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MBTA details progress and remaining 2024 shutdowns under Track Improvement Program
Summary
At a virtual MBTA public meeting, officials said the Track Improvement Program has reduced track speed restrictions from 191 (Nov 2023) to 33 (Sept 30, 2024), replaced more than 36 miles of running rail and scheduled remaining diversions in Oct–Nov with accessible shuttle service and outreach plans.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority on Thursday outlined progress and the remaining 2024 shutdowns for its Track Improvement Program, saying the effort has sharply reduced systemwide speed restrictions and will require several planned Orange and Red Line diversions this fall.
"When TIP started in November 2023 we had 191 transit speed restrictions; as of yesterday, September 30, that number is down to 33," Laurel Sanger, deputy director of the Tip Track Improvement Program, said in the MBTA's virtual public meeting. She said the remaining restrictions are concentrated in areas where TIP diversions are planned.
Sanger told participants that the program has replaced roughly 192,000 linear feet of running rail (more than 36 miles) and installed nearly 24,000 new ties systemwide. She said TIP uses planned shutdowns, called "diversions" or surges, to rebuild infrastructure and allow related station and signal work to proceed safely and efficiently.
MBTA officials listed five remaining 2024 diversions. Key windows include an Orange Line diversion from Forest Hills to Back Bay Oct. 8–20 (with extended work to North Station Oct. 12–14), an Orange Line Oak Grove–North Station diversion Oct. 26–Nov. 1 (with Oct. 26–27 work extended to Ruggles), two Red Line diversions (Broadway–North Quincy Nov. 5–10 and Harvard–Broadway Nov. 18–24), and a proposed Green Line diversion Medford–Park Street (dates listed as proposed). Sanger said some extended-limits signal work will be managed by other MBTA groups, not TIP.
To reduce rider disruption, the MBTA plans Orange Line shuttle buses during the Oct. 8–20 and Oct. 26–Nov. 1 diversions, with weekday headways of 2–4 minutes and weekend headways of 3–5 minutes. "Shuttle buses will operate 2 to 4 minutes Monday through Friday and every 3 to 5 minutes Saturday and Sunday," Sanger said, adding that shuttles will be accessible and staff will be present at stops to assist riders. Wayfinding and signage will be in place for each diversion and removed promptly afterward.
The MBTA advised riders to allow extra travel time during diversions, consider commuter rail or fare-free service within diversion limits, and said crews will monitor and mitigate noise, vibration and dust whenever possible. Officials provided a project contact (publicengagement@mbta.com) and announced outreach events, including a station popup Oct. 31 at Broadway Station and another on Dec. 3 at Medford.
Why it matters: TIP is the MBTA's concentrated effort to remove persistent slow zones and bring track infrastructure to a state of good repair. Officials said the remaining speed restrictions tie directly to the schedule of planned diversions and that continued Maintenance of Way work will try to prevent new restrictions from arising.
The MBTA said dates and limits remain subject to change; attendees were encouraged to check the MBTA project page and sign up for updates. The agency closed the presentation portion of the meeting and opened a public Q&A where riders asked about safety, derailments and the lifetime of new track.
