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Fairmount Line to get more trains and CharlieCard
By adamg on Mon, 01/27/2020 - 2:44pm
The board that runs the MBTA today approved four extra inbound trains in the morning and four new trains in the evening along the Fairmount Line.
The MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board approved a pilot, to start in May, that will also let everybody who rides the line, except for people getting on or off at Readville, use stored value or a LinkPass on a CharlieCard - which will also give them a free bus transfer. The T will install CharlieCard readers at all stations, again, except Readville, the unloved stepchild of the Fairmount Line, which the T continues to place in a separate zone than the rest of the line.
The platform validators will issue a paper proof-of-payment for customers to show the conductor when onboard the train.
The four new trains will leave Readville - where fares are $4 more per ride than a mile away at Fairmount - at roughly 5:10 a.m., 9:25 a.m., 3:05 p.m., and 3:53 p.m. on weekdays. Extra trains will leave South Station at roughly 7:35 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 6:50 p.m., and 12:00 a.m.
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Comments
Mindboggling
MBTA board is actively working to keep Readville less desirable commuters than elsewhere. Why? Do they not live in the city as well?
in 10 years when those displaced from the Fairmount corridor end up in Readville don't say I didn't warn ya.
Its a joke
Fairmount only has 27 parking spots and HP is rated as Zone 2 in addition to Readville.
They just dont give a crap. With the new housing units in Readville plus the stupid Foxboro pilot, its becoming more difficult to commute in the area.
Conversely
Other than the CharlieCard thing, only 1 or 2 stations on the Fairmount Line differ from the typical MBTA Commuter Rail fare standards.
Are you griping about the new service, too?
Readville always wants to
Readville always wants to make itself known as separate from Hyde Park until situation like these arise.
Build more housing? NIMBY, build in Hyde Park instead
Commuter rail fares? Hey hey hey, we are all part of Hyde Park why don't we have 1a.
Ah Readville is part of
Ah Readville is part of Boston. All stations in Boston should be 1. The cost difference is about $125 a month.
I think you mean 1A. 1 is the
I think you mean 1A. 1 is the first overpriced zone.
I think fares should remain distance-based, rather than distorted by city borders, but the price per mile should be lowered to something not so obscene.
Then explain
Roslindale. It has nothing to do with NIMBY.
O-Well
This does jack shit for me as a daily Readville rider.
It seems like it could be
It seems like it could be could - adding an early train in and a late one out, and shortening some of the voids just before/after peak periods.
On the down side, peak service still not restored to 2002/2003 levels.
Charlie Card receivers
Will be vandalized and destroyed just like the shelters on the Fairmont Line corridors.
Riverside Green Line receivers are being moved to the Fairmount
The same receivers that are always down, barely used, and create headaches for riders and staff alike. The Fairmount gets the junk nobody else wants. And then people wonder why Boston has a racist reputation.
With Cullinane being forced out.
Maybe the lower Fairmount will get some competent leadership. Perhaps someone who knows the ins and outs of the line and doesn't take whatever Pollack says at face value.
Forced out?
That's a mean thing to say about his young children that they forced him out.
So, you swipe your Charlie Card at the
reader on the platform and then get a paper ticket you show to the conductor on the train. Why not just give the conductors Charlie Card readers instead?
Bad blood
CR conductors don't have Charlie readers because of bad blood between the T and the Charlie card vendor. The readers are being moved from green line D branch stops (where they are not much used), not new equipment.
What’s so damn special about Fairmount?
Roslindale Village, Bellevue, Highland, West Roxbury, they’re all basically the same distance as Fairmount from South Station, all within the city of Boston, but a monthly pass costs over $200, instead of $90. And unless you’re buying the monthly pass, no transfers. Let’s be fair about the fares.
It's about underserved communities
It's fairly easy to get from the area around the Roslindale and West Roxbury train stations to Forest Hills, but it's not so easy from Hyde Park. Throw in the lower incomes in the area, and it's an issue of social justice. At the end of the day, though, the MBTA spent coin on getting the line in good order and wants ridership to validate their investment. The Needham Line trains are full at rush hour, so the prices charged are borne out in ridership levels.
But again, we are talking one station (maybe two) whose fares vary from the standard pattern of commuter rail fares. You can always drive to Fairmount and catch the train from there if you want.
But you cant
Because the lack of parking.
Commuter Rail and Hyde Park
Why don't we bring equity to bus and train lines across the city?
It would be great for all city residents to have a more reasonable fare in and out of the downtown on the commuter rail, however, getting to and from any part of Hyde Park is quite a challenge.
How many commuter rail stops are in West Roxbury? How far apart are those stops?
How frequently does the Needham line run in and out of downtown at peak hours? https://www.mbta.com/schedules/CR-Needham/timetable
Hyde Park commuters traveling from Cleary Square to Ruggles and/or Back Bay have only 2 early train options stopping at Hyde Park and Ruggles (6/6:20 a.m.) and then again not till after 9 a.m. https://mbta.com/schedules/CR-Providence/timetable
If they take another train they need to pay extra to take the Orange line back to a stop they just passed.
If they are working at a hospital and/or need to get to the Fenway/Back Bay area they can take the Fairmount train then switch to red to orange or green. Quite a commute to travel 6 miles.
Some of us actually drive to West Roxbury/Roslindale on occasion and pay to park to take the Needham line.
Bus service on Hyde Park Avenue "32" is extremely overcrowded, so much so that in the afternoon the bus often fills up at Forest Hills (start of the line) and leaves people waiting for another one.
The bus yard for BPS busses is in Readville, furthest point from downtown. Those buses travel on Hyde Park Ave to other sections of the city - a traffic nightmare. https://www.universalhub.com/2018/councilors-consider-just-how-t-sucks-b...
As we continue to build new housing across the city equitable transportation is essential for all residents.
Our city is dramatically changing. As we plan for Boston for the future lets be sure we provide opportunity and access for all of her residents.
Took them long enough
I remember they promised Charlie Card readers for the Fairmount Line back in the 1990's when I worked across from South Station. I'll believe it when I see it.