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Boston's Morning Newsletter
- Nik DeCosta-Klipa
Editor's Note:This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox,sign up here.
The MBTA has cleaned upyesterday morning’s mess, but it won’t be long before Red Line riders see those shuttles again.
Attention Camberville:For over two weeks, there will bealmost no Red Line servicenorth of the Charles River. Starting this Saturday, the MBTA is suspending the Red Line for 16 days between Alewife and Kendall/MIT. On weekends (including this one) and weeknights after 8:30 p.m., the closure will extend across the river to Park Street. MBTA officials are hoping to use this partial closure to get rid of “at least seven”of the 10 slow zonescurrently plaguing that stretch of the Red Line. But for riders in Cambridge and Somerville, it means shuttle-heavy commuting from July 13-28. (Or maybe, if your boss is nice, two weeks of WFH.) Here are your options: (Update: According to the MBTA, the closure will now begin at 8:15 p.m. Friday July 12, and extend from Alewife to JFK/UMass on the weekends of July 13-14 and July 27-28.)
- Shuttle buses: Free shuttle buses will stop at all of the closed stations. The T is also planning two special shuttle buses: an express bus that only makes stops at Alewife, Porter and Kendall/MIT, and a shuttle bus “loop” that runs from Harvard to Central to Kendall/MIT, then back to Harvard.
- Normal buses: The T’s77 bus(which runs between Arlington Heights and Harvard) will be fare-free at all Cambridge stops.
- Shuttle train? The Fitchburg commuter rail line will run an additional “shuttle train” between North Station and Porter. That means weekday trains will run every 30 minutes between the two stations. They’ll also be free between North Station and Porter.
- FYI: The reason for yesterday’shours-long shuttle saga? The T says a maintenance vehicle they were moving in preparation for the coming shutdown derailed near Park, damaging the third rail.
- Meanwhile: All Green Line service north of North Station to Cambridge and Somerville (including the entire Green Line Extension) will also besuspended this weekendso crews can do welding work on the Lechmere Viaduct to “prevent temporary speed restrictions caused by hot weather conditions.” (Topical!) There’ll beshuttlesbetween North Station and Medford/Tufts.
In more exciting MBTA news:Riders will officially be able to use credit cards and smartphones to directly pay their fares in just a few weeks. The MBTA announced yesterday that contactless payments will be accepted across the entire bus and subway system on Aug. 1. That includes the Green Line and Mattapan Trolley, which will have onboard fare readers. (The Mattapan Trolleypreviouslywasn’t include in the summer rollout, but a T spokesperson said General Manager Phil Eng “pressed the team to make it happen sooner.”)
- Dos and don’ts: The new system means you won’t need to buy a CharlieCard or CharlieTicket for individual trips; just tap a credit card, debit card ormobile wallet like Apple Pay. WBUR’s Berto Scalese hasa helpful list of tips for navigating the new system, from “Don’t tap your full wallet on the new fare reader!” to “How do I set up shmancy mobile wallets?”
- What’s next: T officials plan to expand contactless payments to ferries and the commuter rail — but not until spring 2026.
Weeping for willows:Why did the Boston Public Garden take down two of its iconic weeping willows? Climate change. WBUR’s Dan Guzman reports the trees are great at taking in water, but that’s a problem asmore rain is one of the expected effects of climate change. It makes them more prone to snapping branches and vulnerable to uprooting in storms. Liz Vizza, the president of the Friends of the Public Garden, says two of the older willows near the garden’s lagoon recently had to come down as a result. “Willows by definition are challenged because of their ability to double in size in a year,” Visa said.” They just kind of spring up out of the ground and they get big, and that’s also their weakness.”
- The big picture: The Friends of the Public Garden is currently working on a master plan for the park’s future. The plan will explore how to preserve weeping willows — or whether other trees may be better suited for the character of the historic park.
P.S.— Escape the heat and humidity and come see a special live taping ofOn Point‘s weekly politics podcastThe Jackpodwith news analyst Jack Beatty tonight at CitySpace.On Pointhost Meghna Chakrabarti will join Beatty for the live show to discuss his observation of the week —and they’ll answer all your burning questions!Get tickets here.
Nik DeCosta-Klipa Newsletter Editor
Nik DeCosta-Klipa is the newsletter editor for WBUR.
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