from MBTA Chief of Capital Transformation Angel Pena.
“A full access closure will take place on the B Branch between Boston College and Kenmore, from June 20 to July 1, with shuttle buses replacing service,” Pena said.
Lane closures will be required at Linden Street and Commonwealth Avenue westbound, from Brighton to Harvard avenues. Commonwealth Avenue will be reduced to one travel lane in each direction between Washington Street and Summit Avenue, and also between Lake Street and Greycliff Road near Boston College.
Pena said the work is part of more than 10,000 feet of track upgrades that will be completed on the B, C, D and E branches from June to October.
The upgrades will be completed simultaneously with the Green Line Train Protection System, a $212 million project that the T said “combines vehicle and wayside equipment to avoid train-on-train collisions, add red-light signal protection, and incorporate speed enforcement.”
To accommodate the incoming fleet of new Red Line trains, the T is also seeking bids for its Codman Yard Expansion and Improvements project, which will increase capacity at the yard — where Red Line cars are stored, maintained and deployed.
As part of its Red Line Transformation program, the T said the project is also aimed at improving the overall reliability and quality of service for riders on its most popular rail line.
“Yards are crucial to providing efficient service to the entire system,” MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said. “Improving Codman Yard is the first step toward improving the quality of service for all riders on the Red Line and in the surrounding community.”
Codman Yard has 16 storage tracks, which can hold about 70 vehicles. Work will consist of replacing the existing tracks and building six new storage tracks, which will increase storage capacity to more than 100 cars, the T said.
The MBTA is spending $1 billion to replace its aging Red and Orange Line fleets with new cars manufactured by Chinese firm CRRC. The plan would eventually deliver 252 Red Line cars and 152 Orange Line cars over the next few years. As of mid-May, 10 Red and 74 Orange trains had been delivered.
Other planned improvements at the Codman Yard include replacing the inspection pit, Ashmont double crossover, vehicle wash, lighting, and power throughout the yard “to provide an expanded, improved, and fully functioning railway yard,” the T said.
When asked Monday, an MBTA spokesperson could not provide an estimate for how much upgrades at the Codman Yard would cost. The T plans to award the construction contract this summer, begin work in the fall and complete the project in the fall of 2025.
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