Riding the MBTA

Everyone is being urged to take the T during convention week. But there are hot spots that seasoned riders and first-timers alike may want to avoid to make their trip easier.

The Green Line from Cambridge into Boston, for example, is under construction, and the trolleys have been replaced with a shuttle bus that will be fighting traffic.

Expect a lot of company on the Blue Line and the Orange Line, as commuter rail passengers transfer to those lines north of Boston as their trips are cut short because of the closing of North Station.

But if you're able to get to the Red Line, it should be smooth sailing. The workhorse of the transit system is expected to accommodate transferring commuter rail riders north of the city. The Red Line has big parking garages at either end, in Alewife and Braintree, and convenient stops in Boston -- Charles/MGH, Park Street, Downtown Crossing, and South Station.

The MBTA (www.mbta.com) promises rush-hour-level service all day and evening during convention week and extra commuter trains to accommodate all the people who choose to take the T rather than drive. But station closings, construction disruptions, commuter rail diversions, and a baggage-inspection policy will probably create delays and shoulder-to-shoulder conditions in some parts of the system.

At Park Street Station, Red Line riders will be trying to transfer to the Green Line, while those coming on the Green Line in from the Back Bay and points west will be scampering across the platform to get on trolleys headed for Government Center and Haymarket toward the convention site.

It may be smarter to get out at Park Street and walk to wherever you're headed rather than transfer.

Coming to Boston from Cambridge on the Green Line is more problematic. A shuttle bus has replaced trolley service to and from Boston while track work continues, and the trip from Lechmere station down McGrath-O'Brien Highway and into the North Station/FleetCenter area isn't going to be pretty. Depending on how bad the congestion is, a bus might take Longfellow Bridge, but a normally short trip is expected to be a long one.

Better to get yourself to Kendall Square or Central Square and hop on the Red Line.

If you live in Ipswich or Gloucester and normally take the Newburyport or Rockport commuter rail lines, you may be looking at an especially tough commute. You'll have to transfer at Lynn to a shuttle bus, which will have to fight unusually heavy traffic on narrow Route 1A into Boston, to South Station.

If you can get yourself to Wonderland Station, the northernmost stop on the Blue Line, there will be extra parking spaces there, courtesy of the dog track. At least then you'll be on the subway for the straight shot into Boston, though probably a crowded ride.

Expect a lot of company on the Orange Line, which will be taking commuter rail riders transferring at Oak Grove in Malden, and will probably also absorb extra riders from towns like Stoneham, who don't want to drive that week. Remember, no large bags will be allowed on the Orange Line between Community College in Charlestown and Haymarket.

The baggage-inspections policy that will be in place during convention week will also cause delays. Pocketbooks, briefcases, and backpacks are all subject to search, and large bags definitely will be searched, before entering the system.

One other hint: There should be plenty of spaces at the big parking facility at the Route 128 station in Dedham, where extra trains will be running into South Station. Another idea, for South Shore residents, MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said, is to park at Hingham or Quincy and take a commuter ferry into Boston.

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