The Orange Line and four Commuter Rail lines will see service suspensions in March to allow for work on signal systems and other upgrades, the MBTA announced Wednesday. The MBTA is suspending the Orange Line and the Fitchburg, Haverhill, Lowell, and Newburyport/Rockport commuter trains on some weekends starting in late February until the end of March, the agency said. The Commuter Rail service suspensions will take place on: February 21 22 February 28 March 1 March 7 8 March 21 22 March 28 29 The MBTA previously announced that the Red Line will be suspended from Broadway to Ashmont during the weekend of Feb. 21-22 as it undergoes “signal upgrade and modernization work.” Shuttle buses will be available from Broadway to Ashmont and regular service from JFK/UMass to Braintree. The fare gates will be open at Broadway and JFK/UMass, the MBTA said. Orange Line The Orange Line will also see signal upgrades and modernization efforts to increase schedule reliability, the T said. “By upgrading and modernizing its signals, the MBTA will significantly increase operational efficiency and improve scheduling reliability for riders,” the MBTA said in an announcement. Service from Back Bay to Forest Hills will be suspended from Feb. 28 to March 8, with free and accessible shuttles making stops at the affected stations, the MBTA said. Passengers should use the Commuter Rail from Forest Hills to Back Bay, which is a ten-minute trip, the T said. Those who opt to use shuttles are advised to add extra time to their trip. The MBTA advises those traveling from Forest Hills to Downtown Crossing to add an extra 20 minutes to their commute. Commuter Rail The MBTA will suspend four Commuter Rail lines as part of its North Station Terminal Area Signal Systems Improvement Project, which will impact all Northside Commuter Rail lines, the T said. “This project is replacing the obsolete signal system that controls the movement of MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak trains in and out of North Station with a new, state-of-the-art microprocessor system that requires less maintenance and reduces failures and train delays,” the MBTA said. The Fitchburg Line will be suspended from North Station to Porter, the transit company said. Fitchburg Line riders can take the Red Line from Porter to Park Street, then change to the Green Line to arrive at North Station. Riders traveling to and from Porter and North Station should budget 20 minutes of extra travel time, according to the MBTA. Haverhill Line service will be interrupted between North Station and Oak Grove. The Orange Line will be available at North Station for passengers to get to Oak Grove; passengers should budget 10 extra minutes, the T said. The Lowell Line will be halted from North Station to Anderson/Woburn, the MBTA said. Free and accessible shuttle buses will operate from North Station to Anderson/Woburn, with an express bus that travels directly between the two stations, the agency said. According to the MBTA, those using the express shuttle should add an extra 15 minutes to their trip, while those using the local shuttle should add 40 minutes to their commute. The Newburyport/Rockport Line will be out of service from North Station to Swampscott. Shuttle buses will operate between each impacted station with an express shuttle from Swampscott to North Station, the MBTA said. Riders should add 70 minutes for the non-express shuttle and 40 minutes for the express shuttle to their commute, according to the agency. The last outbound trip of the night will also serve Salem and Beverly Depot. There will be no train connections at Beverly Depot, the MBTA said.
https://www.boston.com/news/transportation/2026/02/18/mbta-announces-service-changes-and-suspensions-for-march/