Find an alternative route during the Orange Line shutdown

Passengers boarded an Orange Line train at the Forest Hills Station.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

Hundreds of thousands of transit riders are being asked to seek alternative routes during the month-long shutdown of the Orange Line, a critical stretch of subway that ferries riders to and from Jamaica Plain, the heart of Boston, and as far north as Malden.

MBTA officials have said that the shutdown will enable crews to complete five years’ worth of critical maintenance work in a matter of weeks. Still, the sudden announcement of the closure sent commuters scrambling to plan alternative routes.

We tried to make sense of the alternative routes with the tool below. Simply choose your origin station and your destination along the Orange Line, and we’ll tell you some of your options for getting there. The tool assumes the closure of the Green Line Extension through North Station, which begins on Aug. 22. Additionally, MBTA officials have urged riders to look into local bus routes and bicycling for some of all of their trip. Bus stops and schedules can be found on the MBTA’s website.

Having trouble with the tool below? Use it here.