Tracking Transportation/ Transportation

T’s commuter rail adding late night, peak service

Several lines to offer 30-40 minute headways to meet demand

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THE MBTA’S commuter rail service operator is preparing to expand service this fall, adding late-night departures from Boston and more trains during peak periods on select lines to meet increased demand.

The commuter rail operator, Keolis Commuter Services, already offers service at roughly one-hour intervals through most of the day. The new schedule, which begins October 2, will add a late train from Boston on weekdays and weekends to accommodate people with unconventional work schedules or those attending late-night events.

On the Providence-Stoughton Line, the last train will now depart Boston at 11:55 p.m., 55 minutes later than the current schedule. Most other train lines will follow similar schedules. The Needham Line, however, is pushing back the last train on weekdays from 11 p.m. to 11:55 p.m., but retaining 10:15 p.m. for the last train on weekends.

Keolis is also adding trains during the morning and evening peak periods on the Lowell, Fitchburg, Franklin, and Worcester lines, reducing the one-hour interval between trains to every 30 to 45 minutes. For example, trains on the Lowell Line will operate every 35 minutes coming into Boston between 6:25 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. and every 30 to 40 minutes departing Boston between 3:55 p.m. and 6:20 p.m.

Officials said the Worcester Line is shifting from hourly service to 45-minute headways at peak periods.

The changes take the commuter rail system a step closer to the regional rail vision espoused by many rail advocates, who have called for subway-like service on the commuter rail system at 15-minute intervals.

The additions to the commuter rail schedule stand in stark contrast to the retrenchment seen with the MBTA’s bus and subway systems, both of which are struggling to meet already reduced service levels. The commuter rail system, by contrast, appears to be targeting areas for potential growth after emerging from a steep downturn in passenger traffic brought about by COVID.

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Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.

About Bruce Mohl

Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.

“The addition of late-night service has by far been the most requested change from both passengers and the communities served by commuter rail,” said a Keolis spokeswoman in an email.

According to MBTA figures, the commuter rail system has bounced back from COVID better than the subway and bus systems. In July, the latest month for which figures are available on the T’s website, the commuter rail system had 93,071 passenger trips, 78 percent of the level in pre-COVID July 2019. Bus ridership is at 75 percent of pre-COVID levels, while subway ridership is at 53 percent.

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