Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MTA) will start to modernise Framingham-Worcester line that involves the replacement of 25,000-30,000 rail ties. Keolis Commuter Services, which operates and maintains MBTA Commuter Rail, will be performing and overseeing much of this work, which is expected to have minimal impact on passengers.
The track on the Framingham-Worcester Line was built and maintained by previous railways using different design and maintenance standards than the MBTA. When the MBTA took control of the rail line in 2012, there were insufficient records available about the original installation of the rail, which helps engineers verify that the rail will respond to heat variations between winter and summer season.
To compensate for these unknowns, over the past two years the MBTA has either replaced rail or de-stressed sections of rail to ensure the safety of the Worcester Line. That work is ongoing this spring between Worcester and Framingham, and between Newtonville and Wellesley Farms. When complete, the commuter line will be free of speed restrictions.
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