Overview
- The MBTA, in a May 15 letter, told Boston it intends to take temporary control of two blocks of Summer Street by South Station and close them for up to 10 hours on each of seven match days.
- City officials objected to what they call an improper use of eminent domain that bypasses local permits and said they will consider only shorter or partial closures after previously agreeing to June 13 and June 19.
- MBTA leaders say the closure is a public safety step to queue and screen large crowds, with a security posture near South Station designed to mirror Gillette Stadium and an expectation of roughly 20,000 riders per match.
- Boston warns weekday shutdowns would choke a key route, disrupt nearby businesses, and affect I‑93 ramp access, while proposing Dewey Square and the Rose Kennedy Greenway as staging areas that the MBTA says would create bottlenecks and new risks.
- Negotiations continue with the first local match on June 13, and the MBTA says it will proceed with a temporary seizure if no permit is reached, citing crowding problems during a March France–Brazil friendly as a lesson for this plan.