Fairbanks Street Closes for Good Today as the Green Line Tunnel Goes Dark for 9 Days

The Fairbanks Street Green Line stop on the C branch in Brookline closes permanently starting Saturday, Nov. 7, the MBTA says, the same day a nine-day shutdown of the Green Line’s central tunnel begins. When trains return, they will no longer stop at Fairbanks Street. Riders will instead use the rebuilt Brandon Hall stop a short walk away on Beacon Street, which the T describes as wider, raised and accessible.

The closure is part of the MBTA’s Green Line C Branch Station Accessibility Improvements project. In a Nov. 5 reminder, the T said Fairbanks Street is being consolidated with Brandon Hall, which riders can reach from the old Fairbanks Street location by a new accessible ramp and walkway. WBUR described the walk between the two as about three minutes.

Why the T is removing a stop

The Green Line is the nation’s oldest light rail subway line, and nearly all of its stations were built before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the MBTA said. Rather than rebuild every closely spaced stop on Beacon Street, the agency is merging some of them into fewer, fully accessible stations.

The upgraded Brandon Hall stop has wider and raised platforms, sloped walkways, better lighting and other new amenities, according to the MBTA. The T says that with accessible stations nearby, removing these stops gives “improved station spacing for more consistent time between trains, allowing for quicker trips along Beacon Street and improved service reliability.”

Fairbanks Street is not the only stop going away. The MBTA says the Kent Street stop will also be decommissioned by the end of this year. WBUR reported that officials say removing the two bunched-up stops could make C branch trips up to a minute faster. When the project is done, every station on the C branch will be accessible, the T says.

What riders need to know this week

The permanent closure arrives in the middle of a major service change. From Saturday, Nov. 7, through Sunday, Nov. 15, Green Line service is suspended between North Station and Kenmore, between Government Center and Babcock Street on the B branch, between Government Center and Cleveland Circle on the C branch, and between North Station and Heath Street on the E branch, Boston.com reported. That means the entire C branch is without trains for the nine days.

During the diversion, free and accessible shuttle buses will still stop at Fairbanks Street, even though the station itself is being decommissioned, the MBTA said. Once rail service returns, trains will pass it by.

Other options during the shutdown, according to Boston.com and the MBTA:

• The Orange Line between Back Bay and North Station, with free shuttles between Back Bay and the affected branches.
• Route 39 buses, free during the diversion, replacing E branch service between Heath Street and Back Bay.
• Route 57, which parallels the B branch between Kenmore and Packard’s Corner, also free.
• The Worcester Line commuter rail, free between South Station, Back Bay and Lansdowne.

The T is telling riders to plan for longer trips. A ride from Cleveland Circle to Park Street, for example, will take at least 25 minutes longer than usual on shuttles, Boston.com reported. Riders who need extra help can request accessible van service between North Station and Kenmore, including Copley and Back Bay.

Signal work inside the tunnel

The shutdown itself is mainly about signals. Crews will install about 16 miles of signal cable and a mile of fiber-optic cable, finish system connections and begin testing new signals at key locations in the tunnel, Boston.com reported. “At over 100 years old, the MBTA’s Green Line legacy signal system is as old as the tunnel itself,” the T said in its announcement. The agency says the new system should improve train detection and allow more consistent spacing between trains.

Riders have reason to watch how the diversion goes. During the Green Line closure over Halloween weekend, long Orange Line waits drew complaints from transit advocates, WBUR reported. Chris Friend, interim executive director of TransitMatters, told WBUR the group was “disappointed” with the mitigation that weekend. The MBTA told WBUR it has no plans to do Orange Line signal work during this diversion, and a T spokesperson said last weekend’s delays were made worse by an unplanned signal problem, a stuck train door and a trespasser on the tracks.

The diversion also overlaps with Saturday’s Veterans Day parade downtown and Sunday’s Boston Half Marathon, which are covered in our weekend closures guide. Neighbors along Beacon Street can find more local coverage on our Brookline page.

What happens next

Green Line trains are scheduled to return after the diversion ends Sunday, Nov. 15. From then on, C branch riders who used Fairbanks Street will board at Brandon Hall. Kent Street is due to close later this year, which will leave the C branch with fewer, fully accessible stops along Beacon Street.

Sources

• MBTA: Green Line C branch Fairbanks Street stop to permanently close
• Boston.com: Green Line tunnel will be closed from North Station to Kenmore
• WBUR: The MBTA is closing a big chunk of the Green Line again for 9 days