Worcester leaders are pressing the MBTA to make commuter rail service to and from Boston more efficient and reliable.
A working group of city leaders and other local train advocates released a report Monday with a list of recommendations for how to speed up travel times between New England’s two largest cities.
The report calls for more express trains to shave about a half hour off of city residents’ round-trip commutes as well as infrastructure improvements like upgrades to train cars so that they can run faster. Worcester officials hope the recommendations can serve as a roadmap for future discussions with the MBTA and state transit leaders.
“Efficient services allows Boston to connect with the incredible talent and growth of Central Massachusetts while giving our residents a faster, more accessible commute,” Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty said during a press conference Monday at Union Station. “When we bridge our cities, both our economies will thrive.”
In a statement in response to the report, a spokesperson for the MBTA thanked the Worcester working group for its support of the commuter rail. The spokesperson noted that the transit agency has made improvements to rail service in Worcester, including building a new platform at Union Station.
“The MBTA shares similar aspirations for enhanced regional rail at large and looks forward to working with state and local partners to improve service across the network including upgrading signals, modernizing its rolling stock, enhancing stations, and improving frequency to support more riders along the Worcester corridor and beyond,” the spokesperson said.
Worcester residents who regularly commute to Boston have complained for years that the commuter rail isn’t a reliable or efficient option. That’s in part because the MBTA and its commuter rail operator Keolis have reduced express service between the two cities as they try to accommodate other riders on the Worcester-Framingham line. About 1 in 6 weekday commuters on the line board at the Worcester stop, according to the report.
The working group noted that the current schedule of express trains is inconvenient for many Worcester riders because it doesn’t get them to work in Boston early enough in the morning. The group wants the MBTA to bring back 55- to 60-minute express trains at peak times while also ensuring non-express trips are capped at no more than 70 minutes.
“The train should be the easiest, most convenient option, but to make that a reality, the service has to work for the people who depend on it,” Worcester City Manager Eric Batista said during the press conference Monday.
The working group’s report also focuses on how future infrastructure initiatives could affect service between Worcester and Boston. It takes direct aim at the massive Allston Multimodal Project, the $2 billion effort to reconstruct a portion of the Mass Turnpike, build a new train and bus station, and improve pedestrian and bike access to the Charles River.
Members of the working group say they’re concerned that the commute between Worcester and Boston will take even longer if all trains have to stop at the new station in Allston. They’re recommending that the station’s layout include four tracks, two of which could be used by express trains that would bypass the station.
Richard Burke, the chair of the Worcester working group, said conversations with the MBTA and other state transit officials have been positive so far. Burke and Worcester leaders said they’ll continue to advocate for commuter rail improvements for as long as necessary.
“The issues are complex,” he said. “Some can be addressed in the short term. Some will take funding and many, many years to address.”
