Transportation

Free shuttle buses and accessible van service will operate between Broadway and Ashmont.

The MBTA Red Line will face service suspension beginning Thursday and extending through Monday, May 18, the transit agency said. 

Service on the Ashmont branch will halt between Broadway and Ashmont starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, according to the MBTA. 

Free shuttle buses and accessible van service will operate between Broadway and Ashmont. Riders on the Braintree branch must also use shuttle buses for travel between Broadway and JFK/UMass, where fare gates will be open. 

Riders using shuttle buses should allocate extra travel time, MBTA officials said. Those traveling between Ashmont and Park Street are advised to expect an additional 30 to 40 minutes to their typical commute time, for example.

The MBTA also suggests that riders use the commuter rail, where travel between Braintree and South Station will be provided at no cost. Passengers at South Station can request assistance from staff for free passage through the fare gates, though standard fares remain in effect for any travel extending past Braintree. 

While service is suspended, the transit agency will continue to work on signal modernization projects at Columbia Junction, located near JFK/UMass station. 

A 2019 derailment significantly damaged the signal system in the area that connects the Ashmont and Braintree branches, which is used to maintain and store most Red Line trains, the agency said.

While initial repairs restored service, signal and switch operations remain limited. The agency is now installing a new signal system to restore full functionality and allow trains to move through more efficiently, MBTA officials said. 

Another Red Line service suspension will follow May 29-31 in the same zones, with shuttle buses and free Commuter Rail travel between South Station and Braintree available, according to the MBTA.