Green Line C-branch trains will stop running along Beacon Street for nine days starting Saturday, Nov. 7. The MBTA is shutting down rail service for round-the-clock construction at stations across Brookline.

The shutdown runs through Sunday, Nov. 15, according to the Brookline town calendar. Rail operations will be suspended after the last train early on Nov. 7, estimated around 3 a.m. Normal train service is expected to resume the morning of Monday, Nov. 16, around 2 a.m., the town calendar states.

Shuttle buses will replace trains during the closure. The MBTA will provide shuttle service with signed stops along Beacon Street sidewalks in both directions.

What's being built

Crews will work 24/7 in 12-hour shifts at five major construction sites along the corridor, according to a construction update issued Oct. 23 by Brookline Public Works Commissioner Erin Chute:

  • Fairbanks: The existing platform will be demolished. The station is closing permanently.
  • Brandon Hall: Ramp construction along with installation of lighting, signage and planting soils.
  • Summit: Construction of a new inbound platform and work on the outbound platform.
  • St. Paul: Completion of inbound and outbound concrete platform pours.
  • Hawes: Construction of a new inbound platform and work on the outbound platform.

Smaller work on lighting, signage and soils is also planned at Englewood, Dean and Tappan stations.

Fairbanks gone for good

The Fairbanks demolition is part of a broader consolidation. The Brookline project page lists Fairbanks and Brandon Hall as being merged into a single station. Kent Street station will also close permanently once the project wraps up. Both closures are part of the MBTA's $51 million Green Line C Branch Station Accessibility Improvements project, which covers seven stations along Beacon Street, according to the MBTA's project page.

The project aims to bring all C-branch stations into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Upgrades include raising platforms eight inches above the rail for easier boarding, building sloped walkways and widening and illuminating platforms.

Traffic and driving changes

Drivers should expect disruptions near the work zones. A U-turn restriction at Hawes Street on eastbound Beacon Street will remain in effect during construction. The town's Transportation Board has commissioned an alternatives analysis of that U-turn and plans to hold a public hearing on lane management options, though no date has been set, according to the Brookline project page.

Traffic alerts will be in effect near Summit, Brandon Hall, St. Paul and Hawes stations.

Timeline ahead

The Chute construction update states that Barletta crews have been working an accelerated schedule, adding Saturdays and extending workdays to 6 a.m. through 3:30 p.m. The goal is to stay ahead of winter weather limits before the November shutdown.

This is the third C-branch shutdown this year. The MBTA ran similar closures in May and August. The Oct. 23 update noted visible progress since the August closure, with new station platforms at Englewood, Dean, Tappan and Brandon Hall targeting an Oct. 31 reopening.

The overall project targets substantial completion in December 2026, with Fairbanks and Kent closed at that point. Remaining punch-list work, including tree planting, is scheduled for spring 2027.

Residents with questions can contact Brookline Public Works at 617-730-2177 or the MBTA project team at 781-234-8641.