The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) announced it will suspend service on significant portions of the Green Line over the Halloween weekend, affecting riders on Saturday, Oct. 31, and Sunday, Nov. 1. The agency cited ongoing maintenance and infrastructure upgrades as the reason for the weekend shutdown, despite the expected high demand due to Halloween events.
Service will be halted on large segments of the B and E branches, with no trains running between North Station and Heath Street on the B line, or between North Station and Babcock Street on the E line. Similarly, the C and D branches will see interruptions between North Station and Kenmore, though trains will continue to operate normally between Kenmore and Cleveland Circle on the C branch and Kenmore to Riverside on the D branch. Service north of North Station will remain unaffected.
To accommodate affected passengers, the MBTA is offering alternative transportation options. Buses will be available for travel to Copley and Back Bay, and riders can use the Orange Line for connections between Back Bay and North Station. Additionally, free bus service will operate on Route 57, paralleling the B branch between Kenmore and Packard’s Corner, and on Route 39, which runs alongside the E branch.
This latest service disruption follows a similar closure approximately one month ago, when the same routes were closed for nine days to carry out comparable upgrade work. Throughout August, the Green Line experienced partial shutdowns on 78 days, representing about one-third of the year to that point.
The MBTA’s decision to schedule the shutdown on a weekend coinciding with Halloween attracted criticism on social media. Some users expressed frustration, noting the high volume of passengers likely to travel near Kenmore, Fenway, Boston University, and Boston College on that day.
MBTA spokesperson Lisa Battiston defended the timing, explaining that weekend closures are the most effective way to perform necessary maintenance, revitalization, inspections, and modernization efforts. She emphasized that such work cannot be conducted during overnight hours when trains are not operating.
The weekend closures aim to sustain and improve the Green Line’s infrastructure amid ongoing efforts to modernize the transit system, even as they temporarily inconvenience riders during a busy period.