The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said pre-testing for its signal modernization work on the Red Line at Columbia Junction has been completed more than two weeks ahead of schedule.
Officials said crews completed a significant portion of the testing required prior to commissioning the new, digital signaling system. The new system is expected to bring important upgrades that strengthen the line’s service reliability and provide Red Line Operation with the ability to route trains quicker, turn trains around faster and recover from unplanned disruptions more efficiently.
“I’m very proud of the hard work of our teams to finish this long-overdue signal work at Columbia Junction, also completing this pre-testing ahead of the schedule that we put in place for ourselves. This important work means our Red Line Operations team can provide better, more reliable service to riders,” Interim Secretary of Transportation and MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng said. “We continue to push ourselves to accomplish essential work in a timely manner, striving to minimize impacts to the public.”
Columbia Junction is a complex area of track just north of the University of Massachusetts that merges the Ashmont and Braintree branches and connects the Red Line’s main passenger track to the Cabot Yard Maintenance facility. The signal system was significantly damaged during a 2019 train derailment. Initial repairs restored service but limited signal and switch operations. The work completed recently, as well as other work to be handled later this spring, restore full system functionality.