BOSTON (WHDH) - The MBTA is increasing the frequency of Fairmount Commuter Rail trains and allowing passengers to pay with CharlieCards on most Boston stops, officials said Monday.
The T’s Fiscal and Management Control Board approved a pilot program beginning in May that will let passengers use CharlieCards at Zone 1A stops on the Fairmount Line, including Newmarket, Uphams Corner, Four Corners/Geneva, Talbot Avenue, Morton Street, Blue Hill Avenue and Fairmount. It does not include Readville, Dedham Corp Center or Foxboro.
Customers who use CharlieCards will get paper tickets to show conductors, and will be able to use the card for bus transfers similarly to subway trips.
The program will coincide with a year-long pilot to increase in weekday trips along the line – four inbound with an approximate schedule leaving Readville Station at 5:10 a.m., 9:25 a.m., 3:05 p.m., and 3:53 p.m. as well as four outbound with an approximate schedule leaving South Station at 7:35 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 6:50 p.m., and 12:00 a.m.
During the pilot, ridership data will be analyzed and collected via Automatic Passenger Counters (APCs), ridership counts, and passenger surveys. The estimated cost of the added pilot service is $1.2 million per year, which covers transportation, mechanical, management, and marketing costs.
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