Bowdoin-Maverick Blue Line stretch will close for two weeks in April

More than 25,000 Blue Line riders will need to trade their subway trains for shuttle buses for nearly two weeks in April in the latest large-scale MBTA shutdown aimed at accelerating the pace of maintenance work.

The T will take trains between Bowdoin and Maverick offline from April 2 to April 14, MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak announced, during which crews will replace about 1,800 feet of tracks, inspect tunnels, install fiber optic cables, repair signals and more.

During that span, the T will run shuttle bus routes as alternatives for Blue Line riders, including both express and local options. The Bowdoin stop will not have any shuttle bus or train access, and trains will continue to run between Airport and the Blue Line's terminus at Wonderland. Other affected Blue Line stations include Maverick, Aquarium, State and Government Center.

In May 2020, the agency also diverted Blue Line riders to buses with "roughly the same configuration," Poftak said.

The MBTA in recent years has embraced shutdowns of major segments of subway lines, trading the short-term inconvenience on riders for accomplishing repairs and upgrades in less time than it would take with weekend- and overnight-only work.

Officials are still deciding which other substantial diversions to conduct over the course of 2022, Poftak said.

"I know no one likes diversions," Poftak said. "They're a lot of work to run. But it's really the difference for us in terms of how are we going to get this work done. It's extraordinarily difficult to get the type of work done that this system needs in two- and three-hour windows, overnight, over time. By having access 24 hours a day for extended periods, that allows us to get a ton of work done."