Was pleased to officially announce on WATD radio earlier tonight that we -- our bi-partisan team of South Shore legislators -- have been successful in restoring weekend service to both Greenbush and to the Plymouth/Kingston lines of the Old Colony Rail! The Greenbush and Kingston/Plymouth lines will see the return of Saturday and Sunday service after a two year absence on December 27th. We will be announcing ASAP a schedule of meetings where we can get feedback from folks of how to best market and improve the commuter rail experience for weekends and hopefully improve ridership during the week as well! I want to thank Rich Davey, Secretary of Mass DOT (Department of Transportation) for meeting with me and my colleagues on numerous occasions as we made the case for reinstating this service. Among our bi-partisan crew who pushed for this reinstatement were: Senate President Therese Murray, Rep. Josh Cutler, Senator Bob Hedlund, Rep. James Murphy, Rep. Vinnie deMacedo, Rep. Tom Calter, Rep. Rhonda Nyman, and Senator Tom Kennedy. Here is some information from a press release today: Facing a deficit for the FY13 budget, weekend service on these three lines was eliminated in 2012. MassDOT and the MBTA heard from many Commuter Rail customers, and their representatives in the legislature, requesting reinstatement of service to these areas. The restoration of service on these lines was made possible by the inclusion of funding in the FY15 state budget. The restored weekend Commuter Rail schedules will serve to once again connect communities on the South Shore to South Station by providing sustainable transportation options that will reduce both traffic congestion and pollution at an affordable price. State Rep. Jim Cantwell, who has been working toward restoration of this service for over a year, had the following to say: Weekend rail service to the South Shore will increase access to employment opportunities for our weekend commuters, grant day access to shopping, beaches, and historical sites, and promote economic activity for businesses from Boston through the South Shore. Cantwell added, Restoration of weekend service for Greenbush and the Kingston/Plymouth lines is a positive reflection of the hard work of a bi-partisan coalition of South Shore legislators, DOT officials, community leaders, and business representatives, who have all worked hard toward this announcement. We still have a great deal of hard work to do in the near future to ensure success of this service, however. I look forward to on-going working sessions with all interested parties to make sure that we have a quality transportation product with a revised schedule that meets the needs of consumers. I specifically want to thank Senate President Therese Murray and State Rep. Josh Cutler for being leaders in the Senate and the House respectively to make this important step possible today, as well as Ed Perry of WATD radio in Marshfield for his generous offer of $50,000 of free advertising to make sustained commuter service a possibility for the South Shore. “I’m pleased to see the MBTA address the needs of South Shore commuters. This is something we have been arguing for a while now and something I have supported in both the budget and transportation bond bill. Many constituents have contacted me about the lack of commuter rail on the weekend. This is a great option for people who need or want to commute into the city on the weekend. While we may have missed the activity of the summer months, I hope ridership over time will support this decision,” said Senator Robert Hedlund. “Getting the train engines running again on weekends will provide a real economic engine for our region and provide a much needed service for South Shore families and visitors. We welcome this news and thank our partners at the MBTA and the MassDOT for hearing our residents’ concerns and restoring this valued transportation service,” said Rep. Josh Cutler.
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 03:07:15 +0000
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