Framingham-Worcester Commuter Rail Spared Weekend Cuts

FRAMINGHAM, MA — The MBTA is preparing to cut service beginning this weekend, but Framingham-Worcester commuter line users will be spared from them.

Beginning Jan. 23, weekend commuter rail trains will only run along the Newburyport-Rockport, Framingham-Worcester, Fairmount, Providence and Middleborough lines — that's because those routes have had slightly elevated ridership in recent months.

Commuter rail use is only about 10 percent of normal ridership due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the MBTA. That led the agency to propose serious cuts in late 2020, including suspending ferry service completely, shutting down six commuter rail stations and cutting some commuter rail trips.

But in a 3-2 vote on Dec. 14, the MBTA's Fiscal Management and Control Board voted for less severe cuts, but commuters may still see changes. The agency released new winter schedules on Jan. 15 for the Framingham-Worcester line, with only two inbound trips before 9 a.m. on weekday mornings. Five commuter rail stations will still close, but none along the Framingham-Worcester line.

Keolis, the company that operates commuter rail for the MBTA, announced separate service reductions in December due to an employee shortage. Those reductions only lasted through Jan. 8.