DNC week schedules for north-side commuter rail

[Ron Newman]

The T has posted PDFs of schedules for North Side commuter rail.

The schedules go into effect at 8:05 pm on Friday, July 23 and remain in effect through Saturday, July 31. If I'm reading the regular schedules correctly, this means that the last movement at North Station on Friday 7/23 will be the 8:00 pm outbound to Rockport.

(The T has in the past said that normal service was to be restored by mid-day Friday, July 30 . Guess not!)

[efin98]

What is the point of goign to Chelsea of the buses from Chelsea to Boston are redirected to the Blue Line after the Tobin closes? the vast majority of riders are going to get off at Lynn to get to Wonderland, why not just end there?

[Ron Newman]

The point is not to entirely deprive Chelsea of commuter rail service. People do ride between there and outlying points.

Similarly, Lowell Line trains will continue to run to West Medford even though the preferred transfer point is Anderson/Woburn. And that's a Very Good Thing, since I'm planning to take the train between West Medford and Lowell for three days in a row, July 23-25 (for the Lowell Folk Festival).

I think closed roads such as the Tobin are still open to T buses, but I could be wrong about that.

[BC Eagle]

According to the Globe, riders getting off the Commuter Rail in Lynn will board shuttle buses to South Station via Rt 1A and the Ted Williams Tunnel. They will not be shuttling inbound commuters in the morning to Wonderland because they don't believe the Blue Line has the capacity to handle the additional riders during the morning rush hour. If I remember correctly, commuters will not be shuttled to Wonderland until after 10am. All outbound commuters will be able to board shuttles from Wonderland to Lynn for transfer to the Commuter Rail. The shuttle bus to South Station is expected to add 50-75 minutes to the commute time.

[ST214]

Will there be a shuttlebus to anywhere out of Porter Square, or anywhere to Porter Square???

[BC Eagle]

The Fitchburg commuter rail line will terminate at Porter Square where commuters will transfer to the Red Line.

[Ron Newman]

And the Haverhill Line will terminate at Oak Grove (not Malden) where passengers will transfer to the Orange Line.

[ST214]

can someone download and send me the Fitchburg Line DNC schedule please???

Thanks in advance!!

[Ron Newman]

I don't understand -- why can't you download it yourself?

(You don't have an e-mail address displayed, so nobody can send it to you anyway.)

[tabslate]

maybe they should bring some of the bilevels up from the south side that week so that they can handle the extra capacity from people who cant drive into the city.

[ST214]

I will add my e-mail address into my profile. I can't download it because the computer will not do it and i can't download the free software because the computer is not mine.

[Ron Newman]

Outbound Lowell Line trains are leaving West Medford about 14 minutes earlier than the regular schedule, and waiting that amount of time at Anderson/Woburn before continuing north.

Is there some reason that West Medford is an unsuitable layover point on weekdays? The weekend trains are on the normal schedule (other than not going to and from North Station).

[ST214]

I notice that Fitchburg has a final destination of Park St. via Red line, and has times listed. Will there be a Red line train waiting to meet inbould trains at Porter Square???

[Ron Newman]

I hope not! Dwelling an inbound Red Line train at Porter Square would delay service on that line. Red Line trains are frequent enough that this is not necessary or desirable.

[caduceus]

I hope not! Dwelling an inbound Red Line train at Porter Square would delay service on that line. Red Line trains are frequent enough that this is not necessary or desirable.

Except the trains will be full already when the arrive at Porter with all the peeps who drove to Alewife instead...