With the completion of the new Yawkey commuter rail station in Boston, the MBTA’s new Worcester-to-Boston train schedule will kick off Monday, with some good and some bad for Wellesley riders.
Overall, the T’s much expanded rail service along the line will add 20 weekday and 9 weekend trips.
State Rep. Alice Peisch announced that the “new schedule reflects numerous meetings and conversations with MBTA General Manager Dr. Beverly Scott and other MBTA representatives over the past several weeks expressing resident concerns with the schedule released in January. It reflects positive changes, including an additional train during peak evening travel that will stop in Wellesley and changes to a morning train that will make a 9am arrival time for work more possible. This schedule also reflects concerns raised by residents in other communities serviced by the Framingham/Worcester line.”
The MBTA originally released a schedule in January that significantly reduced service to Wellesley stops during peak service hours, according to Peisch.
Not all commuters are happy even with the revisions. For example, one reader wrote to us noting that “For some reason, the Wellesley ‘express’ trains (8:30am inbound from Wellesley Square and the outbound 5:40pm South Station/5:46pm from Back Bay to Wellesley Hills) have been eliminated. Those two trains were very popular — as a daily rider I am very disappointed in the new schedule.”
Indeed, if you want any sort of express train out this way, you’ll need to go to West Natick or Framingham. The 8:18am train skips a couple of stops on the way in to Boston from Wellesley Square and Wellesley Hills.
The commuter rail, meanwhile. remains pretty useless for anyone living out this way who wants to stay in Boston for anything lasting much past 11pm. The T has been experimenting with late night service in Boston, so there’s hope.
There are 3 Wellesley stops and your average time to South Station is 30-40 minutes – or 6-8 stops depending on which stop. It sounds like the good folks of Wellesley are looking for a 20 minute ride and 3 stops! Consider the folks who live west of you who have ONE stop in their town and spend 45-75 minutes on an “express” train and 60-90 minutes on a local that makes 10+ stops! When you also think about the fact that very few people get on/off the train in Wellesley (when compared to other stops) and folks further West pay a lot more – you don’t have much to complain about. If it wasn’t for your politically connected insiders – this new schedule would have gone into place 2 months ago. AND the revised schedule has dropped the late evening Express – as a result of your complaining.
I can only reiterate what Stuart said. Those west of Wellesley can pay as much as double but the last ‘express’ is now at 5:30. Unless you work 5-10 minutes away from the station, it’s not really a train many can make. Well done Wellesley by adding 30 minutes to every Worcester rider who leaves after 5:30! The interest of few once again politically trumps the interest of many. America: the land of “opportunity”.