MBTA Trains Will Bypass Salem Station In Attempt To Discourage Halloween Crowds
SALEM (CBS) – Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll reiterated that "this is just not the year" to visit the city for Halloween festivities that can draw up to 60,000 people at one time during a fall normal season.
In order to try and keep crowds from gathering on what are traditionally busy weekends leading up to Halloween, all outbound MBTA trains from North Station will bypass Salem Station.
There will also be an 8 p.m. curfew in place for stores and restaurants this Friday and Saturday night, as well as Halloween weekend.
Driscoll said that in a normal year, 50,000-60,000 people descend on Salem on those Saturdays. This year, Salem officials and Gov. Charlie Baker have been urging people not to come to Salem due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"We're concerned with warm weather and this wanderlust that we're seeing with folks who just want to get out, that we're going to have lots of people flocking to Salem," said Driscoll.
Salem previously announced that there would be no music stages, street performers, beer gardens, DJs or fireworks.
"I want to really express how unusual and abnormal it is for me to stand up and tell people not to come to Salem in October. We normally welcome throngs of visitors from around the globe to our community," Driscoll said. "This is just not the year."
In addition to trains skipping Salem Station, the parking facility will be closed to local traffic and only open to MBTA Commuter Rail customers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The same will be the case on October 30 and 31.
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