A portion of the Green Line’s B branch will shut down for 12 days in July so crews can “fully replace” more than 2,000 feet of track at the Packard’s Corner stop where a train derailed June 12, the T said Thursday.
In a statement, the T said the B branch will shut down “from Kenmore to Boston College Stations from July 17 through July 28.”
Shuttle buses will replace trains at the affected stops.
During the closure, the statement said, crews will replace more than 2,000 feet of track at Packard’s Corner and between the Harvard Avenue and Allston Street stops, replace duct banks and underground conduits that provide power to trains, and repaint pedestrian crossings, bike lanes, and platform edges along the B branch.
Advertisement
“I made a commitment to the public when I accepted this responsibility to restore safety and reliability,” said T General Manager Phillip Eng in the statement.
“The recent derailment is a stark reminder that we have work to do, and accelerating this work when schools are out is the best way to address a long-standing issue,” Eng continued. “This 12-day full access closure allows us to implement track renewal safely and most efficiently along the Green Line’s B Branch, and most importantly, improve service.”
The June 12 derailment occurred when a westbound B line trolley went off the rails at a low speed around 1:40 p.m., Eng said at the time. About 30 passengers exited the train safely, officials said.
The center wheels of the two connected cars went off the tracks, Eng said. The tracks’ condition is believed to have contributed to the derailment, Eng said at the time.
It’s not just subway commuters dealing with closures next month.
The iconic Sumner Tunnel is also slated to close to motorists from July 5 through Aug. 31 for repairs, according to MassDOT.
Advertisement
The tunnel began closing on weekends in June 2022 for the first phase of the massive repair project, and officials said in February that it will stay shuttered on weekends until July 5, other than certain holiday weekends and other planned pauses in construction.
The Sumner Tunnel, which opened in 1934, carries inbound traffic under Boston Harbor. It was the state’s first traffic tunnel and is one of the oldest in the country, according to transportation officials.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.