Commuter Rail Response to COVID-19 Crisis

[Diverging Route]

This morning on 302, 105 passengers, about a quarter of usual.

There's speculation MBTA CR will soon transition to a reduced schedule -- perhaps the "Winter Storm Schedule," a Saturday schedule, or enhanced weekend schedule.

[nomis]

Reduced Service for March 17, 2020
Updated Monday, March 16, 12:15 PM
https://www.mbta.com/covid19

At the start of service on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, trains and buses will run with reduced service to support efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19. In addition, we have increased cleaning and sanitation at stations and on vehicles.

Service changes will help riders and employees avoid large crowds and allow for social distancing. These decisions are based on guidance from public health professionals and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH).

Fairmount
Framingham / Worcester
Greenbush
Kingston / Plymouth
Middleboro / Lakeville
Franklin (and Foxboro)
Needham
Providence / Stoughton

Newburyport / Rockport
Fitchburg
Haverhill
Lowell

[diburning]

This sounds like they threw every media buzzword/phrase they could into the announcement.

Reduced service due to increased cleaning/sanitation - make sense
Reduced service due to lower ridership due to social distancing - makes sense

Service changes will help riders and employees avoid large crowds - In what world does this make sense? Decreased service simply leads to people waiting for the next one, which means more people waiting at stations and more people per vehicle.

[Rbts Stn]

Agreed. It makes total sense to reduce service, but to claim it is for the health of the workers and to avoid crowds by providing fewer trips just assumes we are idiots.

[jamesinclair]

The decision to run Saturday schedule is going to kill people.

https://mobile.twitter.com/alainapinto/ ... 9682918400

[RenegadeMonster]

More trains are being added to the Blue Line and Green Line E Branch to address crowding. Some bus routes will be getting additional service as well.


Noticing there are some odd Commuter Rail train numbers on the schedule, like 7150 on the Newburyport line. Looks like we have Saturday schedule with a couple extras added for Commuter Rail.

[CRail]

The whole point of it is to deter ridership. The government doesn't want people on the trains or buses at all, but acknowledges that it is an essential resource for some. The only people who should be on public transportation right now are those who absolutely must be somewhere and have absolutely no other option.

[diburning]

And, as the MBTA found out the hard way, that the population of people that must travel because they are essential, is larger than they thought.

[BandA]

In Wuhan where the Chinese Coronavirus began, the first thing they did was shut down the public transportation. People died because they had no way to get to the hospital. Also made it impossible to evacuate the people that needed to be evacuated (foreigners, disabled, cancer patients, etc) & to get them their medicine.

[DutchRailnut]

people do not realize how many jobs are essential for society's well being.

https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/file ... jwFxZC1CbA