Merrimack Valley MBTA Riders Face Cuts To Commuter Rail, Buses

WILMINGTON, MA — The MBTA commuter rail is facing major service cuts, but Merrimack Valley commuters will have a chance to tell transit leaders what they think at a forum on Dec. 1.

On Monday, the MBTA revealed the extent of the cuts, which are being proposed amid a major drop in ridership because of the coronavirus pandemic. Ridership is at about 26 percent of what it was before the pandemic — 330,000 daily riders in October compared to 1.26 million per day in 2019.

"I want to reassure our riders that these service changes are not permanent, do not include any fare changes, and will not take effect immediately," MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said in a statement Monday. "We are carrying out a comprehensive outreach process and encourage all members of the public to provide comments and feedback, as we want to hear from riders to help us identify and protect the services that support transit-critical populations and communities."

For commuter rail service, the MBTA is proposing to stop service at 9 p.m., stop weekend service beginning in January, and reduce the number of peak and midday service trips from 505 to 430.

Both the Haverhill and Lowell lines have proposed service cuts.

_{(Map via MBTA)}

Bus service will also stop at midnight, many routes will have frequency reductions, and around 35 routes will be eliminated, consolidated or restructured.

See a full list of cuts here.

The Merrimack Valley meeting begins at 6 p.m., Dec. 1. You can register for the online meeting here. A final vote on the proposed cuts is scheduled for Dec. 7.

Will you be affected by the cuts? Let Patch know by emailing chris.huffaker@patch.com.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.