The T’s subway got slower, not faster, in February.
After a successful start to the MBTA’s new program to rid its subways of all frustrating slow zones by the end of this year using shutdowns for track repairs, progress stalled in February when the number of slow zones increased.
In December and January, the first two full months of the T’s new program, the agency moved at a record pace making repairs, bringing the number of speed restrictions down from 179 to 127, according to its dashboard.
But in February, the agency added 24 new speed restrictions and eliminated 15, the agency’s data shows, far fewer than the number it eliminated in December and January. Now, there are 135 speed restrictions across the T’s subway system, the dashboard shows, with slow zones covering 20 miles, up slightly from 19.9 miles at the beginning of February.
T subway trains travel at a top speed of 40 miles per hour, but when there are track defects that the T needs to repair, the agency puts a speed restriction over the defective area, forcing trains to slow down there so that they can travel safely until the problem can be repaired. Most of the T’s speed restrictions force trains to travel at 10 miles per hour or slower.
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Spokesperson for the agency Joe Pesaturo said the T performed a geometry scan, which uses a machine to detect track defects that a human eye can’t catch, on the Red, Orange, Blue, and Mattapan Lines in February. Some of the restrictions added in February were a result of this scan, and the rest were the result of other inspections that month, Pesaturo said.
“While there is still substantial work to be done across the system that we have scheduled for 2024, our dedicated labor workforce is committed to ensuring safety with inspections and more timely maintenance and repairs as situations arise,” said T General Manager Phillip Eng in a statement. “We continue to strive to minimize disruptions, improve travel times, and ensure our passengers a smoother, safer ride.”
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In February, T riders endured major delays and alternative bus shuttle service for track repairs on the Red and Green Lines, in addition to weekend shutdowns on the Orange and Red Lines for signal improvements and tunnel inspections, respectively.
On the Red Line, the T shutdown service for track repairs for 10 days between Alewife and Harvard stations and evening service between Alewife and Park Street stations. The agency said this shutdown yielded the elimination of eight speed restrictions. There are currently 20 speed restrictions between Alewife and Park Street stations, according to the T’s dashboard.
On the Green Line, the T shutdown parts of the B, C, and D branches for 18 days starting on Feb. 20. At last week’s T board of directors meeting, Eng said the Green Line work was happening “on time,” scheduled to wrap up by March 8, and the work would eliminate about 11 speed restrictions. There are currently 17 speed restrictions in the areas that are shutdown, according to the T’s dashboard.
Also this month, the T will focus its track repair work on the Orange Line, shutting down service between Jackson Square Station and North Station for four days from March 18–21, where there are currently 18 speed restrictions. Other shutdowns are happening this month on portions of the Red Line for tunnel inspections and work on the Dorchester Avenue Bridge and on the Orange Line for signal improvements, according to the agency.
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Eng said he is committed to eliminating all speed restrictions by the end of the year.
“There is no wavering on our commitment to lift all restrictions by year’s end,” he said in a statement. “We will follow through.”
Taylor Dolven can be reached at taylor.dolven@globe.com. Follow her @taydolven.