Red Line riders on the struggle bus

Also: The fascinating history of Boston's oldest Black women-led organization; a Sumner Tunnel closure update [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  February 24, 2023 🌤️ Mostly sunny, with a high of 35. Good Morning Boston, Red Line riders weren't supposed to see shuttle buses until this weekend. There's been a change of plans. - Shuttles are replacing all downtown Red Line service this morning — from Harvard to Broadway — after a piece of "track work equipment" derailed in the tunnel just south of Park Street station around 4 a.m., according to MBTA officials. A single six-car train running back and forth between Harvard and Alewife stations is the only thing providing Red Line service north of the closed off stretch. And it's unclear how long it will take before normal service resumes. So, prepare yourself for a slow commute. - MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said crews need to re-rail and move the piece of equipment off of the main line. After that, they need to make repairs to the track. "The cause of the derailment is under investigation," Pesaturo added. - Remember: Make sure to adjust your weekend plans, too. Shuttle buses are scheduled to replace train service between Alewife and Kendall/MIT on both Saturday and Sunday so crews can work on removing [a pestering slow zone]( near Harvard station. (However, it's unclear if this morning's derailment will affect those plans. Keep an eye on [the MBTA's Twitter feed]( for updates.) - Zoom out: Delays from slow zones on the Red Line have recently skyrocketed to their worst levels in recent recorded history. According to [data tracked by Transit Matters]( total delays from speed restrictions across the line jumped from around 24 minutes to around 40 minutes over the past two weeks. That's [10 minutes worse]( than the delays in [the aftermath of the 2019 Red Line derailment]( that [destroyed several signal sheds](. While derailments make headlines, it's slow zones that really bog down people's lives on a daily basis. - That sound you hear is thousands of East Boston residents — and anyone with Memorial Day or Fourth of July flights planned — letting out a sigh of relief. MassDOT announced yesterday that it's cutting down its [planned four-month closure of the Sumner Tunnel]( to just eight and a half weeks, from July 5 through Aug. 31. It's adding a second similar closure in 2024, but state officials say the two shorter closures will be better for commuters and businesses than the previously planned May-through-Labor Day shutdown. - Why? According to MassDOT, the period from July 4 to Labor Day historically has the lowest traffic volumes of the whole year. Plus, it's outside of the school year. - Worth it: The new plan costs more, but Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver [told State House News Service]( he's "happy to pay those kinds of costs to reduce those impacts." - The back story: The work on the 87-year-old tunnel is overdue. [As MassDOT says]( it's "well beyond patches and repairs: the only way to keep it in service is with a top-to-bottom restoration." That means a total overhaul of its interior walls, ceiling and surface. Since last May, officials have closed down the tunnel almost every weekend besides holidays. Those weekend closures will continue running through June until the first big shutdown. - Most — but not all — of Massachusetts' prospective mobile sports betting operators will be ready for the sector's big launch two weeks from today. Out of the 11 companies that initially applied to run betting apps in the state, only seven will launch on March 10. - Here are the applicants who are poised to start first: - Bartsool Sportsbook - BetMGM - Betr - Caesars Sportsbook - DraftKings - FanDuel - WynnBET - That leaves two other licensees, BallyBet and Fanatics, which won't be ready to launch in Massachusetts until May. Meanwhile, the app Betway is still planning to request a license, but won't launch for about a year. Pointsbet told state officials this week that it's withdrawing its bid. - Psst: It may not feel like spring this weekend, but Sullivan's in Castle Island is officially open for the season as of tomorrow. And there's nothing like a $3 hot dog to warm you up in this cold, blustery weather. - Another reminder that winter isn't quite done with us yet: forecasters are monitoring a potential snow storm next Monday night into Wednesday "[with significant accumulations not out of the question]( P.S.— Do you know who stepped in as interim governor this week while Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll were out of state? Then [take you Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of this week's stories. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [The fascinating history of Boston's League of Women for Community Service]( From hosting dances and plays to providing room and board for women going to local colleges, the League was one of the few places in Boston that offered comprehensive services for people of color, especially Black women. [Read more.]( [The fascinating history of Boston's League of Women for Community Service]( From hosting dances and plays to providing room and board for women going to local colleges, the League was one of the few places in Boston that offered comprehensive services for people of color, especially Black women. [Read more.]( [Healey budget preview outlines boosts to state education funding]( A budget preview released Thursday shows Healy plans to fully fund the Student Opportunity Act, the 2019 school finance reform law that aims to address education equity gaps. [Read more.]( [Healey budget preview outlines boosts to state education funding]( A budget preview released Thursday shows Healy plans to fully fund the Student Opportunity Act, the 2019 school finance reform law that aims to address education equity gaps. [Read more.]( [In Kyiv for a year of war, a former Mass. couple stands strong]( Helen Chervitz and Leon Ryrakhovsky lived in Swampscott for 15 years. After a year of war in Ukraine, they say they still feel relatively safe and plan to remain in Kyiv. [Read more.]( [In Kyiv for a year of war, a former Mass. couple stands strong]( Helen Chervitz and Leon Ryrakhovsky lived in Swampscott for 15 years. After a year of war in Ukraine, they say they still feel relatively safe and plan to remain in Kyiv. [Read more.]( [Here's the most thorough explanation yet for the train derailment in East Palestine]( A wheel bearing on the train's 23rd car overheated to a dangerous degree, a new NTSB report says. An earlier warning may have helped to prevent the derailment, officials said. [Read more.]( [Here's the most thorough explanation yet for the train derailment in East Palestine]( A wheel bearing on the train's 23rd car overheated to a dangerous degree, a new NTSB report says. An earlier warning may have helped to prevent the derailment, officials said. [Read more.]( [Cohasset man charged with hiding crypto mining operation in school crawl space]( A former Cohasset employee is facing charges of allegedly setting up a secret cryptocurrency mining operation in a remote crawl space at a school. [Read more.]( [Cohasset man charged with hiding crypto mining operation in school crawl space]( A former Cohasset employee is facing charges of allegedly setting up a secret cryptocurrency mining operation in a remote crawl space at a school. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - This week's Endless Thread podcast [looks at the ways natural disasters are chronicled on social media]( — from a Twitter user predicting the catastrophic earthquake in Turkey and Syria, to mysterious lights in the sky that help geologists better forecast earthquakes. - In other podcast news: WBUR is teaming up with The Marshall Project on [a new podcast called Violation]( which tells the story of 16-year-old's murder conviction, decades-long incarceration, release and unexpected return to prison. The first episodes will debut this spring, but you can [listen to a sneak peek here](. - Massachusetts officials are [testing out new technology]( to alert drivers who enter highway ramps in the wrong direction. The flashing lights, signs and, at some locations, audible alarms are part of a multi-state effort to address the deadly trend. - As a "Russian-born person turbulently infuriated with my birth country," Anastasya Partan [writes in this Cognoscenti commentary]( that "all of us affiliated with Russia ... have a responsibility to uphold higher standards, especially now."  What We're Reading 📚 - Why Dr. Anthony Fauci, recently retired, will never retire ([The Boston Globe Magazine]( - The Puzzling Gap Between How Old You Are and How Old You Think You Are ([The Atlantic]( - The Case Against Trying To ‘Have It All’ ([Boston Magazine](  Tell Me Something Good [At 92, a Maine woman has been adding to the climate record for more than half her life]( Arlene Cole takes an official reading of the day’s highs and lows in her Maine town — just as she has every day for more than half a century. She’s part of a nationwide network of volunteers who record the daily weather for the NOAA. [Read more.]( [At 92, a Maine woman has been adding to the climate record for more than half her life]( Arlene Cole takes an official reading of the day’s highs and lows in her Maine town — just as she has every day for more than half a century. She’s part of a nationwide network of volunteers who record the daily weather for the NOAA. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common takes us inside [the effort to restore the original building of Boston's oldest Black women-led organization](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: Call it [a traffic PB&J](. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. 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