BOSTON (WHDH) - The MBTA on Monday announced a number of schedule changes to the Commuter Rail network that are slated to take effect this fall.
The schedule alterations, which will be implemented on Nov. 2, are being made in response to changing ridership patterns on the Commuter Rail as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to transit officials.
“These upcoming schedule changes for the Commuter Rail aim to more evenly distribute service, and are being made in response to changing ridership patterns, including when and how commuter riders travel as many work locations in downtown Boston continue to be closed,” MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said. “We continue to prioritize the safety of our riders and workforce through enhanced safety and disinfecting protocols, and requiring face coverings within the system.”
Commuter Rail service was initially reduced in March at the beginning of the pandemic. In June, about 85 percent of normal, pre-pandemic service resumed. Recent data indicates that around 7 percent of morning peak ridership has returned, while all-day ridership is at about 11 percent due to many workplaces in downtown Boston that remain closed.
The goal of the upcoming changes is to accommodate traditional ridership while also adapting service where commutes have changed and where the Commuter Rail may become a new option for some customers, according to the MBTA.
The upcoming changes are as follows:
- Fairmont service: This fall, mid-day service will operate every forty-five minutes (fall 2019 mid-day service operated every sixty minutes).
- Brockton service: This fall, mid-day service will operate every sixty to seventy minutes (fall 2019 mid-day service ranged ninety to 120 minutes).
- Lynn service: This fall, mid-day service will operate every thirty minutes (fall 2019 service ranged thirty to ninety minutes).
- Providence service: Service will also be more evenly distributed throughout the day with consistent, all-day service and sixty-minute headways.
- Worcester service: Better commute options will be offered with the reintroduction of Express trains. The Heart to Hub service on the Worcester Line will also resume, operating at more convenient times and also serving Framingham.
The following Commuter Rail service pilot updates were announced:
- The late-night South Shore schedule change pilot that began in fall 2019 will be paused. This pilot will be considered in the future when ridership and large events in Boston return.
- The Foxboro Weekday Service pilot that began in fall 2019 will be temporarily suspended. This pilot is scheduled to restart in spring 2021.
- The Fairmount Line Weekday Service pilot that added eight additional trips to the Line in June 2020 will continue and be expanded in the fall 2020 schedules. Two more trips will be added in order to provide trains at a regular forty-five-minute interval.
The following Commuter Rail fare pilot updates were announced:
- The Lynn Zone 1A pilot remains in effect through December 31, 2020. This pilot provides additional travel options for North Shore customers, eases crowding on nearby bus routes, and allows the MBTA to collect ridership data related to the effects of temporary fare changes on relieving crowding.
- The Five-Day Flex Pass pilot will be extended to December 31, 2020. The Five-day Flex Pass on mTicket is a bundled fare good for any five days of travel within a thirty-day period.
- The Youth Pass is currently valid on all Commuter Rail Zones with this pilot extended to December 31, 2020. The Youth Pass Program is a partnership between the MBTA and participating cities and towns that offers young adults with low incomes roughly 50 percent reduced one-way fares or $30 monthly LinkPasses and was previously only available on bus and subway.
- The Foxboro Reverse Commute Fare pilot will end on October 30, 2020. This fare pilot offered a fare equal to that of an interzone 4 fare to commuters who traveled from Zone 1A stations on the Franklin and Fairmount Lines to Foxboro in the morning and returned to Boston in the evening.
For more information, visit mbta.com.
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