BOSTON - Slow zones on the T are no more. The final slow zones were removed from the Green Line on Friday.
The MBTA's massive slow zone removal plan wrapped up as parts of the Green Line reopened. After more than a year of diversions, shuttlebuses and shutdowns, the MBTA said all train lines should be back up and running at full speed.
"I think it's great," said Governor Maura Healey. "We gave riders back about, we estimate, about 2 million minutes back a day collectively. That's what riders gained back, so huge credit to Phil Eng and the team at the T."
In November 2023, Eng promised work causing the slow zones would be complete by the end of 2024. At that time, there were 191 for a variety of safety reasons. At one point, many said walking was faster than taking the T.
The plan called for 188 days of service disruptions to complete the work with shutdowns across all four lines ranging from four days to 21 days. Over the next 14 months, the MBTA eliminated slow zones on the Orange and Blue lines, then the Red Line and finished with Green Line.
Eng said the slow zones and shutdowns were the result of "years of disinvestment in our system," and included track, power and station improvements. Improvements also included new Green Line trains, contactless payments, and an MBTA app.
The MBTA said riders may see sporadic slow zones to fix regular wear and tear, but said the massive overhaul is over. Eng has said that goals for 2025 include maintaining tracks, doing signal work on the Red and Orange Lines and improving station accessibility.