97 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

Wicked Local,  7/13/22:

 

 

   MBTA commuter rail service not returning to Plymouth as anticipated  

 

 

The MBTA is not restoring commuter rail service to Plymouth this July as local officials and legislatives had hoped, and there are no plans on the horizon to do so.  

 

Update

[KevinKorell]

MBTA website:

 

 

 

  Foxboro Weekday Service Pilot     

 

 

 

On September 12, 2022, the MBTA will launch a new, year-long pilot to test interest in weekday Commuter Rail service to Foxboro.

 

Read

 

To clarify, a couple months ago service resumed post-pandemic but only in weekday midday periods.   This is a return of rush hour service as well.   Still no weekend trains to Foxboro, save for football specials.

 

Cross-posted in  Commuter Rail and COVID-MBTA forums.

[KevinKorell]

Now service during the rush hours has returned.   From Sun-Chronicle, Attleboro, MA, 9/12/22:
 

   Regular commuter rail service returns to Foxboro  

 
 
 
It was something not often seen on MBTA platforms these days: a group of commuters looking forward to a ride.

 
Article
 
Cross-posted in  Commuter Rail and COVID-MBTA forums.

[KevinKorell]

Streetsblog Mass, 1/11/23:

 

 

  Weekend Commuter Rail Ridership Now Exceeds Pre-Pandemic Volumes    

 

 

While transit ridership in general is still below pre-pandemic levels, weekend traffic on the MBTA’s commuter rail system has bucked that trend, thanks to key operational changes like improved schedules and more frequent service.

 

Read

[CNJRoss]

WBTS (NBC10 Boston), 4/4/23

 

MBTA Trails Other Major Transit Agencies in Bringing Back Riders, Data Shows

 

"I think it has to do with the fact that the T is unreliable and infrequent and people don't trust it," said Brian Kane, executive director of the independent MBTA Advisory Board

 

There's been a springtime sense of optimism surging through major metropolitan area transit systems. Just not at the MBTA.

 

Ridership across the board remains depleted compared to before the pandemic, but at several other agencies, the years-long recovery has reached new peaks.

 

The New York City Subway hit 71% of pre-COVID ridership on March 16, drawing a celebratory press release from Gov. Kathy Hochul. Amid cherry blossom season in the nation's capital, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority provided 405,000 heavy rail trips on March 23, a post-pandemic record that prompted GM Randy Clarke to proclaim "it's busy out there!"

 

Here in Massachusetts, with incoming MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng preparing to take the reins, the performance provides little cause for celebration. Ridership on the MBTA's core subway system has languished amid months of disruption, including safety-related closures and staff-related weekday service cuts. More recently, slow zones have spread across the system, even as passengers continue to flock to the commuter rail in growing numbers.

 

While most transit agencies have experienced seasonal ups and downs in ridership, they appear to be on a gradual upward trajectory from the spring 2020 lows. The T's subway system, by contrast, is stuck on a plateau: the four major lines collectively hit a high of about 55% pre-COVID average weekday ridership in October 2021 and have not advanced much beyond that milestone in the 16 months since then.

 

 

Continue here.  

[KevinKorell]

WFXT-TV, Channel 25 in Boston, MA, 11/17/23:

 

 

    Commuter rail ridership increases, reaches new post-pandemic peak    

 

 

The MBTA and Keolis Commuter Services (Keolis), the Agency’s operating partner for Commuter Rail have announced Commuter Rail ridership has reached a new post-pandemic peak in October.

 

Read

[CNJRoss]

Railway Track and Structures, 11/30/23

 

MBTA: Commuter Rail Ridership Reaches New Post-Pandemic Peak, Exceeds 90% of Pre-COVID Levels

 

BOSTON ––Ridership totals bolstered by Halloween travel to Salem and Fairmount Line ridership boost during the Ashmont – Mattapan closure.

 

The MBTA and Keolis Commuter Services (Keolis), the Agency’s operating partner for Commuter Rail, today announced that Commuter Rail ridership reached a new post-pandemic peak in October. For four weeks, the average weekly ridership of the Commuter Rail systemwide exceeded 90% of pre-COVID levels. While ridership across the Commuter Rail network was high in October, three lines in particular saw significant jumps compared to their September averages: the Newburyport/Rockport, Fairmount, and Franklin lines.

 

 

Continue here.  

[KevinKorell]

Axios,  12/18/23:

 

 

    Boston's transit ridership still flagging    

 

 

Public transit ridership on the MBTA is at 64% of pre-pandemic levels, as subway systems, bus services and light rail lines across the country continue their slow recovery.

 

Story