MBTA advances commuter, heavy-rail upgrades

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has announced August work schedules for ongoing maintenance and improvement projects on the Green and Orange heavy-rail lines as well as the Framingham/Worcester commuter-rail line and the West Roxbury Parkway Bridge.

Construction began in June on accessibility upgrades to the Green Line Symphony Station. MBTA is adding for new elevators and making other enhancements to the 85-year-old station, MBTA officials said in a newsletter. The $150.8 million project is scheduled for completion in fall 2030; the station will remain closed during construction.

Work will begin in August at Brandon Hall as part of accessibility improvements to the Green Line C branch; the project, with a $51 million budget, started in May 2026 and is set for completion in spring 2027. The MBTA will also perform critical signal upgrade work within the central Green Line tunnel beginning in August.

Work also continues on essential track and signal upgrades on the Orange Line. Crews are replacing and upgrading the track at Chinatown and upgrading signals at Wellington and North stations. The improvements are part of a $295.5 million upgrade package on the Orange and Red lines that is slated for completion by the end of 2026. 

MBTA is also completing critical infrastructure work on the Framingham/Worcester commuter-rail line and advancing the replacement of the West Roxbury Parkway Bridge, which carries motor vehicle traffic over the Needham commuter-rail line. Work on the replacement is scheduled to continue into 2027.