The Green Line gets messy

Also: The rise of apartment application fees; President Biden's day out in Nantucket [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  November 27, 2023 ⛅ Partly cloudy, with a high of 52. Good Morning Boston, Green Line riders might want to stay home this week and eat what remains of those Thanksgiving leftovers. Today marks the beginning of multiple simultaneous partial shutdowns and early closures on the Green Line, as the MBTA [begins its yearlong campaign to repair track defects and remove slow zones]( across the system. It's going to be a little messy. I mean, just look at this chart: In fact, that doesn't even capture the full picture. Here’s a branch-by-branch breakdown of what riders can expect this week and month: - Downtown (aka the trunk): This is probably the most disruptive. All of the Green Line between North Station and Copley will be closed for nine days, today through next Tuesday, Dec. 5. There's also no replacement shuttle service along this particular stretch. - Your best alternative public transit option? It's probably taking the Orange Line between North and Back Bay stations — a five-minute walk from Copley Square. (You may still need to hop on a shuttle if you're headed farther west.) - The T is also making the commuter rail free to ride between South Station, Back Bay and Lansdowne stations during those nine days. - B branch: Shuttles are subbing in all day between Copley to Babcock Street through Dec. 5, but it’s normal trolley service from there to Boston College. The [57 bus]( is also free between Kenmore and Packard’s Corner. - C branch: You’ll have to take a shuttle this week between Copley and Kenmore Square. But all the above-ground C branch stops are running as usual. - D branch: You’re mostly good — for now. While there are shuttles between Copley and Kenmore, Green Line service is running as normal between Riverside and Kenmore this week and next. That said, D branch from Riverside to Kenmore will be suspended and replaced by shuttles for 10 days later this month (Dec. 11 to Dec. 20). - E branch: The entire southern leg of the E branch (from Copley to Heath Street) is suspended from today through Tuesday. And while there won't be any special shuttles, the T is making the 39 bus — which [basically runs the same route]( — free to board along the stretch. - Green Line Extension: Trolleys are running as normal during the day this week. But [everything north of North Station]( will shut down each night at 8:45 p.m. for the next two weeks — today through Dec. 10 — so crews can fix those [slightly too narrow]( tracks. - On the Medford branch, there’ll be free shuttle buses replacing service (including from Lechmere to North Station). There won’t be shuttles to Union Square station, so the T suggests using [other bus routes](. For reference, [this map]( from September still holds up. - Heads up: It's worth noting that the all-day downtown Green Line closure will also be [extended from North Station to Lechmere next Monday and Tuesday]( (Dec. 4-5). Shuttle buses will replace service between those stations during those two days. - OK, one last thing: Haymarket station will remain closed through Dec. 16 as demolition work wraps up on the Government Center Garage. It's the final planned closure for the redevelopment project, but it does mean no Green Line Service (and no shuttles) between Government Center and North Station. As usual, the T suggests riders take the Orange Line or walk between the stations. Now, in other local news: - Sound off: Cambridge is holding a public hearing this afternoon on a proposal to phase out the use of gas-powered leaf-blowers in the coming years over environmental and noise concerns. Residents can [weigh in over Zoom or email](. - The deets: If approved, the ordinance would prohibit residents from using gas leaf blowers in 2025. Businesses and city agencies would be banned from using them two years later, in 2027. - Zoom out: At least five other Boston-area suburbs have moved to implement year-round bans on gas-powered leaf blowers, [the Boston Herald reports](. Many others have seasonal restrictions. - College buddies: UMass Lowell and Bunker Hill Community College are marking a new admissions partnership today. UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen says the agreement will allow Bunker Hill students to transfer coursework from their two-year programs to UMass Lowell, without having to go through "the whole process of applying and figuring out how many of the credits transfer." - By the numbers: UMass Lowell says that 10% of its students are already transfers from Bunker Hill. P.S.— Radio Boston is kicking off the week with an interview with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. Have a question for the mayor? Send it in [through our text group](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [For many renters, apartment application fees add up. Some are illegal]( Rental application fees are on the rise in this high-priced market. At some apartment showings, dozens of people pay the fees. For brokers, it's unethical; for landlords, it's barred by law. [Read more.]( [For many renters, apartment application fees add up. Some are illegal]( Rental application fees are on the rise in this high-priced market. At some apartment showings, dozens of people pay the fees. For brokers, it's unethical; for landlords, it's barred by law. [Read more.]( [Police arrest suspect in the shooting of 3 men of Palestinian descent in Burlington, Vt.]( Police say a suspect has been arrested in the shooting of three young men of Palestinian descent who were attending a Thanksgiving holiday gathering in Burlington, Vermont. Police one of the men has suffered serious injuries and the others are in stable condition. [Read more.]( [Police arrest suspect in the shooting of 3 men of Palestinian descent in Burlington, Vt.]( Police say a suspect has been arrested in the shooting of three young men of Palestinian descent who were attending a Thanksgiving holiday gathering in Burlington, Vermont. Police one of the men has suffered serious injuries and the others are in stable condition. [Read more.]( [Scientists, Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe work to solve mysteries of stripers, herring]( Scientists and Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal officials think a small population of striped bass could be defying their migratory nature. And that, in turn, could be impeding efforts to restore a second fish species: herring. [Read more.]( [Scientists, Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe work to solve mysteries of stripers, herring]( Scientists and Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal officials think a small population of striped bass could be defying their migratory nature. And that, in turn, could be impeding efforts to restore a second fish species: herring. [Read more.]( [Israel and Hamas hint at extending truce as more captives are slated to be freed]( Monday marks the official end of a four-day cease-fire deal between the two sides, but an extension looked likely. Over that time 58 Hamas hostages have been exchanged for 117 Palestinian prisoners. [Read more.]( [Israel and Hamas hint at extending truce as more captives are slated to be freed]( Monday marks the official end of a four-day cease-fire deal between the two sides, but an extension looked likely. Over that time 58 Hamas hostages have been exchanged for 117 Palestinian prisoners. [Read more.]( [Family lunch, some shopping, a Christmas tree lighting: President Joe Biden's day out in Nantucket]( Biden spent much of his day after Thanksgiving on Nantucket focused on work. But he was able to get out for some play on Black Friday. [Read more.]( [Family lunch, some shopping, a Christmas tree lighting: President Joe Biden's day out in Nantucket]( Biden spent much of his day after Thanksgiving on Nantucket focused on work. But he was able to get out for some play on Black Friday. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - A new exhibit at Chinatown's Pao Arts Center by New England-raised artist Amie Bantz uses lunchboxes to examine how people have navigated the complex relationship between food and culture in their childhood. WBUR's Jacob Garcia [explains the story behind it here](. - Now is the time to act if you have an old Gmail or Google Drive you haven't used in a while. Beginning later this week, Google will start deleting "inactive" accounts. [Here's what to do]( if you want to keep your account or save your data. - Everett may not be known for its green spaces, but the city is looking to change that by making [a waterfront park more accessible and climate resilient](. WBUR's Paula Moura reports the city plans to restore a creek that runs through the area, build a board walk, remove invasive species and plant native trees. - ICYMI: Thanksgiving is known for a lot of things: Gathering with loved ones, turkey, cranberry sauce, football games — the list goes on. But lest we forget about the pups. The National Dog Show has also become an annual Thanksgiving tradition. In case you missed it, take a minute to give some love to [this year's winner: Stache!](  What We're Reading 📚 - The Unsettling Lesson of the OpenAI Mess ([The New York Times]( - Brookline banned anyone born this century from buying tobacco in town. The rule is ‘clever,’ but is it legal? ([The Boston Globe]( - How a Maine Businessman Made the AR-15 Into America’s Best-Selling Rifle ([ProPublica](  Tell Me Something Good [Rarely seen Rembrandt etchings make first stop in Worcester on international tour]( On view at the Worcester Art Museum, the touring exhibit from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in the Netherlands features 70 works from the 17th-century Dutch artist. [Read more.]( [Rarely seen Rembrandt etchings make first stop in Worcester on international tour]( On view at the Worcester Art Museum, the touring exhibit from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in the Netherlands features 70 works from the 17th-century Dutch artist. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [interviews the 2024 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year]( about what helped set him apart from his peers. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: The season is upon us, and someone's already in [the holiday spirit.]( 😎 Forward to a friend. 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