by dm1120
sonicdoommario wrote:Under the old schedule, Providence train 811 (3:30PM from South Station), had a 6 bi-level car train set. The similar train is train 817 now (3:25PM from South Station). I've noticed that this train normally has 4 bi-levels/2 flats.Route 128 and Canton Junction have pretty heavy ridership so it wouldn't surprise me if that factored into their decision to reduce the cars.
The biggest difference is that the old 811 was an all-stop train from South Station to Providence. The new 817 is a Ruggles to Sharon express (skipping Hyde Park/128/Canton Junction), and goes all the way down to Wickford Junction.
Does the MBTA believe they lost a good amount of ridership by removing those 3 stops to justify the smaller train set, that wasn't offset by the new TF Green/Wickford riders?