September 22, 2026
MBTA riders may want to brace for disruptions and altered commutes for the foreseeable future.
The T expects to continue to spend roughly $5 million per month from April 2027 through March 2029 on bus service to cover for the subway and commuter rail systems when tracks close for “derailments, fallen trees, equipment issues” or planned repair work.
The agency began last week to solicit proposals to build “a pool of qualified operators to provide turnkey replacement shuttle bus services, including vehicles, drivers, and supervision, for planned and emergency subway, commuter rail, and bus service disruptions.”
The initial two-year contract, which the T expects to slice up among various vendors, is estimated at $120 million and could be extended to 2032. The T said that total is based on its average monthly shuttle bus spending amount from 2025 and 2026.
The T’s most recent estimate, from November 2023, was that it would cost about $24.5 billion to repair all of its assets that were not in a state of good repair.
In May, the MBTA Board approved a five-year, $10.3 billion capital plan that the agency said addresses “major modernization projects that set a strong foundation for future infrastructure,” and ensures “improved service in the near- and long-term by improving frequency and reliability, decarbonizing the system, and improving the experience of riders.”
The MBTA removed more than 220 speed restrictions and replaced more than 250,000 feet of rail on light and heavy rail lines as part of the Track Improvement Program that wrapped up as 2024 turned to 2025. But riders still face service disruptions as the T regularly shuts down part or all of a line for days at a time to conduct repair and maintenance work.
The Red Line was closed between Alewife and Park Street for 10 days this July. Starting this Saturday, much of the Green Line will be shut down for nine consecutive days. Between Sept. 26 and Oct. 4, it will not operate between Government Center and Babcock Street on the B branch, Government Center and Kenmore on the C branch, North Station and Kenmore on the D branch, and Heath Street and North Station on the E Branch. Shuttle buses replace the rail service.
When it announced its October closures and diversions, the MBTA said it wanted to remind riders “that service outages such as these are a critical and necessary part of maintaining the infrastructure improvements that took place as part of the 2024 Track Improvement Program while also making further system upgrades and modernizing the MBTA’s infrastructure.”
“This work cannot be performed during the overnight hours when the MBTA does not operate, and would be extremely inefficient and costly if planned during single weekend outages,” the T said. “Closing a section of the transit system for multiple days is the most efficient way to perform the MBTA’s routine maintenance, revitalization efforts, inspections, and upgrade work, and combines the efforts of multiple contractors and the MBTA workforce around the clock 24/7 to maximize productivity. This work is necessary and continuous to maintain the reliable service riders count on.”
When asked what work will necessitate the T’s use of shuttle buses through spring 2029, a spokeswoman passed along links to press releases the agency published to announce planned maintenance work going back to 2024. She did not respond to a follow-up question specific to work planned for the new two-year shuttle bus contract period.
Bids are due Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. and will be opened publicly that afternoon in a virtual session. The T estimates it would hold bidder presentations, if needed, around Dec. 1, and expects to execute a contract and begin service on April 1, 2027.
