Reminder: The Red Line will see a partial shutdown starting this weekend

Local News Reminder: The Red Line will see a partial shutdown starting this weekend If you rely on the Ashmont or Mattapan lines, prepare for some travel disruptions. A Red Line train departed from Savin Hill Station in August. The MBTA said it will suspend service on the Red Line’s Ashmont and Mattapan lines for more than two weeks in October to repair tracks. Erin Clark / The Boston Globe, File
If you’re someone who relies on the Ashmont and Mattapan branches of the Red Line, be prepared for some disruptions to your travel over the next few weeks.
Starting Saturday, the MBTA is shutting down the Red Line from the JFK/UMass Station through the Ashmont and Mattapan stations. The closure will be in effect until Sunday, Oct. 29.
According to the MBTA, the closure is taking place so work can be done to end the dozens of slow zones on the line.
“This 16-day closure will enable us to work around the clock and achieve repairs and upgrades that would take six months if we had to do them while the system is operating without interrupting service,” the MBTA stated on its website. The MBTA has previously said the tracks between JFK/UMass and Ashmont Stations and on the Mattapan Line are some of the oldest in the transit system and need replacing.
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The agency has said that workers will be replacing more than a mile of track and over 1,500 ties on the Ashmont branch. Meanwhile on the Mattapan Line, more than 2,000 feet of track will be replaced and all light fixtures will be upgraded to LEDs. Stations will also see updates as part of the work.
During the shutdown, shuttle buses will replace service on the Ashmont and Mattapan lines. During weekday peak hours, the buses are expected to run from JFK/UMass to Ashmont every two to three minutes and to Mattapan every 12 to 15 minutes. Off-peak hours on both weekdays and weekends, the buses along the Ashmont line will run every seven to eight minutes, while buses along the Mattapan route will run every 12 to 15 minutes.
Travel will also be free between all Zone 1A stations on the Commuter Rail’s Fairmount Line during the closure.
“Allow extra travel time during this service change,” the MBTA warns on its website.
Service on the Red Line’s Braintree Branch or northbound to Alewife will not be impacted, according to the MBTA.