The MBTA’s weekend Orange Line project finished last weekend. Next stop: The Red Line.

This weekend marks the beginning of the transit agency’s construction work on the Red Line’s core, resulting in the closure of stations from Broadway to Kendall/MIT every upcoming weekend, with the exception of the one after Thanksgiving.

“The level of closures is unprecedented,” Steve Poftak, the MBTA’s general manager, said in a video Thursday.

The first one begins Friday night. Here’s what you need to know:

What stations it affects

While the the Red Line upgrades are focused on just two stations — Downtown Crossing and Park Street — the closures will hit every station between Broadway and Kendall/MIT so that MBTA crews can bring vehicles and equipment into the central subway tunnel.


That means no Red Line access at Charles/MGH, Park Street, Downtown Crossing, or South Station — though there will be access to other lines that cross through those stations (such as the Green Line at Park Street or the Orange Line at Downtown Crossing).

Red Line riders will also be able to take the train inbound to Kendall/MIT and Broadway, but that’s as far as they will be able to go. From there, they’ll have to take a shuttle to the downtown Boston stops (more on that below).

When will the closures occur?

The station shutdowns occur each week from 8:45 p.m. Friday through the end of service Sunday night — and every weekend through December 15, with the exception of the one after Thanksgiving.

That amounts to four different weekends (note that the closures actually begin the night before the first day listed below):

Nov. 16-17

Nov. 23-24

Dec. 7-8

Dec. 14-15

Won’t that create problems?

MBTA officials deliberately tried to limit the impact of the weekend closures.

For example, the weekend after Thanksgiving was exempted so that they didn’t impact that many airline travelers who take the Red Line to the Silver Line to Logan airport — and vice versa — during the holiday weekend, according to MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo.

Still, it could be trickier for certain event-goers over the next month. When the closures were announced, officials noted the affected weekends coincide with the Camp Citython 5K on Nov. 16 at Boston Common, a Jonas Brothers concert on Nov. 24 at TD Garden, and a medical conference from Dec. 4 to 7 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.


Poftak says the MBTA will increase the number of station employees and volunteers to help riders “get where they need to go.”

What are the alternatives for those weekends?

The MBTA will be providing shuttle buses between Kendall/MIT and Broadway in both directions during the closures.

However, it’s worth noting that the buses will take about twice as long from station to station. According to the MBTA’s website, a trip from Kendall/MIT to Broadway typically takes about 15 minutes; the shuttles are estimated to take 30 minutes to go that distance.

The shuttles also won’t hit every single station affected by the closures due to the configuration of some of Boston’s downtown streets.

The northbound bus will drop off riders at Government Center — which has access to the Green and Blue lines — instead of Park Street, since Tremont Street runs in one direction. The northbound bus’s Downtown Crossing stop is also located a few blocks away from the actual station at the corner of Federal and Franklin streets.

The southbound bus will skip Downtown Crossing, though it’s accessible from Park Street (which it does stop at) through a pedestrian tunnel.

Also, if shuttles buses aren’t your jam and it’s not too cold out, the Bluebikes program will continue offering discounted single trips for $1 during each of the four weekends.

The MBTA website also has a “trip planner,” which will show if there’s a more efficient way (such as taking a bus) to get to a destination during the closures.

Why is this happening?


The weekend closures are part of the MBTA’s plan to accelerate improvements to the historically neglected transit system. The Red Line improvements include new signage, lighting, and painting inside Park Street and Downtown Crossing, as well as cleaning the platforms and track pits. Crews will also replace 900 feet of track at both stations.

Due to the closures, the upgrades to both stations will be finished by mid-December, shortening the timeline by four and 11 months, respectively. Previously, the Park Street project wasn’t slated to be finished until April and the Downtown Crossing project would’ve continued on until next November.

“This is necessary work for the T to be reliable and to provide the type of service that we want to provide our customers,” Poftak said in an interview last month.

In a video Thursday, he said he appreciated riders’ patience.

“I know these diversions are tough,” Poftak said. “I know it takes extra time, but we really appreciate them hanging in there with us as we build a better T.”