Photo: Aldrich, Beatrice (uploader)
UPDATE: The MBTA has officially decided to shut down the Orange Line for 30 days starting Aug. 18.
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The MBTA is considering shutting down the Orange Line for 30 days to perform long overdue maintenance, according to a report from the Boston Globe.
The newspaper reports that the shutdown would start later this month and extend into September.
The MBTA Board of Directors will hold a meeting Wednesday morning to discuss a proposed contract with A Yankee Line, Inc., a bus company that would provide replacement shuttle bus service for the Orange Line and part of the Green Line.
Signal and track repair on the Orange Line was set to begin last weekend, but was delayed indefinitely to allow officials to explore "additional opportunities to accelerate work on the Orange Line," according to the MBTA.
Read More: Framingham MBTA Commuter Rail Passengers Break Out Of Disabled Train
The MBTA has been the subject of an investigation by the Federal Transit Authority for months following several safety incidents, including the dragging death of a man caught in the door of a Red Line train in April.
In June, the FTA issued a preliminary report that noted four safety issues that the MBTA needed to address.
On Friday, after multiple incidents of unmanned trains rolling away, the FTA ordered a "safety stand down" that banned MBTA employees from returning to work on securing out-of-service trains until they completed safety briefings in compliance with FTA requirements.
WBZ NewsRadio has reached out for comment from the MBTA, but has not heard back from the agency at this time.
This is an ongoing story.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App