It's Friday. The MBTA is taking the Green Line's D branch out of service for a week starting tonight. It's the first of three big Green Line closures the T has planned this fall, as they work to install the overdue Green Line Train Protection System. MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said during a meeting yesterday that the T should have the safety technology installed on the D and E branches, as well as dozens of trolleys, by the end of this year. (The system won't be fully implemented until 2028.) What that means for Green Line riders, however, is several service disruptions over the next few months, including a big one in December. Here's the outlook: D branch diversion — Oct. 24 to Oct. 31: Starting at 8 p.m. tonight and continuing through Halloween next Friday, shuttle buses will replace trolley service between Riverside and Kenmore (just like the nine-day D branch closure last month). 
- Free shuttles will hit every closed stop between Riverside and Kenmore — except Beaconsfield (since it's so close to the C branch's Dean Road stop).
- Express shuttles will also run directly between the Newton stops and Kenmore. Still, the T says commuters riding downtown from Riverside should expect 30-45 additional minutes of travel time. The T has more details on its website.
- The City of Boston is also offering riders five free Bluebikes rides of up to 30 minutes during the diversion. To redeem the offer, use code MBTAGREEN1024 in the rewards section of the Bluebikes app, while supplies last.
Green Line Extension diversion — Nov. 4 to Nov. 13: Starting at 8 p.m. the following Tuesday (which is also Election Day for many local cities), the T is beginning a nine-day suspension of all Green Line service north of Park Street for GLTPS work. 
- Free shuttles will run between North Station and Medford/Tufts. But between North Station and Park Street, your alternative is taking the Orange Line and connecting via the semi-secret tunnel to Downtown Crossing (just watch your head). All told, the T says the full commute will take around 45 minutes longer than usual.
- There's no free shuttle service to Union Square. But if you're headed downtown, the T says the "best alternative" is taking the 109 bus to the Green Line's East Somerville station, the Orange Line's Sullivan Square station or the Red Line's Harvard station. The T are more details about other bus options here.
Green Line tunnel closure — December: Eng's presentation Thursday also indicated that the MBTA is planning a roughly two-week closure of the Green Line's core tunnel between North Station and Kenmore in the middle of December. Service on part of the B branch and all of the E branch between Copley and Heath Street would also be suspended. The work will primarily focus on removing the wooden trough that houses overhead wires in the Green Line tunnel, as well as the GLTPS project, according to the MBTA. - A spokesperson for the T said the agency is still finalizing plans for the December outage, but expects to release more details within the next week or two.
In other news: It's official: The fight over the mayor of Quincy's planned 79% raise won't be on the ballot — at least not this fall. This week, a judge denied an emergency request by supporters of the proposed referendum to repeal the raise to put the question on the Nov. 4 ballot. Norfolk County Superior Court Judge Rosemary Connolly noted that the ballots have already been printed, and many have already been mailed out. "At this late hour, it would be impossible to grant Plaintiffs' relief," she wrote. (ICYMI: WBUR's Simón Rios has the backstory on the legal fight here.) - What's next: Gerry McDonough, the lawyer representing the group behind the ballot petition, said the measure could still be put on the ballot in 2026 or 2027, if the lawsuit ultimately wins in court. (The mayor's raise wouldn't take effect until the start of the next term on Jan. 1, 2028.) Another hearing on the lawsuit is scheduled next Thursday. "We will continue to take it one step at a time," McDonough said yesterday.
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