A cascade of overlapping MBTA service suspensions will make this spring a hard one for subway riders as the T accelerates a push to modernize aging infrastructure.

Why it matters: The disruptions are meant to correct years of deferred maintenance.

• The T under General Manager Phil Eng is moving fast on safety and accessibility upgrades — but that means some near-term commuter pain in the busy summer months.

Green Line

The big one: Symphony station shuts down entirely on June 6 for about three years.

• The T is going to install four new elevators and raise platforms for step-free boarding. That work can't be done while trains are running.
• Things will be rough around the Back Bay, Fenway and Northeastern University areas.
• Riders can reach the NEU campus or Prudential stations on foot or connect to the Orange Line at Massachusetts Avenue.

The Green Line's E Branch will go dark between Government Center and Heath Street from May 30 through June 5 to install new safety infrastructure.

• Riders should plan for at least 10 extra minutes schlepping onto what the T is calling an "enhanced Route 39 bus" along Huntington Avenue.

The C Branch is also running short at the moment.

• Outbound trains are skipping the Englewood Avenue station through July 10. Inbound trains bypass Tappan Street through June 12, with outbound trains also skipping Tappan from June 13 through July 10.
• Riders can use the nearby Washington Square, Dean Road or Cleveland Circle stops as alternates.

Red Line

Signal upgrades mean the return of shuttle buses for South Boston, Dorchester and Quincy Red Line riders.

• Both the Braintree and Ashmont branches will see more weekend suspensions between Broadway and Ashmont, and between Broadway and North Quincy, from May 29–31.
• The T says to add 40–50 minutes to their commute for all that busing. Accessible van service is also available on request.
• The Commuter Rail will be free between South Station and Braintree during the work.

Orange Line

• JP and points north have it good. Subway service is running normally on the Orange Line with an expanded spring schedule.
• One small hiccup: The Forest Hills Pedal and Park bike cage remains closed pending repairs.

Blue Line

• Regular service is back following early May infrastructure work.
• Bowdoin Station's lobby escalator remains closed indefinitely until it can be replaced.

The bottom line: Shuttles and shutdowns are part of the compounding cost of an aging transit system getting an overhaul.

• Plan ahead and remember those weekend diversions.

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Former Rep. Barney Frank (D-Brookline.), a driving force behind far-reaching Wall Street reforms following the 2008 financial crisis, died Tuesday night, according to Frank's former campaign manager. He was 86.

The big picture: With a sharp wit and pugnacious outspokenness, Frank became a liberal icon in his three decades in the House.

• He was an architect of the landmark Dodd-Frank Act and a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community as an openly gay member of Congress.

Context: The former lawmaker gave a number of final media interviews from hospice care, warning his party to focus more on "politically survivable" issues and not use the most progressive causes as "litmus tests."

Flashback: The Dodd-Frank Act, named for Frank and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), was a historic overhaul of banking regulations in response to the subprime mortgage crisis that helped trigger the 2008 Great Recession.

• It established new regulatory bodies — including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — and limited banks' ability to make high-risk investments.

A champion of progressive policies, Frank advocated for an end to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, allowing gay and lesbian military members to serve openly.

• He was also a key sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which has not passed but would protect LGBTQ+ workers from discrimination and harassment.

Yes, but: For all his work on gay issues, Frank had a more strained relationship with the transgender community and his nondiscrimination act would have excluded transgender people.

• In interviews given during his final weeks, Frank said he supports efforts to ensure transgender rights but argued that Democrats shouldn't make support for transgender women in sports a "litmus test" for the entire party.

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🎓 Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences voted 458-201 to cap A grades at roughly 20% of students per course, beginning in fall 2027. (Crimson)

• Faculty also approved a companion measure to use average percentile rankings rather than GPA to determine internal awards and honors.

🚔 A Suffolk County grand jury indicted Boston Police Officer Nicholas O'Malley on one count of voluntary manslaughter in the March 11 fatal shooting of Stephenson King Jr. in Roxbury. (Boston.com)

• O'Malley is the first Boston officer to be charged in a fatal on-duty shooting in decades.

🏬 TJX Cos. CEO Ernie Herrman said the Framingham-based retailer now operates in 10 countries and sees potential to add more than 1,700 stores internationally using existing brands. (BBJ)

🏥 Developers want to redevelop the shuttered Carney Hospital campus in Lower Mills. (Dorchester Reporter)

• The $450 million proposal calls for roughly 350,000 square feet of healthcare space, a 100,000-square-foot institutional building, 300 units of family housing and 200 units of senior housing on the 12-acre site.

Card Vault by Tom Brady is a rare nexus, drawing nerds who love football, fútbol, Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering.

• Its appeal? Trading cards.

Zoom in: Panini, the trading cards and collectibles maker, is selling World Cup-themed boxes ahead of the tournament.

• At Card Vault, it'll set you back at least $2,599 (though it's $300 cheaper on Panini's website).
• The Lionel Messi edition is $2,799.
• On the lower end is a 10-card pack starting at $75.

By the numbers: For the Messi pack's price, you could buy most of the store's collectible Pokémon cards combined, or…

• 16 parking spots at Boston Stadium
• 29 tickets to the Boston Express bus
• 35 World Cup commuter rail tickets or
• A month's rent in Boston, if you're lucky.

Tell a fan