MBTA

Some Orange Line Shutdown Signs Show Wrong Start Date: ‘Quite Confusing,' Wu Says

But Boston's mayor noted that the MBTA has a lot of planning to do, both for the work itself and in messaging the changes

NBC Universal, Inc.

A day before the Orange Line's 30-day shutdown begins, signs were spotted at MBTA stations showing the incorrect start date, an error the MBTA acknowledged Thursday.

While the Orange Line will be shut down at 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, signs spotted at stations, including by NBC10 Boston at the Community College Station station, showed that the service change will begin Monday, Aug. 22. That's when the partial Green Line shutdown, ending service north of Government Center, begins.

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A QR code on the signs linked to an MBTA page with the correct information.

An MBTA representative offered an apology for the error, which was at three stations. Replacement signs were being replaced -- no time frame was given.

An MBTA Orange Line sign showing that service changes begin on Monday, Aug. 22, not Friday, Aug. 19. The MBTA apologized for the error.
NBC10 Boston
An MBTA Orange Line sign showing that service changes begin on Monday, Aug. 22, not Friday, Aug. 19. The MBTA apologized for the error.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was asked about the issue after an update she gave on the city's extensive preparations for the shutdown.

"This is quite confusing when residents still see this but we hope that our efforts to spread the word … are helping to fill some of those gaps," Wu said.

She noted that the MBTA has a lot of planning to do, both for the work itself and in messaging the changes.

"This is why we need all of your help in getting the word out," she told reporters.

The Orange Line's trains are set to stop running at 9 p.m. Friday, and the city and state have been scrambling to transform streets to accommodate tens of thousands of people changing their commutes.

"This has been an all-hands-on-deck, cross-departmental effort," Wu said at her briefing, warning that it's going to affect many people in Boston, not just people who take the T, since street closures and more people using the roads will affect drivers, too.

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