Weekend Service Will Be Cut On Some MBTA Commuter Rail Lines Starting Saturday
BOSTON (CBS) - The MBTA will begin trimming service this weekend.
Starting Saturday, weekend train service on most commuter rail lines will be cut back. It will only be offered on the Providence, Newburyport/Rockport, Framingham/Worcester, Fairmont and Middleborough lines.
There will be trains added to the Middleborough, Fairmount, and Newburyport/Rockport lines to fill in previous service gaps and maintain more consistent train intervals.
"These lines experienced more ridership gains over the last several months compared to other lines and serve transit-critical communities. All other Commuter Rail lines will not have weekend service," wrote the MBTA in a press release earlier this week. "Ridership has remained low during the pandemic with approximately 8% of regular weekday ridership in the fall of 2020 compared to fall 2019."
The service cuts come after they were approved by the MBTA's Fiscal and Management Control Board following backlash from advocacy groups and members of the public.
The cuts are not as drastic as what was originally proposed in November. At the time, the MBTA had considered stopping all ferry service, around 25 bus routes and ending late-night and weekend services. But, a poll shows strong opposition to proposed MBTA service cuts, prompting a change from the T.
More information is available at MBTA.com.
