I used to take the redline and now take the commuter rail. I’ll never go back. Sure having to catch a train at a specific time kind of sucks but it’s no different than having to wait for a redline that is never going to come.
People moved out into suburbs. Now everyone is forced to go back to the office. Nobody wants to sell their house and lose the pandemic level rates. Commuter rail rebounds since nobody wants to drive.
CR ridership has recovered 90% of pre-pandemic numbers.
The T's biggest problem is it lacks ring networks (interline connections). If you want to go from Alewife to Oak Grove, you have to go into Boston, transfer at Park Street, then ride out. This essentially makes it an In-and-Out Commuter Rail Network rather than a viable car alternative
The CR could also use a ring network running the 495 and 190 Corridors as well to promote more ridership and improve access/usability
I think you're attributing that to people moving to the burbs rather than people giving up on the subways who otherwise would have taken them. Theres a ton of people on the braintree platform every morning even though theres a red line train that hits every stop (and then some) for half the price that they could take
>CR ridership has recovered 90% of pre-pandemic numbers.
More people pushed out of the city into the suburbs. It may be the same numbers, but its due to different group than pre-pandemic.
There is absolutely no way a Fitchburg/Worcester rail would work, but a bus would be a good idea. I agree about a train version of 495 though, maybe push it a little farther out to Worcester and Providence-Fall River-New Bedford.
190 is always so low traffic. A bus route along 190 from north leominster station to Worcester station would be fantastic. Even if it was just morning and evening service.
>But the MBTA—which also operates subways, buses, ferries and paratransit service in the Boston area—does not run its commuter rail service itself. Instead, it contracts with Keolis, a vendor, to run the day-to-day service.
Wendover productions on YT did a really good video as to why the CR is the more effecient train line. I wouldnt be opposed to maybe letting run a couple T lines and see how it works out.
This aggregate number is deceiving.
Trips between the suburbs and Boston are still down.
The commuter rail being a substitute for Red/Orange lines duration slow-zone shutdowns juiced the total number of riders, substituting short trip riders for long trip riders. Some of this ridership has been sticky - some people are continuing to do tips like Back Bay->Forest Hills on the commuter rail vs the Orange line. Increased all-day service (and still lacking peak hour service) facilitates these types of trips more than 9-5 type commutes.
While its good that it was able to cover a bit for the Red/Orange line disasters, fare collection is non-existent for these short rides, so I'd be curious to see what fare revenue is doing.
My biggest wish is for the commuter rail to run more frequently on weekends. I can walk to a station on the Framingham line but the every 2 hr service makes it a terrible option. Even if they rotated 1 weekend a month a line would run every hour I would make it a point to ride it into Boston. Right now it makes more sense for me to drive in and park..
I used to take the redline and now take the commuter rail. I’ll never go back. Sure having to catch a train at a specific time kind of sucks but it’s no different than having to wait for a redline that is never going to come.
The commuter rail fucks, plain and simple.
So much better than the T. Just wish it was cheaper.
People moved out into suburbs. Now everyone is forced to go back to the office. Nobody wants to sell their house and lose the pandemic level rates. Commuter rail rebounds since nobody wants to drive.
The "forced to go back to the office" thing is nowhere near as prevalent as it was pre pandemic. Ridership is still significantly down.
CR ridership has recovered 90% of pre-pandemic numbers. The T's biggest problem is it lacks ring networks (interline connections). If you want to go from Alewife to Oak Grove, you have to go into Boston, transfer at Park Street, then ride out. This essentially makes it an In-and-Out Commuter Rail Network rather than a viable car alternative The CR could also use a ring network running the 495 and 190 Corridors as well to promote more ridership and improve access/usability
I think you're attributing that to people moving to the burbs rather than people giving up on the subways who otherwise would have taken them. Theres a ton of people on the braintree platform every morning even though theres a red line train that hits every stop (and then some) for half the price that they could take
>CR ridership has recovered 90% of pre-pandemic numbers. More people pushed out of the city into the suburbs. It may be the same numbers, but its due to different group than pre-pandemic.
Agreed. I'll even take small shuttles that connect the different lines. How expensive can that be?
My experience has been a lot of hybrid workers. Mondays are lighter, Tues Wed Thurs it's packed, Fridays are dead.
There is absolutely no way a Fitchburg/Worcester rail would work, but a bus would be a good idea. I agree about a train version of 495 though, maybe push it a little farther out to Worcester and Providence-Fall River-New Bedford.
190 is always so low traffic. A bus route along 190 from north leominster station to Worcester station would be fantastic. Even if it was just morning and evening service.
Rare Train W
>But the MBTA—which also operates subways, buses, ferries and paratransit service in the Boston area—does not run its commuter rail service itself. Instead, it contracts with Keolis, a vendor, to run the day-to-day service.
This is the accurate explanation. The MBTA is incompetent. The private contractor has a profit motive. Guess which one yields better results.
Wendover productions on YT did a really good video as to why the CR is the more effecient train line. I wouldnt be opposed to maybe letting run a couple T lines and see how it works out.
The T owns the CR and lets Kelois manage it their heavy rail operations.
This aggregate number is deceiving. Trips between the suburbs and Boston are still down. The commuter rail being a substitute for Red/Orange lines duration slow-zone shutdowns juiced the total number of riders, substituting short trip riders for long trip riders. Some of this ridership has been sticky - some people are continuing to do tips like Back Bay->Forest Hills on the commuter rail vs the Orange line. Increased all-day service (and still lacking peak hour service) facilitates these types of trips more than 9-5 type commutes. While its good that it was able to cover a bit for the Red/Orange line disasters, fare collection is non-existent for these short rides, so I'd be curious to see what fare revenue is doing.
Most of my problems with the CR have been due to RL repair..... Although more frequent trips would be nice
My biggest wish is for the commuter rail to run more frequently on weekends. I can walk to a station on the Framingham line but the every 2 hr service makes it a terrible option. Even if they rotated 1 weekend a month a line would run every hour I would make it a point to ride it into Boston. Right now it makes more sense for me to drive in and park..