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MBTA cuts back service starting tomorrow
By adamg on Mon, 03/16/2020 - 1:32pm
Starting tomorrow, the T will be running Saturday schedules on subway and bus lines, except on the 325, 326, 351, 352, 354 and 501 express routes, which will run at normal scheduled. Commuter rail will also be cutting back and ferries just won't be running at all. The RIDE, however, will continue to operate as normal.
You can figure out why.
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Comments
Counterintuitive
This is counterintuitive. With less service there will be more people crowding onto the remaining trains and buses. Yet the T's website insists "service changes will help riders and employees avoid large crowds and allow for social distancing." Exactly how when you are running less trains and buses? The T is clueless as usual.
Have you been on the T lately?
Not a lot of riders these days.
Elitist
That is a "let them east cake" response. Unlike you, I still need to take the T every day for survival, like it or not. And the more trains there are the less I have to be close to people in this unfortunate time. Cutting backs service is a break-even proposition at best, as even with reduced ridership, reduced trains service means the same amount of people on trains as it would be with full ridership an full service. Very simple.
That is true Adam
As a daily Reading/Haverhill Line rider, I've seen a noticeable drop in ridership over the past week. However, cutting the service to one train every three hours seems to be a bit extreme.
Yeah, subway riders won't
Yeah, subway riders won't even notice the change, bus riders will be somewhat inconvenienced depending on the route, and it's brutal on the Commuter Rail.
The trains are empty.
The trains are empty. There's still plenty of space.
Not empty
There were still enough people on the Blue Line (which is never empty, especially at night) that a guy sat down next to me.There weren't a lot of spaces between occupied seats. It made me nervous because he exhaled kind of loud like a sigh. We can't tell people not to exhale, but they don't have to do it so demonstratively.
Timely response, but...
It seems they didn't consider every aspect of the system. In particular, there are quite a few bus routes that simply don't run on Saturdays - meaning that service on those buses is being entirely cut until further notice. This is problematic because some of these buses have poor/no alternatives - eg. #4 (OL to RL to SL from North Station to the Seaport), #52 (going into downtown and then out again to get from Dedham Mall to Newton/Watertown), #217 and 245 in Quincy, etc. It normally makes sense to not run these routes on weekends because they are somewhat commuter-oriented, but if the T is running full service on express commuter buses like the 325/6 and 501, that reasoning falls apart entirely.
I completely agree with the need to cut service so that T employees can be protected (and to address the sudden drop in demand), but in this case, there should be several exceptions/modifications to the regular Saturday service/schedule.
#85 bus, Somerville to Kendall Square
is another well-used bus route that does not run on Saturdays. People who depend on it will have to switch to roundabout, multiple-transfer routes, or bike instead.
With MIT closed and the
With MIT closed and the majority of people who work jobs in Kendall Sq. telecommuting, the Route 85 ridership is probably very low now. Taking the 91 to the Red Line as an alternative is longer, but people aren't stranded. The routes that wont have service are :
4, 19, 29-(except Sat night), 52, 67, 68, 79, 84, 85, 114, 121, 131, 170, 217, 221, 245,424, 428, 434, 439, 451, 456, 502, 503, 505, 554, 556, 558, CT2, and CT3, Most of them provide service in areas where there are other alternatives (which is one reason why they don't have Saturday service to begin with) while the routes that serve unique locations (like the 439 to Nahant) are places were ridership is very low under normal conditions.
Most
Being the key word in your comment.
"Most" doesn't cut it for custodial workers, grocery store workers, etc. who do not necessarily have a car or parking space at their workplace. It also doesn't account for the elderly, some of whom rely on the bus because they don't have anyone local taking care of them - they still need to get to grocery stores and pharmacies, and perhaps medical appointments. This is true for the 52, which serves quite a few seniors trying to get to Dedham Mall. (The 52 actually had Saturday service up until the ~2012 fare hikes/service cuts combo, not because of excessively low ridership but because the T wanted to cut costs on routes with relatively low ridership, plus the convenient fact that Newton, Watertown, WR, and Dedham aren't exactly "environmental justice" or "minority" areas.)
Also note that even when there are alternatives, such as the 501 (Brighton-Downtown express, which can be substituted by 57 to GL), the T is providing full weekday service. They have also revised their initial plan to add a slightly modified 504 (Watertown-Copley-Downtown express) service, even though there is an excellent, high-frequency alternative (71 to RL) available.
The schedule they are running
The schedule they are running is the usual Saturday holiday schedule for MLK day and Preseidents Day, which is the regular Saturday schedule plus extra service on the 7, 325, 326, 351, 352, 354, 501, and 504. On Saturdays and middays, the 504 operates via Copley, which covers the 502.
Under present conditions, should elderly people be taking a bus to the mall? It is true that a few places like Nahant, Beverly, and parts of Milton are left without bus service with this schedule, but besides lower ridership, the MBTA has to assume that part of their own workforce are going to get sick. They won't be able to run evrything even if they try. If things get much worse, the next phase will be operating Sunday schedules, and if things are really bad, no service at all.
Commuter buses are already limited.
When you see the word commuter it usually means two buses in the am and two after 5. Commuters.
Correct. They had two months
Correct. They had two months to put together a proper pandemic reduced service plan.
Instead they did absolutely nothing and are acting like Saturday service makes any sense at all on a weekday.
The RIDE, however, will
ummm....
Nah - it's too easy a shot.
In related news...
Headlines cut back on extra letters.
I left the middle O off for savings
No? Oh, OK, fixed.
Do Keep In Mind...
The MBTA Spring 2020 timetable entered effect just yesterday {Sunday, March 15} and is generally structured by "day type":
- Sunday
- Weekday
- Weekday NO School
- Saturday
All directly operated MBTA services are governed by this master timetable. All the bus operators and train/trolley motorfolk picked their work assignments three months ago. The Inspectors also have their own picked work; that is, which station or other locations they'll be posted at.
The simple fact is that tonight the MBTA cannot call everyone due to work Saturday in tomorrow; then give the weekday folks the day off.
Essentially, this emergency timetable is the manual and, eh, kinda extemporaneous reshuffling of everyone's work assignments.
As to overcrowding: Ridership is lower overall and particularly during "office rush hours"... But note that working class and poor folk typically have very different rush hours. Just post up at State Street and watch the Blue Line from 9:30p to 11:30p, for example.
Now the kicker: the SPAN of service shall be the biggest change for many bus routes. Your bus route starting just a half hour later, or ending a half hour sooner will have dramatic impact. Consider how awkward transfers are just normally.
Correct
they need fair adjustments to their schedules too
Restore full service to Blue Line
The Blue Line was very crowded this morning due to the infrequency of the trains. A lot of working class people (myself included) need to ride the Blue Line despite current circumstances. I wish the T had been more selective in cutting back services rather than a blanket, one-size-fits-all cutback. Maybe commuter rail riders from leafy suburbs can telecommute, but a lot of us inner city workers cannot. For safety the Blue Line needs to be restored to full service as soon as possible.