The Red Line will remain closed between JFK/UMass and Kendall/MIT through Aug. 25 for repair work, leaving riders to navigate shuttle buses and alternate routes through the week.

Free shuttle buses will replace the Red Line during the outage, the MBTA reported in announcements. The shuttle will skip Park Street and has “an indirect stop at Downtown Crossing,” the T continued, recommending riders catch the shuttle at Haymarket and State Street instead.

“Transit Ambassadors and other MBTA personnel will be available to assist riders,” T officials said in a release. “We recommend planning for extra travel time.”

The T also warned Kendall/MIT will likely see “high ridership from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.” and recommended travelers find alternative routes.

Two accessible vans will remain at JFK/UMass and Kendall/MIT during the outage, the T said, with an extra van available at Downtown Crossing from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

To assist travelers, the T said, fares are free at JFK/UMass and Kendall/MIT for the week. The Commuter Rail is also free between Braintree and South Station and Porter and North Station during the outage.

T officials said “critical” track work will be completed on the line through the week as part of the Track Improvement Program, which was put in place to eliminate 191 speed restrictions and bring all tracks up to “good repair” by the end of 2024.

“The important work accomplished during this Red Line service suspension means riders will experience a more reliable trip with fewer unplanned service disruptions related to older tracks, older infrastructure, signal issues, or power problems,” the T wrote. “Riders will also be provided with a safer ride as a result of this state of good repair work.”

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The outage will be followed by a second longer closure on the Red Line from JFK/UMass to Braintree between Sept. 6 and Sept. 29.

T officials recommended riders subscribe to T-Alerts on the website and follow the MBTA on X, formerly Twitter. More information on the outage and alternate route options is available on mbta.com/redline.

MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng (Herald file)