Some Boston city workers may be able to work from home during the weekslong shutdown of the MBTA Orange Line and closure of the Green Line north of the Government Center.
The city is one of the employers around the area flexing schedules to deal with the sudden closures.
Orange and Green line commuters who work for the city of Boston are encouraged to use other travel options during the closures — Aug. 19 to Sept. 18 on the entire Orange line, Aug. 22 to Sept. 18 for the affected part of the Green Line, Alex Lawrence, the city's chief people officer, told workers Thursday.
And any affected worker who already can work a hybrid schedule was encouraged to ask their manager about working remotely as many as five days a week while their train is down, the letter said.
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But Lawrence did note, "the decision to allow employees additional flexibility to work remotely during this time is left solely up to the discretion of the department and is based on operational needs."
The T is offering shuttle buses along the train routes, is encouraging riders to take Commuter Rail and will work to make more Blue Bikes available.
"This is a fluid situation and the MBTA may make changes in the coming weeks," Lawrence wrote to city workers, adding, "We understand this is a major inconvenience for many of our employees, and the City will continue to support our people through this challenging time."
