TransitMatters Analysis: A Cause for Celebration as Red Line Slow Zones are Removed, Students Rejoice
Boston, August 19, 2024 — On June 18, the MBTA announced that it would shut down sections of the Red Line throughout July for the following days:
Between Alewife and Kendall on the evening of July 12 and during July 15–26
Between Alewife and JFK/UMass, the weekends of July 13–14 and July 27–28
Between Alewife and Park Street during the weekend of July 20–21 and the evenings of July 15–26
On July 30, the MBTA announced the shutdown's successful conclusion. The T removed nine speed restrictions, two more than initially planned, among other improvements.
Here are the big takeaways from the shutdown:
The T fixed nearly all track-related slow zones between Alewife and Kendall/MIT, resulting in almost five minutes of travel time savings (nearly in line with pre-COVID travel times)
The T’s extension of the shutdown to Park Street and JFK/UMass on weekends didn’t produce travel time savings for riders, but it did allow the T to remove five miles of scrap rail from the right of way as it had intended.
The semester speeds ahead
Removing the notorious slow zones between Harvard and Kendall/MIT will be a significant relief for students. Late last year, The Harvard Crimson published an op-ed describing a student's 38-minute commute from Alewife to Park Street. Luckily for this student, since the publication of this article, the average commute between those two stops has dropped by nearly 12 minutes, a 40% decrease. The latest shutdown, just in time for the fall semester, contributed around five minutes to the decline.
PRE-SHUTDOWN
In January 2021 (the last month that the Red Line had no slow zones), the average travel time northbound between Alewife and Kendall/MIT was 14 minutes and 14 seconds and 12 minutes and 58 seconds southbound.
By July 2024, the average travel time northbound between Alewife and Kendall/MIT was 17 minutes and 27 seconds and 15 minutes and 5 seconds southbound.
POST-SHUTDOWN
In the weeks following the shutdown, the average travel time northbound between Alewife and Kendall/MIT was 13 minutes and 39 seconds and 13 minutes and 48 seconds southbound - a savings of 4.8 minutes of travel time between Alewife and Kendall/MIT.
Compared to early July, there are 3.6-minute savings northbound and 77-second savings northbound, bringing travel times back in line with pre-COVID averages. Woohoo!
Riders may wonder why their trip through downtown has not yet improved despite the shutdown extending to Park Street or JFK/UMass on weekends and evenings. However, the MBTA announced that this extension allowed materials to be brought in and scrap rail removed rather than to fix additional slow zones.
Other closures under the Track Improvement Plan have maximized the efficiency of shutdowns by making additional improvements to stations as well. The T welcomed back Red Line riders with cleaner and fresher stations, some of which have received retiling, a powerwash, new lighting, and more.
The T still has some work to do. One slow zone, which slows riders down by half a minute, remains between Central and Kendall/MIT, as well as a group of slow zones between Kendall and Park Street. An additional Red Line shutdown is scheduled between Kendall/MIT and JFK/UMass between August 19 and 25.
This shutdown was originally scheduled for October but was moved to accommodate the academic calendar. The bulk of the slow time on the Red Line remains between JFK/UMass and Braintree. The MBTA plans to address these Braintree branch slow zones with a 24-day shutdown between September 6 and 29.
To keep up with all things MBTA shutdowns, please visit mbtashutdowns.info.
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Photo Credit: James Wang
