The MBTA says its 24-day service suspension along the Red Line last month eliminated an additional 37 “slow zones” between JFK-UMass and Braintree stations, and a few more on the Ashmont branch as well. Shuttle buses replaced train service from Sept. 6 to Sept. 29 to give workers unfettered access to 18 miles of right-of-way. T officials say that commute times will improve by “as much as 24 minutes” as a result.

“Hundreds of on-site workers replaced nearly 70,000 feet of rail and over 17,000 ties on the branch, nearly doubling the amount of ties replaced during the entire systemwide Track Improvement Program,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng.

“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.”
Two of the slow zones that have been eliminated are in Dorchester between JFK-UMass and the Tenean beach area and northbound between Fields Corner and Savin Hill stations.

The agency said it also made repairs to the existing pedestrian overpass at JFK-UMass station during the shut-down and replaced “nearly22,000 square feet of canopy roofing” on the Braintree platform there. “Additional roofing work over the Ashmont-bound tracks will also be completed during the overnight hours soon,” the T said.

–REPORTER STAFF