MBTA Orange Line Suspended Between North Station and Ruggles This Weekend

MBTA Orange Line service will be suspended between North Station and Ruggles this weekend. The work is geared to elimination slow zones that were supposed to be eliminated during the month-long shutdown of the Orange Line last year, reported The Boston Globe. Shuttle service will be available from Forest Hills to Back Bay. https://twitter.com/MBTA/status/1617900169445400577

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Preview of new Orange Line trains, Monday, April 3, 2017

Old Orange Line Cars May Ride Rails Again!

The MBTA has fixed the power cables to several Orange Line trains that were not working correctly, and have been working on a contingency plan in case the newish trains fail again. Possibly use the old Orange Line trains again! The MBTA provided an update to its Dec. 30 tweet about a broken power component during a routine inspection of a newish Orange Line train, and so the entire fleet needed to be inspected. On Jan.

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Orange Line Being Shutdown for 30 Days Starting August 19

The MBTA will be shutting down the Orange Line for 30 days beginning August 19 to accelerate needed major track and maintenance work. The shutdown will begin approximately 9 pm on August 19 through September 18 with service resuming on September 19. The MBTA said the 30 day shutdown will provide an opportunity to finish several projects five years faster than originally planned. That work includes track repair, tie replacement, concrete work, and more along the Southwest Corridor, which will improve reliability. Other projects include track replacement, upgrading signal systems, and station improvements.

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New Orange Line Train Makes Its Debut

The first of the long-awaited new MBTA Orange Line trains debuted on Wednesday afternoon. It performed three round trips, which drew plenty of excitement -- and derision around the city. There was one train with six cars that left from Wellington Station exciting riders...and made its way back to the station in the afternoon...thus, teasing expectant riders. There will be 152 new Orange Line cars when all is said and other cars are currently undergoing testing. Presently, there are 120 Orange Line cars, so the fleet is increasing, and that will increase the capacity of the line by 30,000 seats daily.

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A Deep Dive into the Orange Line – Lecture and Q&A

Tuesday in the Parlor - A Deep Dive into the Orange Line with Jeremy Fox and Andrew Elder
Tuesday April 9th, 7:30 - 9:30pm

Back at the Loring Greenough House by popular demand, Jeremy Fox and Andrew Elder, authors of Boston's Orange Line, will be back in the neighborhood where the elevated Orange Line had such an impact. Join us for a lecture and Q&A about all things MBTA Orange Line. Jeremy C. Fox is a writer, editor, and online producer for the Boston Globe and a previous staff writer for the Watertown Tab. His writing has appeared in the Bay State Banner, the Boston Phoenix, Film Threat, the Gay and Lesbian Review, the Jamaica Plain Gazette, Time Out, the Weekly Dig, and other publications. Andrew Elder is Interim University Archivist and Curator of Special Collections in the Healey Library at UMass Boston and is co-chair of the Board of Directors for The History Project, a community-based archives that documents, preserves, and shares the history of Boston’s LGBTQ communities.

File photo: An inbound Orange Line train between Green and Stony Brook. April 2014.

UPDATED: MBTA Weekend Work June 30 to July 8, Buses Replacing T From Forest Hills to Jackson Square

Editor’s note: This article was updated Thursday with revised information from the MBTA. At least it's not on the weekdays. Buses will be replacing MBTA train service from Forest Hills to Jackson Square on the weekends of June 30 and July 7. The disruption in train service is due to track work. Buses will replace Orange Line trains going both ways and will affect the following station: Jackson Square, Stony Brook, Green Street and Forest Hills. The MBTA had originally planned for track work most weekends through early September but, in response to inquiries from Jamaica Plain News Thursday, clarified that the work schedule had been shortened:

Thanks Robert, we crossed ourselves up.

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Preview of new Orange Line trains, Monday, April 3, 2017

Sneak Peek: New Orange Line Cars

It's only been 40 years since the T bought new Orange Line cars. New ones are scheduled to debut in December 2018. But if you want an early look at them, stop by City Hall Plaza on Tuesday or Wednesday. A model of the new edition trains is on display Tuesday and Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. It's only 66 percent the size of the actual cars, but it gives a good idea what to expect. The cars will be manufactured in Springfield by a Chinese company.

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Possible route of Orange Line extension along Commuter Rail line

Orange Line Extension to Rozzie Square Envisioned

A giant report on how to overhaul the city's transportation system includes an item of keen interest for JP residents: An extension of the Orange Line from Forest Hills to Roslindale Square. City Hall published the report Tuesday. The full 224 pages are required reading for transit advocates. But many neighborhood residents might focus on page 157. It describes how Orange Line riders could get a one-seat ride all the way to Rozzie Square by using track next to the commuter rail bed.

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Detail of official Casey Arborway plan showing new entrance to Forest Hills T north of New Washington Street.

Explainer: Why is Forest Hills Down to One Track?

If you've passed through Forest Hills Station since Saturday, you know only one of the two tracks is in use. Why? The short answer is for Casey Arborway construction. The platform will stay down to one track through December. The MBTA has said it has a plan for rush hour so the closure won't cause added delays.

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Commuters leave the T platform at Forest Hills Station on Aug. 29, 2016. Soon only one track will be used to boarding and disembarking.

T: Closing Forest Hills Track Should Not Create Delays

JP residents recently learned that one side of the platform at Forest Hills T will be closed starting next week through December. An MBTA spokesperson says the change "should have no impact on customers other than the fact they will be boarding on the southbound side." Joe Pesaturo of the T said the agency does not anticipate delays during the closure. One side of the platform will be closed to accommodate work on the Casey Arborway. Pesaturo, in a voice mail to Jamaica Plain News, said the T has a plan so that during rush hour as many trains can enter and leave on one side as do currently on two.

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