Boston Red Line shutdown July 21–30: Alewife–Park Street shuttle plan

The MBTA is suspending Red Line service between Alewife and Park Street for 10 consecutive days, Tuesday, July 21 through Thursday, July 30, 2026. During the outage, the City of Cambridge and the City of Boston say the Alewife-to-Park Street stations will be served by free, accessible shuttle buses.

For riders headed into downtown, there are also connections that use an express shuttle and existing MBTA bus routes to reach the Green Line.

What changes on the Red Line

On the Red Line, service is suspended between Alewife and Park Street. All stops in between are replaced by free, accessible shuttle buses designed to serve the same corridor. The City of Cambridge also notes that shuttle service may use a mix of MBTA buses and larger chartered buses, and that cyclists and pedestrians should be extra cautious around shuttle routes.

Express shuttle for faster downtown trips: An express shuttle runs between Harvard Square and the South Station Bus Terminal.

Budget extra travel time: Both City of Cambridge and City of Boston guidance says riders should plan for at least about 70 minutes for an Alewife-to-Park Street trip using shuttle service.

Using buses + the Green Line to reach Park Street

If your commute normally depends on Red Line service for the Park Street leg, the City of Cambridge and City of Boston both recommend using existing bus routes to connect with the Green Line:

• Take MBTA bus routes 69, 87, 88, 89, 91, and 109 from Davis Square, Harvard Square, and Central Square.
• Use those buses to connect with the inbound Green Line (including the Medford/Tufts and Union Square branches) to reach Park Street.

Accessible travel and commuter rail fare guidance

• Accessible van service: The City of Cambridge and City of Boston both say an accessible van will be available on weekdays between Alewife and Park Street. Riders should request it through station personnel.
• Commuter Rail fare-free window: The commuter rail will be fare-free on the Fitchburg Line between Porter Square and North Station during the service suspension. Regular fares apply beyond Porter Square.

Plan ahead, then confirm close to departure

Because shuttle routes and operations can be affected by day-of conditions, both cities’ pages emphasize that riders should check for updates before traveling. If your commute is fixed to the Alewife-to-Park Street leg, the practical move is to plan earlier and test the trip options ahead of time during the July 21–30 shutdown window.

Sources

• City of Cambridge (DOT) — “MBTA to Close Red Line Service and Replace with Shuttle Buses at All Cambridge Stations July 21–30, 2026” (June 29, 2026)
• City of Boston (Boston.gov) — “Boston MBTA Shutdowns 2026” (Red Line Alewife ↔ Park St entry)
• Boston.com — “Enjoy the Red Line now… a big chunk of it will shut down after the World Cup” (June 18, 2026)