Brookline's $51 million Green Line C-branch overhaul will need additional construction to accommodate the MBTA's incoming fleet of trolleys, according to a Boston Globe report published Saturday, Sept. 19.

The T is raising and widening platforms at seven above-ground stations along Beacon Street to make them accessible for current Green Line cars. Crews are lifting platforms 8 inches and extending them to 7½ feet wide to match the accordion-style doors on today's trains.

But the 102 new Type 10 trolleys the MBTA is building feature a 100% low-floor design that requires a different, higher platform. The first Type 10 vehicles are expected to enter service in 2027, according to the MBTA's project page, with all 102 delivered by the end of 2031 under an $816 million contract.

The result: Beacon Street riders and businesses face another round of platform work once the new trains arrive.

"We know for sure that when we go to level boarding [with the Type 10 trains], it's not just going to be as easy as pouring 6 inches of concrete," Laura Brelsford, MBTA assistant general manager for systemwide accessibility, told the Globe.

T officials disputed that the future work amounts to redoing the current project. They said the later construction will be less disruptive than what's underway now.

Brian Kane, executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, told the Globe the current upgrades let the T achieve universal accessibility 10 years faster than waiting for the Type 10 fleet alone. He said the C branch may not run entirely on Type 10 cars for years, making the interim improvements worthwhile.

April Gabriel, owner of Boston General Store in Coolidge Corner, told the Globe she disagreed. "It's poor planning on the T's part," she said.

Naomi Hess, a Green Line rider who uses a power wheelchair, told the Globe the current improvements help riders now but called it frustrating that the platforms will need to be rebuilt. She said the T ideally would have planned for the new trains in advance. Riders with disabilities who can board independently at upgraded stations may later need drivers' assistance with powered ramps again until the T lifts platforms another 6 inches, the Globe reported.

Construction on the C-branch project began in May 2026 and is scheduled to run through spring 2027, according to the MBTA. The design-build team, Jacobs-Barletta, opened new platforms at Englewood Avenue and Tappan Street stations in July and restored adjacent median angle parking, according to a town of Brookline update.

As part of the project, the T is consolidating Fairbanks Street and Brandon Hall into one station and eliminating Kent Street station due to low ridership. The C branch has 13 stations over 2¼ miles of Beacon Street, an average spacing of roughly 900 feet.

More closures are underway. A nine-day service suspension across parts of all four Green Line branches began Saturday, Sept. 26. The MBTA said on X on Monday, Sept. 21 that Brandon Hall has no service through Sunday, Oct. 4, and Dean Road has no inbound service through Friday, Oct. 9. The Green Line has been closed for 78 days through August 2026, more than any other branch, according to the Globe's analysis.

No cost estimate or timeline has been announced for the future platform work needed to match the Type 10 trains. The MBTA expects that by roughly 2030, only Boylston and Hynes Convention Center stations will remain inaccessible, because upgrading those two would cost about $200 million, Brelsford told the Globe.