10-Day MBTA Red Line Closure Coming Soon

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Red Line service between Alewife and Park Street will be suspended for 10 days in July as the MBTA completes a series of infrastructure improvements.

The closure is scheduled to begin Tuesday, July 21, and continue through Thursday, July 30. During that time, free and accessible shuttle buses will replace train service between Alewife and Park Street, affecting stations in Alewife, Davis, Porter, Harvard, Central, Kendall/MIT, Charles/MGH, and Park Street.

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According to the MBTA, riders traveling through the area will also have access to an express shuttle between Harvard Square and the South Station Bus Terminal. Fare-free Commuter Rail service will be available between Porter and North Station throughout the closure, while weekday accessible van service between Alewife and Park Street can be requested through station personnel.

The closure is part of the MBTA's ongoing Track Improvement Program. Crews will complete track renewal, signal upgrades, floating slab replacement and other infrastructure work intended to improve the Red Line's long-term safety and reliability.

City officials are encouraging residents, employees and visitors to plan accordingly, warning that travel times are expected to increase whether commuters are driving, riding shuttle buses or using the portions of the Red Line that remain open. An Alewife-to-Park Street trip by shuttle bus is expected to take at least 70 minutes.

The city is also recommending that commuters consider teleworking if possible, adjusting their travel schedules or using alternative transportation options. Riders can use MBTA bus routes 69, 87, 88, 89, 91 and 109 to connect with the Green Line's Medford/Tufts and Union Square branches, while the EZ Ride shuttle provides service between Kendall/MIT and Lechmere.

Officials are also reminding cyclists and pedestrians to use caution around shuttle buses during the closure, noting that some routes will be served by larger charter buses that require wider turns and have larger blind spots than standard MBTA buses.

The July shutdown is one of several planned Red Line service disruptions this year as the MBTA continues systemwide maintenance projects aimed at improving service reliability across the transportation system.

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