Concord to Keep Weekend Rail Service Through Summer

In a departure from the original plans, commuter rail service will continue to arrive and depart from stations in Concord and South Acton through the start of September.

According to the MBTA website, weekend train service will head only as far west as the Brandeis/Roberts station in Waltham from Sept. 7 through Nov. 17 to allow for the first phase of a major improvement project along the line that runs from Fitchburg to Cambridge.

Previously, the plan was to shutter weekend service to stations between South Acton and Waltham beginning the weekend of Aug. 3 through late November. But Concord’s two stations now won’t be affected until after Labor Day.

According to the plan: Excluding Labor Day weekend, when the trains will run as usual, there will be neither train service nor alternate bus service west of the Brandeis/Roberts stop between Sept. 7 and Nov. 17.

The weekend service suspension are required as the result of ongoing MBTA improvement projects on the line, according to a press release from the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company(MBCR).

According to the MBTA website, the commuter rail improvement project is a corridor-wide series of projects meant to enhance safety and reduce transit times along the 50-mile rail line.

Among the benefits envisioned include:

• Modernized infrastructure allowing 80 mph travel speeds
• Increasing service reliability from 83 percent to 95 percent on-time performance
• Replacement or repair of eight bridge structures
• Reduced operating and maintenance cost while attracting new riders

Work has begun west of Acton, and service stations from Littleton/Route495 through Fitchburg are already affected by the weekend service suspension.