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From December 8 to December 22, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) will suspend train services on several stops along the Green Line for repairs and maintenance.

The majority of the E branch will close between Heath Street and North Station during the two-week period. The 39 bus will continue to run between Heath Street to Back Bay. Shuttle buses will replace train service between Kenmore Station and North Station on the C and D branches, and between Babcock Street and North Station on the B branch. Despite these service accommodations, MBTA officials say riders should expect commutes to be 20 minutes longer than normal.

The Green Line has experienced at least one disruption in seven of the 12 months of this year. Some of these interruptions were the result of the implementation of the Green Line Train Protection System, which added new sensors to trains to prevent collisions. This shutdown will result in the replacement of 130-year-old overhead catenary wires, which supply electric power to trains. 

Because many impacted stops are downtown, the disruption is expected to impact Allston residents who work and play near the City’s center. Justin MacLean, who rides the Green Line daily to his job in South Boston, says the repairs are overdue but the frequent shutdowns are an inconvenience during his daily commute.

“It’s happening this month. It’s gonna happen probably next month,” MacLean says. “The shuttle transportation was crap with our last shutdown. The management needs to take a look at these things, and not just when they fail inspection and then have to fix it.”

He says that, as a result, he has to pay for an Uber or risk arriving to work late.

The shutdown also affects university students living or studying in Allston. Many B branch stops pass through Boston University’s Charles River Campus, and the E branch runs through Northeastern University’s campus. 

Maria Pemberton, a Boston University journalism student, uses the Green Line to commute to the Park Street station en route to her internship in downtown Boston. “I have no idea how I’m going to get there on time, because I usually have a tight squeeze between classes and my time I have to be there,” she said. 

Domenic Privitera, an Allston-Brighton Housing Action Committee member, takes the Green Line for entertainment downtown. “If I want to go see a movie with some friends, or go get […] dinner at a restaurant downtown […] the Green [Line is] how I normally get there,” Privitera says.

Despite complaints about disruptions, many residents said they recognize the Green Line needs repairs because it is the oldest line in the system. While the MBTA estimates the Green Line Train Protection System will be complete by 2028, residents hope that the disruptions now mean less frequent disruptions in the future. 

“I would rather them just take the time [with] this renovation to fully make sure everything is good and that it doesn’t have to go through this kind of shutdown again,” Pemberton says. ■