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Red Line Maintenance Work

A crew works on track replacement at Downtown Crossing during the November 15 – 17, 2019, weekend shutdown.
A crew works on track replacement at Downtown Crossing during the November 15 – 17, 2019, weekend shutdown.

The Red Line has more than 44 miles of track: It runs 11.5 miles from Alewife to Ashmont and 17.5 miles from Alewife to Braintree (and back!). The tracks are just a piece of the complex system that supports trains weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds—and 227,000 rider trips each weekday.

We’re working to keep the tracks in good repair and support new Red Line vehicles coming into service.

Building a Better T

As part of our $9.6 billion, 5-year capital investment plan, we're renovating stations, modernizing fare collection systems, upgrading services for our buses, subways, and ferries, and improving the accessibility of the entire system.

Learn more

Floating Slab Maintenance

A crew places new rebar in the subway tunnel near Alewife, part of the Red Line floating slab maintenannce.

Crews working on the floating slab system between Harvard and Alewife stations.

Rail Tie Replacement

Tie replacement involves using heavy machinery to align the ties before crew members secure them in place, as seen here during Orange Line work in July 2019.


Rail ties run perpendicular to the tracks with the rails sitting on top. Aging ties are often the cause of speed restrictions along sections of track. Our crews are installing new ties that will last up to 30 years and will reduce the possibility of speed restrictions.

    Track Replacement and Station Improvements

    A crew works on track replacement at Downtown Crossing during the November 15 – 17, 2019, weekend shutdown.

    From November 15 – December 15, 2019, shuttles replaced train service between Kendall/MIT and Broadway on 4 weekends to support Red Line work through the T’s Capital Acceleration Plan.

    These closures allowed us to complete station improvements and track replacements at Park Street 4 months earlier than planned, and at Downtown Crossing 11 months earlier than planned. We closed a broader section of the track so crews could bring vehicles and equipment into the central subway tunnel.

    We thank you for your patience during these closures.

    Service Alerts

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    Recent Updates

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    Building a Better T

    As part of our $9.6 billion, 5-year capital investment plan, we're renovating stations, modernizing fare collection systems, upgrading services for our buses, subways, and ferries, and improving the accessibility of the entire system.

    Learn more

    Recent Updates

    View all project updates