Riding Fairmount Line will be free during repairs on Red Line

Travel on the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line will be free during the two weeks the Red Line’s Ashmont branch and Mattapan Line will be closed later this month, the MBTA has announced.

The mass transit agency is performing major track improvements across the Ashmont branch and the Mattapan Line from Oct. 14-29, replacing train service with shuttle buses.

The Fairmount Line could be an alternative for some commuters in Dorchester and Mattapan during the temporary shutdown. The line’s fall/winter schedules are available at mbta.com.

“The upcoming work on the Ashmont branch and Mattapan Line is critical to addressing and improving safety and reliability along this stretch of the Red Line, and the complete closure of these lines allows us to accomplish vital work in 16 days. While this service change will be challenging for our riders, they have let me know that they appreciate that we are committed to improving their travels,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng in a news release.

He added: “By offering alternative shuttle bus service and now announcing free travel on the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line during the closure, we want our riders to know that we want them to continue to use mass transportation while we perform this work, and that we value and understand how they rely on the MBTA and the services we provide.”

Last month, the MBTA held a virtual meeting on the temporary closures of the transit lines and an in-person hearing at the Great Hall of Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester.