The Boylston Green Line station, known for its iconic screech as trains pass through, fell silent on Feb. 22 and 23 for routine maintenance work. The silent station echoed similar patterns throughout 2024, as full-service shutdowns were scattered across the system.

The MBTA’s Track Improvement Program began in November 2023 with the goal of completely eliminating slow zones over the course of 2024. In December, the work finally concluded, removing over 220 identified slow zones. 

After a year of extended shutdowns, shuttle buses, and exhausted sighs from over 700,000 weekly commuters, one question remains for riders of the MBTA system: Was it all worth it?

“Our goal is to continue the positive momentum by focusing on accessibility and signal upgrades in 2025,” said MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng in a press release. The MBTA will continue to stay “on top of preventative maintenance to ensure the T delivers safe, reliable, and frequent service to best serve the public today as we build for future generations.” 

According to a data analysis by TransitMatters, the western branches of the Green Line saw minimal time improvements despite the track work. Additionally, the central line between Kenmore and Government Center had an average speed of just 9.8 mph last month, significantly slower compared to the achievable speed on the Red Line, which hit 50 mph after the program. Riders are still seeing delays during the week due to disabled trains, emergencies, and infrequent trains, TransitMatters found. 

Jaylon Toler, a senior at Berklee College of Music who lives off of Chinatown, said he takes the train from Boylston every day to get to Back Bay, but hasn’t seen improvement. 

“I haven’t seen any changes,” Toler said. “There have been times where I have been late to rehearsals because the train is stopped and then I find out there has been a collision on the train tracks.”

Benjamin Pelon, a graduate student at Boston University, has lived in the Boston area for over 20 years, and said another issue that continues to annoy riders is the noise.

“One point of continued improvement in this loud space is the noise management,” said Pelon, as the shriek from the train rang through the underground station. “It is disruptive for neighbors and for people riding the T to be in a screechy vehicle.”

Pelon said the MBTA needs to continue to “make incremental progress so that people can buy back into using the T and seeing it consistently being an option for them.”

“I know not everything is going to be perfect, but you should still see an improvement when trains come and go,” said Toler. 

Olivia Peters, a freshman visual media arts major at Emerson College, uses the train one to four times a week to get to sets for student films. She said she hasn’t noticed much of an improvement in speed, rather the repeated shutdowns have been more noticeable. 

“It would be nice if they were faster, but overall I just wish they would stop shutting down so often,” Peters said.

TransitMatters said that the T has scheduled 5% to 15% more service on the Green Line than it has ever delivered every day of 2024, “reflecting an inability or difficulty in planning actual trip times and the availability of crews and trains.” 

The TransitMatters data analysis said there were time improvements along the Orange and Red Lines above 20%. For all of the lines, the next improvements are aimed at adopting newer cars and repairing power and signal issues. 

The completion of the Track Improvement Program hasn’t put a stop to the shutdowns for good. Regular maintenance and work on signal upgrades are expected to continue through June. 

“The MBTA is now well-positioned to quickly respond to any track issues that may arise,” the press release read. “If and when new restrictions are required, they will be addressed promptly to continue to provide riders with the safe and reliable service they deserve.”

TransitMatters said it is difficult to conclude if the shutdowns were “worth it” for individual riders, but by looking at the data, “the T was successful in its goals.” 

“The T is faster, safer, and better managed than it’s been in decades. There’s plenty of work left to bring the T to world-class status, but the T is back on track, heading in the right direction,” the statement read.

Emma Rooney and her family moved to Boston this past summer, where the T is their main mode of transportation as they don’t have a car in the city. She takes the Green Line to Riverside during the week to get to her daughter’s preschool and said she hasn’t had to wait “quite as long” when coming back into the city.

“We’ve lived in a lot of different places, and many cities really have no reliable public transport or it’s just a really lackluster single line,” Rooney said. “This is by far one of the most robust systems that I’ve encountered.” 

Rooney said she understands the general frustration with the MBTA system but believes their work has been worthwhile.

“I think maybe just in general, the MBTA needs to do more to prove to the people who have lived here longer that it’s a pretty good system to revitalize the amount of people who use it,” said Rooney. “It’s pretty darn good.”