By Gina Ingrando

On August 19, the Orange Line was shut down for safety repair work that is scheduled to take at least a month to finish before the line will be running again. Massachusetts residents that travel into Boston by rail were given the notice a week before the shutdown, but some had already heard the rumors of the closure circulating around the city.

To help commuters out with their travels during the day while the line is closed, there will be over 200 shuttle buses available. Riders will also be able to utilize the Commuter Rail, the Silver Line, and Blue Bikes.

This week, I got to speak with Maria Ingrando who is a commuter on the Orange Line and has been for the last 29 years. We got to talking about the time changes in her morning schedule now, what she takes to g et to work, and what her thoughts concerning the shutdown are.

While her trip to work in the morning usually takes around 30 minutes starting at Wellington Station in Medford with the Orange Line, it now takes her a little longer than 45 minutes starting at Beachmont Station in Revere with the Blue Line. The closure has caused her to take a step back in her route before actually being able to head into the city.

When Maria heard about the closure, she was very upset and shared that she believed the repairs would not be done in 30 days. The thought of the repairs not being done within the one-month timeframe they announced makes Maria nervous due to the fact that once school starts again, she has to add in the time it will take to drop her youngest daughter off at school to her commute. This could also possibly cause her to have to switch her commuter route again as well.

Maria says, “Boston should have one of the best transit systems, but it is lacking in so many ways. Other large tourist cities like New York and Chicago have an upper hand on us and I don’t understand why. This shouldn’t be happening. It’s poor management.”

The Orange Line is scheduled to resume operations at 5:00 a.m. on September 19.