The MBTA Government Center station will close for two years, starting in late March, while crews update the current facility and attempt to make it more accessible. (Understand it’s full impact).

Government Center operations will be shut down next month, on Saturday, March 22, according to the T. It’s tentatively slated to reopen in Spring 2016. Since last November, crews have been working to reconfigure roadways and sidewalks for the station closure.

In an email with BostInno, T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said that authority personnel will be posting signs at Government Center and other stations today, notifying riders about the closure (see: below).

Improvements will include a new “head house” used as the station’s main entrance, new elevators, the addition of LED signage, an upgraded back-up electrical power supply system, and general interior aesthetic improvements.

Cambridge Street and a portion of City Hall Plaza near Government Center will also see construction work take place to provide better walking paths to the station.

Government Center’s location and the fact that it’s located on the Green Line (naturally) make the upcoming station closure troublesome for many. As of now, the T is recommending people plan to add 10 to 15 minutes to their commutes, if they normally stop at Government Center via the Green or Blue Line.

Shuttle buses will operate between Haymarket busway every 20 minutes from 5:20 a.m. to 12:20 a.m. seven days week. On Sundays, bus service will start at 6 a.m. Service will make stops at State Street Station, Government Center Station, Bowdoin Station, and then return to Haymarket. Good news, riders: it’s free.

Trains will be allowed to pass through the station while it’s closed, but none will make stops there until it is reopened.

Last stops will generally be the following, during the closure (subject to change, of course):

  •  B Line (Boston College) will end at Park Street
  •  C Line (Cleveland Circle) will end at North Station
  •  D Line (Riverside) will end at Park Street during rush hours, and North Station at other times
  •  E Line will end at Lechmere Post-March 22, those seeking Blue Line access from the Green Line, the T recommends, should hit up Haymarket station and transfer using to the Orange Line at State Street station.

For anyone looking to get to the Green Line from the Blue Line, the T suggests traveling to State Street and transferring to the Orange Line northbound towards Oak Grove, then again at Haymarket.

The Blue Line’s Bowdoin station will extend its operating hours during the Government Center station closure.

 

 

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