Monday morning commuters brace for Orange Line shutdown

ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WLNE) — Commuters are bracing for the month-long Orange Line shutdown.

Five years worth of work is what the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is trying to do in 30 days for the Orange Line.

Monday marked the first weekday of the month-long shutdown.

Commuters in Attleboro told ABC 6 News that they think the closure will be worth it.

“You know on the orange line, seriously they need some improvements, and if it’s going to make the flow faster, if the signaling is going to help, you know, it’s something that’s needed,” Michael Murphy, a frequent traveler on the orange line, told ABC 6.

With school back in session, the shutdown, impacting some college students who take the train to get to class.

“I did get an email last night from my school just sort of reiterating that everyone should take caution when commuting this morning to school or just in the Boston area today cause of all the delays and closures that were expecting,” Dante Driscoll, a Suffolk Law Student said.

Knowing this will be a month-long process, with the lines expected to be open mid-September, the MBTA is making shuttles available around the city to help those who rely on the T.

“I was very impressed with the extent of the busses, certainly around the back bay areas,” Murphy said.

But with so much work to be done in 30 days, commuters are hoping the process isn’t rushed.

“I think it’s going to be crazy — five years is pretty ambitious to get in such short time, but I’m a pretty optimistic person so I hope they can get it done,” Driscoll told ABC 6.

Murphy said the same thing, “It’s ambitious when you think about what could go wrong in that period but if this is what it takes, this is what it takes.”

The section that is closed on the Green line includes the stops between Union Square and Government Center. Those stops include:

• Union Square
• Lechmere
• Science Park/West End
• North Station
• Haymarket
• Government Center

Both the Orange and the closed section of the Green lines are expected to be open by 5 a.m. on Sept. 19. The MBTA is releasing alternate routes and more information about how to commute around this closure here.