The Red Line remained closed for a week due to repairs

The Red Line will remain closed between JFK/UMass and Kendall/MIT for repairs through August 25, requiring passengers to use shuttle buses and alternate routes throughout the week.

During the outage, free shuttle buses will replace the Red Line, the MBTA reported in announcements. The shuttle will skip Park Street and have “an indirect stop at Downtown Crossing,” the T continued, recommending that riders take the shuttle at the corner of Haymarket and State Streets instead.

“Transit Ambassadors and other MBTA staff will be available to assist riders,” T officials said in a news release. “We recommend allowing extra travel time.”

The T also warned that Kendall/MIT would likely experience “high ridership between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.” and advised travelers to look for alternative routes.

Two accessible vans will remain at the JFK/UMass and Kendall/MIT stops during the disruption, T said. An additional van will be available at the Downtown Crossing stop from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

To help travelers, the T said, tickets will be free at the JFK/UMass and Kendall/MIT stations during the week. The commuter rail will also be free during the suspension between Braintree and South Station and Porter and North Station.

T officials said “critical” track work on the line would be completed later this week as part of the track improvement program introduced to remove 191 speed restrictions and bring all tracks into “good condition” by the end of 2024.

“The important work completed during this Red Line service interruption means that passengers will experience a more reliable ride with fewer unplanned service interruptions due to older tracks, older infrastructure, signaling problems or power issues,” the T wrote. “Thanks to this good repair work, passengers will also have a safer ride.”