This Morning, It Was the Green Line’s Turn to Break

Shuttle buses are now scheduled to replace train service all day long between Riverside and Newton Highlands.


MBTA Green Line / Photo by Olga Khvan

While residents of other cities might have to kick off their mornings with a strong cup of coffee or a morning jog, Bostonians have a public transit system that jolts riders awake in a way that no cold brew ever could. There’s nothing quite like a morning-commute-hour derailment, signal problem, or track fire to really get the blood pumping. Boiling, even!

You may have noticed your Green Line-riding coworkers sporting a particularly healthy flush as they arrived several minutes late to the office this morning. That’s because there was a wire problem between Riverside and Reservoir around 8 a.m., so a fleet of 40 shuttle buses replaced service between the two stops. Because it’s Monday, the MBTA apparently sent shuttles at lengthy intervals, allowing riders to get some extra cardio in as they speed-walked to the buses’ doors and politely shoved each other out of the way to earn a seat. If that doesn’t help you shake off your weekend fog, I don’t know what would.

Bummed you missed out on all the action? Don’t worry. Shuttle buses are now scheduled to replace train service all day long between Riverside and Newton Highlands, according to a tweet from the MBTA. The Red Line will also be running on delays all the way up to Labor Day, thanks to that derailment that happened nearly two weeks ago.

Can you believe a mere $85 a month buys you unlimited access to these heart-pumping experiences? Yes, you could opt instead to buy 42.5 small Dunkin’ iced coffees for that same price (45, after the scheduled fare hikes next week), but trust me: caffeine can’t touch that sweating-it-out-in-an-un-air-conditioned-train, running-to-work-because-Google Maps-says-it’ll-actually-be-faster-that-way rush that the MBTA offers nearly every morning.