Business & Tech

Summer Track Work Will Change Rail Schedule

New schedule coming May 30; work running June 11 to mid-September.

Commuters taking the train into Boston's South Station face fewer options and a revised schedule due to an upcoming three-month track project.

Amtrak moves its Northeast Corridor Rail Tie Replacement Project onto lines shared with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail beginning on June 11 and ending in mid-September, the MBTA and Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company said. The railroad company operates the commuter rail.

The project will means temporary schedules for the Providence/Stoughton, Franklin, Fairmount and Needham lines, the agencies said in a press release.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

The new schedules will be available by May 30 at South Station, Back Bay Station, and the MBTA and MBCR websites.

"Some trains will be combined, while others will be retimed," the agencies said.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

"During the project no inbound morning peak-hour trains will stop at Ruggles Stations. All outbound, including evening peak-hour, trains will operate to Ruggles," the agencies explained.

"Ruggles-bound passengers on the Providence/Stoughton and Needham Lines can take trains to Back Bay Station, where a free transfer service will be available via the Orange Line to Ruggles. Additionally, some passengers on the Franklin Line may access free transfer service at Back Bay. Franklin and Fairmount Line customers whose train bypasses Back Bay Station may transfer to a commuter rail train back to Back Bay Station or walk to Downtown Crossing to transfer to the Orange Line for Ruggles."

The project, which will start at Back Bay and extend to Forest Hills, involves replacing concrete ties that Amtrak installed during the 1990s during its Northeast Rail Corridor Improvement Project, the agencies said.

"If not addressed promptly, the failures will lead to speed restrictions that would severely delay a significant volume of travel into and out of South Station for both Amtrak and MBTA commuter rail trains," the agencies said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here