Weekend warriors who head into Somerville and Cambridge along the Red Line should get used to using shuttle buses.
Major Red Line track maintenance being done between Harvard and Alewife station will shut down all weekend trains and replace them with buses through March.
Starting Nov. 5, “critical” work underground will be conducted to keep trains from derailing.
The infiltration of water into the tunnel over the years has led to deterioration in the Red Line tunnels, according to a T spokesperson.
MBTA communications staff has prepared a public outreach plan to share information with customers regarding the Red line project including the upcoming five-month bus replacement service between Harvard and Alewife stations.
As part of that outreach, an informational page will be available at mbta.com outlining project scope, and substitute service.
This page will exist throughout the life of the project and will be updated accordingly as milestones are met, according to the T.
A manager at The Foundry in Somerville’s Davis Square area, which is frequented by T riders coming from the Davis MBTA station, said a report by the Globe was the first he had heard of the project—which is two weeks away.
“In my opinion a lot of our business is walk in and on the weekends, and there is a significant amount of parking in Davis, I hope there isn’t any impact,” said Geoffrey Thompson, one of the bar’s managers.
Thompson said it might affect some people coming from the other side of the Charles, however.
According to a T spokesperson, the nearly $40 million project is funded primarily through the T’s Capital Investment Program.
Angry in the Twitterverse
@colleenm_hughes: #MBTA weekend busing between Harvard and Alewife: way to further complicate my trips to visit my family, T. #painintheass
@Jplecinoga: I thought the reason that the #mbta shutdown at night was for maintenance. Now the red line in Cambridge will be closed on wknds in winter.
@Williamkenlon: Aw HELL no!
@julie_burdan: The #mbta sucks.
@Kmbrlynn: SOOOO EXCITED FOR THIS
