coronavirus

MBTA Announces Reduced Schedule Beginning Tuesday Due to Coronavirus

Reduced ridership also led to the decision

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The MBTA is making changes to its transportation service due to concerns about the coronavirus

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority announced it will reduce service beginning on Tuesday to help slow the spread of coronavirus and due to recent reductions in ridership.

The changes are being made based on guidance from public health officials around social distancing, the MBTA said.

With many people working from home or staying inside, the MBTA is scaling back its service to help limit the spread of coronavirus.

"The MBTA plays an important role in slowing the spread of the coronavirus while continuing to provide critical services to medical professionals and other employees in key industries that rely on public transit," MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said in a statement. "While some of these changes are inconvenient, they maintain a responsible balance between protecting the health and safety of the MBTA workforce and our customers, and our goal of continuing to run safe and reliable service without major disruptions."

The revised schedule is below:

Mode Service Change
Blue Line Trains every 9 to 13 minutes
Orange Line Trains every 9 to 11 minutes
Red Line between Alewife and JFK/UMass Trains every 7 minutes
Red Line Ashmont and Braintree Branches Trains every 14 minutes
Green Line Trolleys every 7 to 13 minutes on the branches; more frequent service on the trunk
Bus (with exceptions)* Saturday schedule
*Express Bus Routes 325, 326, 351, 352, 354, 501 Regular Weekday Schedules
Ferry Service cancelled
Commuter Rail Reduced Service - Schedules posted on MBTA.com
Mattapan Line Trolleys every 12 to 26 minutes
The RIDE Full service

Rapid Transit
On the Blue Line, trains can be expected to arrive approximately every nine to 13 minutes. On the Orange Line, trains can be expected approximately every nine to 11 minutes.

On the Red Line between Alewife and JFK/UMass Stations, trains can be expected to arrive approximately every seven minutes. Red Line trains on the Ashmont and Braintree branches will run approximately every 14 minutes.

Green Line trolleys will run every seven to 13 minutes on the branches, with more frequent service on the trunk.

Bus
MBTA buses will operate on a Saturday schedule with a number of exceptions. Select express bus routes 325, 326, 351, 352, 354, and 501 will operate according to regular weekday schedules.

Ferry
Ferry service will be cancelled until further notice. Ferry customers who board at the Hingham and Hull terminals are encouraged to use West Hingham or Nantasket Junction Stations on the Greenbush Commuter Rail Line as an alternative.  

Commuter Rail
All Commuter Rail lines will operate on reduced schedules, which can be found at mbta.com. On all lines, Commuter Rail schedules are being modified to support targeted periods of peak travel while providing options for off-peak travel throughout the day.

Mattapan Line
The Mattapan Line will run trolley service approximately every 12 to 26 minutes.

The RIDE
The MBTA will continue to operate full service on the RIDE. The MBTA encourages RIDE customers to plan their trips accordingly and follow the guidance of public health officials while in close contact with older adults or people with underlying health issues. 

CharlieCard Store
The MBTA’s CharlieCard Store is located at 7 Chauncy St. within Downtown Crossing Station. Normal hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. In the event that hours of operation change, customers should check MBTA.com for updated service hours.

Amtrak
Nationally, Amtrak also announced a reduced schedule. Northeast Corridor service will run at 40% of normal weekday operations. Click here for more information.

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