Line scheduled to reopen Monday morning

Line scheduled to reopen Monday morning

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Line scheduled to reopen Monday morning

MBTA crews will spend the weekend running tests and making final preparations for the scheduled reopening of the Orange Line on Monday, after the conclusion of an unprecedented 30-day shutdown.

On the last Friday of the shutdown, MBTA officials announced that crews had completed 96% of the projects they had planned.

Accomplishments reported by the agency include replacing 12,320 feet of rail, 3,500 feet of full-depth track and 400 Cologne egg rail fasteners. Crews also finished all of the planned "special trackwork," that officials said was required to make trips on the line faster.

General Manager Steve Poftak previously explained, however, that slow zones will persist for several days after reopening as a precaution.

"That gives our team the opportunity to inspect each one of the areas that we've made repairs in, make sure that it is working properly," Poftak said earlier this week. "They will then lift the slow zone, and the trains can then resume the normal posted speed. We expect that to happen within five to seven days of the resumption of service."

MBTA officials also said they will have at least 70 of the new Orange Line cars available for service on Monday. Poftak previously said that 60 are needed each day and that older model cars may still be seen in service as new cars cycle out for maintenance.

Scrapping and recycling of the excess old cars will begin Monday.

Ahead of the final weekend of the shutdown, MBTA officials said Friday that crews began clearing tracks and cleaning stations to prepare for Monday's reopening.

Meanwhile, the MBTA is also planning for upcoming closures on the D Branch of the Green Line.

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