MBTA, Keolis to replace ties on the Fitchburg Line

Keolis Commuter Services — the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) commuter-rail operator — next week will replace 30,000 ties between the Littleton/495 and Wachusett stations along the Fitchburg Line.

The project is slated to start Oct. 15 and will continue through November. The tie replacement is needed to help ensure a "smooth and comfortable ride for passengers," Keolis officials said in a press release.

Since Keolis began serving as the MBTA's commuter-rail operator in 2014, more than 200,000 ties have been replaced across the agency's commuter-rail network.

Tie replacements and other trackwork improvements have helped reduce the number of delay minutes associated with head-related speed restrictions by 99 percent since 2014, Keolis officials said.