The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has suspended all subway, bus and commuter rail services in Boston due to the effects of Hurricane Irene.
Starting Sunday, August 28 at 8 a.m. transportation will be shut down because of severe winds, heavy rain and flooding expected to hit the Boston area, according to an MBTA statement.
“This decision has been made with the safety of customers and employees being the MBTA’s top priority at all times,” the statement said. “The suspension of service will also allow MBTA and MBCR personnel to concentrate all of their efforts on making sure the transit system, from subway to bus to commuter rail, is up and running at the start of Monday morning’s commute.”
The storm is expected to hit Connecticut with 70 mile-per-hour winds before entering western Massachusetts.
Services will begin at the normal Sunday hours until 8 a.m. to accommodate shift-changes for medical workers, according to the Boston Globe. The MBTA had originally suspended services for the entire day, but began to receive complaints about transporting third-shifters home and first-shifters on duty.
During the suspension, the RIDE, a Paratransit program provided by the MBTA, will continue to make trips for medical services. Buses will be placed on standby on Sunday in case evacuations are ordered.
In the event of an evacuation, the City of Boston website will post information about emergency shelters and evacuation routes at cityofboston.org/readyboston. Statewide emergency information is available at mass.gov/mema.
Subways, busses and commuter rails are expected to reopen Monday morning, after the storm is expected to pass.
Gov. Deval Patrick made storm preparations Saturday afternoon, deploying national guardsmen and placing state troopers and medical teams on standby.
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