The MBTA Is Offering Unlimited Commuter Rail Rides for $10 This Summer
The CapeFlyer and special events trains are excluded, but the pass is good in all other zones on Saturdays and Sundays between June 9 and September 2.
Photo by C Hanchey on Flickr/Creative Commons
Consider this the commuter rail’s olive branch.
After a less-than stellar winter plagued by cancellations, the MBTA, in partnership with Keolis, announced on Monday it will offer unlimited weekend commuter rail passes for just $10. The pilot program, which runs on Saturdays and Sundays between June 9 and September 2, allows riders to take as many trips as they want through as many zones as they want for less than the price of your Sweetgreen salad.
The discount aims to incentivize people to utilize the trains on the weekends, when ridership tends to be thinner.
“Weekend service typically has available seats on trains already scheduled to run, which can be filled to reduce traffic and drive down greenhouse gas emissions,” David Scorey, the general manger and CEO of Keolis, said in a statement. “With this special fare, our goal is to offer a price that is highly competitive with the cost of driving and parking.”
The deal isn’t stellar for those traveling shorter distances—after all, a roundtrip ride between Chelsea and North Station will set you back just $4.50—but the unlimited pass could result in huge savings for riders going a bit farther. Think, instead of shelling out $23 to go back-and-forth to Providence, you could day-trip to the Renaissance City for less than half the price. Riders can purchase tickets through the mTicket app, on the trains, or at a ticket window in North, South, or Back Bay Station.
Of course, it is still the commuter rail, so there’s a catch.
The CapeFlyer and other special event trains are excluded from the promotion, and riders will have to contend with interrupted service on the Worcester Line. The T announced Monday that weekend buses will replaces trains between Worcester and Framingham from May 26 to June 17; and weekend service between Framingham and South Stations will be suspended between June 23 and August 5. Shuttles will operate between Framingham and Wellesley Farms during the second phase of the project, and buses will also take riders to the Green Line at Riverside Station.
