The MBTA is pausing the planned lifting of speed limits on the Green Line after they were expected to be lifted on Saturday.
This was after crews identified speed signs that the MBTA said needed to be moved to implement block restrictions.
The T notified riders of the break on social media.
Once again, riders must plan around the T, this time with Saint Patrick’s Day crowds and lingering speed restrictions.
The acting chief of the MBTA said on Friday he was “optimistic” that the last of the global speed limits imposed on T’s subway and trolley lines last week could be lifted Saturday morning.
The entire Green Line remained under the restriction as of Friday, more than a week after an inspection of part of the Red Line triggered global speed limits on all four of the T’s heavy and light rail lines.
Still, parts of the track — about 25% of the total — will remain under restrictions, according to the MBTA, meaning trains can’t cross certain sections of track faster than 25 mph, or 10 mph on restricted curves and other specialized stretches.
“I remain focused on the safety of fixing the system. That is what our riders want and deserve,” interim MBTA General Manager Jeff Gonneville said at a news conference.
It is unclear when all system-wide speed limits will be lifted.
He noted that a “dedicated and robust” independent investigation into what led to the delays is underway. But he said he was pleased with the pace of the system-wide rail inspection given how much needed to be done to keep the trains running.
Gonneville reiterated that riders should continue to plan for additional travel time and longer distances on all subway and trolley lines given the pockets of slow zones that will continue to exist.
Next week, the T plans to unveil a new dashboard that will let riders know exactly where the speed limits on the subways and trolleys are.
Riders have been frustrated by speed limits on the MBTA Thursday and Friday.
Train speeds were reduced on all T-lines last Thursday based on findings from a Department of Public Utilities inspection on the red line earlier this week. It encountered several issues that required immediate attention, including problems with priority one runway conditions, right-hand electrical access boxes and headlights in the tunnels, and missing or inconsistent documentation around which repairs had actually been made.
The sudden announcement delayed trains across the system. Global speed limits were lifted for the Red, Blue and Orange Lines the following day, but they remained on the Green Line and – until this Thursday – the Mattapan Trolley.
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