Red Line’s Braintree branch reopens with fastest speeds in years

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October is already off to a spooky start. Let’s get to the news:

Phil speed ahead: It’s not often people are excited for a Monday morning commute. But yesterday was the exception for riders who take the Red Line from Quincy and Braintree. After enduring months of stubborn speed restrictions and over three weeks of shuttle buses, the MBTA greeted riders returning to the Braintree branch with the fastest commutes the line has seen in years. According to data tracked by Transit Matters, trips on the nine-mile stretch from JFK/UMass to Braintree haven’t been this fast since 2022. “After 24 days, we did what we promised,” MBTA General Manager Phil Eng told WBUR’s Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez in an interview.

• T officials say yesterday was the first time in at least a decade that there were no Red Line slow zones south of JFK/UMass. During the 24-day diversion, crews lifted three dozen speed restrictions on the Braintree branch — plus one on the Ashmont branch. “If they come back, we’re going to tackle them quickly and properly,” Eng told Andrea. He noted the number of Braintree branch speed restrictions had increased from 22 last November. “It shows you just the rate of deterioration over time, if you don’t address things,” Eng said.
• Inbound: Before the diversion, the typical trip from Braintree to JFK/UMass took between 33 and 36 minutes, according to Transit Matters. On Monday, the median time was around 21 minutes. (It was actually even faster — around 17 minutes — until signal problems struck and caused delays in the afternoon.)
• Outbound: In the other direction, trips were also down to 21 minutes — a 10-minute improvement over the prior median.
• What’s next: Eng hopes to turn what was perhaps the T’s most notoriously bogged down branch into its fastest by increasing max train speeds from 40 mph to 50 mph. “The track, I can tell you right now, can handle 50,” he said. “It’s really a matter of just reviewing the equipment [and] getting our employees qualified.”
• The big picture: Read more here about how MBTA service has gotten noticeably better during Eng’s 18 months in charge.

Not shipping up to Boston: A strike by dockworkers is officially underway, bringing business to a halt at 14 U.S. ports along the East and Gulf Coasts, including South Boston’s Conley Terminal. The union for longshore workers is calling for higher wages and protections against automation from ocean carriers and port operators. But as NPR reports, the two sides appear far apart on a deal.

• Zoom out: More than $2 billion worth of goods — over half of all cargo containers coming into the U.S. — typically flow through these ports daily, from cars to clothing to food. While some cargo has been diverted to the West Coast, many goods will have to sit on ships offshore until the strike is over.
• Zoom in: Local business leaders worry about the supply chain impacts during the crucial fourth quarter and holiday season. “For each day of a strike or disruption, it could take three to five days additional to recover from that day of disruption,” Jon Hurst, the president of the Massachusetts Retailers Association, told WBUR’s Zeninjor Enwemeka. Hurst added it could lead to higher prices or product shortages for consumers.

Not so fast: Gov. Maura Healey has stepped in to block construction of a controversial machine gun range at Joint Base Cape Cod. Though Healey said she’s committed to supporting the Massachusetts National Guard’s training needs, her office sided with local officials and environmental groups who expressed concerns about the range’s potential impact on the area’s water supply.

• It’s a major setback for the project. Congress had approved $10 million for the National Guard to build the range. But without state approval by the end of last month, those funds now expire.

Prison problems: A 34-year-old person being held at the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater is dead after an apparent fight at the facility Sunday morning.

• Meanwhile: Prosecutors are charging three prisoners in connection with an attack last month on corrections officers at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, which remains on lockdown.

P.S.— We’ll have live coverage of the one-and-probably-only vice presidential debate tonight. Turn your radio dial to 90.9 to listen or live stream the debate on our website starting at 9 p.m. (In the meantime, check out this story on the history of the past 11 running mate debates and why this one may have unusually high stakes.)

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.