Boston Transit Ridership Grows Steadily

Transit ridership in the Boston area reached 68 percent of pre-pandemic levels in March of this year, the highest rebound since 2020, reports Bruce Mohl in Commonwealth Magazine.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) saw the biggest bounceback on commuter rail, which reached 80 percent of pre-pandemic ridership. “Even though ridership is ticking upward, fare revenue hasn’t budged much, remaining fairly stable since October 2022. For the first nine months of the current fiscal year, fare revenue was $276.3 million, down $75.3 million, or 21 percent, from what was forecasted.”

Mohl points to slow subway service as one reason why only 59 percent of riders have returned to that mode. “A fifth of the system is operating under slow zone rules because of defective track. At a meeting of the MBTA board of directors on Thursday, General Manager Phillip Eng said track work still has a long way to go but is showing signs of some progress, with some slow zones being eliminated and others converted to slightly higher speeds – say, 10 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour.” 

Mohl explains, “Addressing the slow zones is contingent on getting repair workers to the track, a process that has been slowed by the T’s failure to develop a safety plan for rail work.” After a first draft was rejected by the Federal Transit Administration  (FTA), the MBTA submitted a revised safety plan last week.