Thursday, 4:30 PM
On first day of shuttles, Green Line runs smoothly in Newton
By April Yee and Javier C. Hernandez, Globe Correspondents, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff
Shuttles hummed from station to station every 4 to 5 minutes on the D Branch of the MBTA’s Green Line this morning, with seven buses waiting for riders at Reservoir Station in Newton. A bevy of transit officials in orange vests helped passengers navigate the detours. And delays for commuters were only about 15 to 20 minutes, the exact window that the MBTA had predicted when it announced the repair work.
The feared summer slog on the Green Line didn’t materialize today, this first commute since the start of what will be more than two months of work on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's popular trolley route that runs between Newton and Boston.
"I wasn't expecting it to be like this," said Bernice Sookie, 48, who left herself an extra 90 minutes for her commute from Jamaica Plain to Newton Center. "I was expecting it to be chaotic, but it's running smoothly."
The repair work will close the trolley lines from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The first phase between Riverside and Reservoir stations in Newton will run until Aug. 3, while the second phase will stop trolley service between Reservoir and Fenway stations Aug. 4-31. There will be full service for the Fourth of July.
The MBTA had 32 shuttles taking passengers between stations this morning, with the inbound trip taking about 20 minutes. With more stops, the outbound bus ride between Riverside and Reservoir was a bit slower. There was, however, little wait for a bus at any of the stations.
"Everything seemed to run smoothly," said Lydia Rivera, a spokesperson for the MBTA. "But we'll continue to watch it this week and make adjustments when necessary."
During the shutdown, 20,000 riders will have to board the shuttles, adding at least 15 to 20 minutes to their trip to and from Boston.
Dennis Howard, who was commuting from Newton to the Harvard Medical Coop in Longwood, said he was especially pleased with the number of MBTA employees helping passengers find the proper shuttle bus.
"It was inexplicable, that it was efficient as it was," Howard said. "Given the T’s lack of common sense sometimes, it was very surprising."
