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MBTA to offer $10 weekend passes for commuter rail this summer
By adamg on Mon, 05/21/2018 - 3:45pm
The MBTA today announced a summer weekend fare on commuter rail of just $10 - good for unlimited travel on all trains through all zones on Saturdays and Sundays - except for the Cape Flyer.
The new weekend fares start June 9 and run through Sept. 2, with the T looking to see if it can drum up usage on trains that are running anyway, but currently with lots of empty seats. Adults can bring two kids with them apiece at no charge.
The $10 fare will be available on mTicket, onboard trains, and at ticket windows at North, South, and Back Bay Stations.
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Comments
Can you link to the press release please?
Also, is this $10 for a single day's unlimited travel, or $10 for an entire weekend (Saturday + Sunday)?
the whole weekend
https://mbta.com/news/2018-05-21/special-10-summer-weekend-commuter-rail...
This is probably the clearest article i could find
http://wbsm.com/mbta-offering-special-summer-weekend-rates-for-commuter-...
It appears to be for both Sat & Sun on lines which run both days.
Another link from commonwealth mag
I had some problems with the first link for ablittle while, content is probably pretty similar.
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/transportation/t-approves-10-weekend-co...
Worcester here I come!
Worcester here I come!
But take note of service interruptions on Worcester line
Parts of the Framingham-Worcester commuter rail service will have bus substitution this summer, in two phases. And the T says that the shuttle buses won't carry bicycles. (Folding bikes are probably fine.)
Great idea
There's two ways to get people to use the train:
1. Offer reliable, frequent service.
2. Make it cheap.
If they won't do first, might as well try to latter.
If you don't have demand, why spend the money
I have been observing the nine-ish Needham train (not so long but pathetic nonetheless story) on Saturdays. There are not a lot of people riding it. Why double the trains if you barely get people on the trains that are running?
This should be an interesting experiment. I might even try to get a few trips in this summer. I remember back in 1990 and/or 1991 when one could ride the entire system with any kind of pass on summer week-ends. It was a blast.
Perhaps because you have
Perhaps because you have limited return flexibility with trains every two hours?
Price
And because it costs $6.25 to travel each way from Roslindale and only saves you ten minutes of travel time to Back Bay than bus --> Orange Line.
[edit: I forgot the article is about the $10 weekend special, but the principle remains the same. The fare is too damn high to travel ~5 miles.]
Chicken and egg then
I say, why run more frequently when the ridership doesn’t justify it. You say the ridership isn’t there because of the frequency. I think the cost of the service might be my trump card.
But again, perhaps this experiment will prove the demand is there.
Not Earth-shattering
For the Needham line, if you do one round-trip it's a 20% discount. Fair enough, but not likely to change habits. Maybe if you could also travel on Sunday it would be more exciting (no Needham trains on Sunday.)
A big deal on other lines
A single one-way trip to Newburyport, Gloucester, Rockport, or Providence is $11.50. Even to Lowell, it's $10 one-way. So you save a lot on a round-trip to these and other popular tourist destinations.
Some of these trips are going to get very crowded with bicycles -- to the above destinations and also west on the Fitchburg Line and south on the Greenbush and Plymouth-Kingston lines.
Lowell Folk Festival
For the whole weekend = North Station to Lowell RT $10 total - Hell, yeah.
The pass doesn't include Friday evening
but is still a great deal!
In Chicago
They already have this. It works great! And for things like Lollapalooza, they have a four-day pass for $20, which is valid any time after 9:30 a.m. So for the Lowell Folk Festival, they could have a $15 three-day pass good starting at noon on Friday. Anyway, this is a great idea, and I hope a lot of people ride and the T makes it permanent. (I'll be in Chicago much of the summer, and probably take some weekend trips there, too.)
I hope the T has a good marketing plan for events like that, and also because the Commuter Rail can get you to some pretty nice places from the City. Like Manchester(-by-the-sea) which has a great beach steps from Commuter Rail. Or to ride a bike around Gloucester (or walk to a beach there). Or Lowell, or Worcester, or Providence. Or Concord (and as I've pointed out, maybe they should have a stop at Walden Pond). Or Salem (with the PEM right by the station, and Notch a few steps away, it's easier to get there on the train than driving). It's just too bad that the schedules are so lousy. If ridership spikes, maybe they'd consider some changes.
why not the cape flyer?
Traffic is a disaster down to the cape and letting passengers ride the flyer for ten bucks for the weekend would help reduce the volume of cars and would enable the elderly and inner city teens the opportunity to spend some time on cape cod.
It probably doesn't need an incentive?
Just a guess
They're Different Systems
The CapeFLYER is a collaboration between the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, MassDOT, and the MBTA so that may complicate changing the fare. It also only runs on weekends during the summer, so they're not trying to boost ridership under the same circumstances as the rest of the commuter rail system which has high weekday and low weekend ridership.
CapeFlyer has a $15 same-day Sunday round trip
which is listed on this page. If you want to take a bicycle daytrip on the Cape Cod Rail Trail (which is being extended west, closer to Hyannis), this is ideal.
CC Rail Trail
They are also extending the Rail Trail further north into Wellfleet, with the ultimate goal of reaching Provincetown, and I'm thrilled. The worst part about visiting the Cape is the hours spent sitting in traffic and searching for parking, but you can avoid all this by touring the Cape car-free: take the ferry to P-Town and bike to Hyannis, where you can catch the CapeFlyer home. Currently, the biggest drawback is getting to the trailhead in Wellfleet, which requires riding the sandy shoulder of Rt 6 for a few miles. Extending northward would be a big help.
http://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20180329/cape-cod-rail-trail-expansion-...
No need to ride on rte 6
Man, rte 6 is awful, no need to be there. There's a good route from Ptown that follows the west side of the cape thru Truro into Welfleet center, cross 6 at Long Pond Rd, and go along the beaches 'til you get to the CCRT.
You are right
Yup, I checked the map and it is possible without riding Rt 6, although it looks like you'd need to cross at Truro Vineyards rather than Long Pond Rd. Regardless, I don't know why we chose to ride Rt 6 (maybe we didn't want to add distance on all those winding roads), but I wouldn't want to do it again.
Sorry, I wasn't quite right
It's been awhile.....you may not be able to avoid rte 6 completely. When 6A joins 6, you ride on 6 for about a mile to Castle Rd, then you're clear to Wellfleet Harbor, then cross over rte 6. I think that'll do it, and it's a pretty nice ride.
Will the existing cheaper
Will the existing cheaper fares still apply? For example, if you're going one way to Zone 2, will you pay $6.75? Or will you be forced to pay $10 for a pass you won't need?
But you will be coming back
But you will be coming back right? This is a weekend pass, so unlimited travel for $10 is my understanding. So myself in zone 1 @6.25 is $12.50 for a round trip vs $10 for this deal. If you are just going one way I am sure you could still buy and pay for a one-way trip.
In my scenario, I'm
In my scenario, I'm travelling one way. So I wouldn't be coming back.
How sad
We'll miss you.
I would imagine
They will still have regular fares.
They will
Somewhere in the presentation it says they will honor all regular fares.
Wheeeee!
You are now free to move about the Commonwealth!
My boys and I have a very well run in route to Newburyport. I like to do a tri-state bike ride and get as far as Kittery before turning back for the Newburyport Station and a "sag" back to Boston.
Except it is cheaper and about the same amount of time to ride to Lynn and then the 13 miles home - and those roads ain't so good.
This will allow us, for our $10, to get from Newburyport to Boston, then Boston to West Medford and 1 mile home.
My son is also making plans to ride to Leominster (or just to Concord and then take the train) to visit a buddy, or have said buddy come visit us. Oh, and the boys plan treks out to places not been to before, with a train ride back.
Remember: Singing Beach in Manchester charges admission for walk ons but it is worth it. The station is easy walking distance from the beach - no bike needed.
I still have a freebie pass for PEM for doing one of their customer feedback thingies ...
I think I'll plan a Providence ride, too. Wheee!
So much winning.
haha
This is real MAGA ... none of that fake news shit he spews.
Hate to dampen your excitement
But technically they will MMGA with this. And RI to some extent.
Now offer a discount on parking too
How about a discount on parking at T lots on those same weekends....huh....
The MBTA doesn't own the lots
Some are municipal, some are private.
Sorry, dude.
Is $5 a day really going to break you?
Gee, if the MBTA board can
Gee, if the MBTA board can dictate parking INCREASES, one might think they could also enact a decrease program in a similar way. Or if, as you suggest, on some they can but not at others, do it at the lots where they could.
Why?
It's a weekend, so park on a residential side street nearby and walk to the station. Or ride your bike.
It wouldn't work well at Route 128
So you'd only save the $3.50 from the fare.
so
Do these translate to the T?
Are you asking if the passes are good on the subway?
Not that I can see, no.