COMMUTER RAIL PREPARING FOR WINTER STORM
MBTA and Keolis personnel will be deployed to clear passenger areas and operate train service
BOSTON – December 16, 2020 – Keolis Commuter Services and the MBTA are preparing for a winter storm that is expected to arrive Wednesday evening and last into Thursday morning with ranges of snow totals impacting the greater Boston region. Commuter Rail is currently operating a Reduced Service Schedule due to employee absences due to COVID. This schedule will continue to operate on Thursday and is available at MBTA.com for passengers to plan their travel.
“We’re closely monitoring the forecast and will have teams deployed across the network to treat infrastructure and passenger areas as snow begins to accumulate,” said David Scorey, Keolis CEO and General Manager. “Our goal is to minimize the storm’s impact on service to ensure passengers who need to travel can use Commuter Rail as an alternative to driving.”
Passengers who will be traveling on Thursday should leave extra time to get to stations, use caution on platforms and when boarding trains, and stay connected for service updates at www.MBTA.com/winter.
MBTA and Keolis personnel will be deployed across Commuter Rail to clear snow, apply sand and salt to passenger areas, as well as to respond to incidents that occur during the storm, such as downed trees. MBTA and Keolis crews will be pre-positioned at key facilities and infrastructure (switches, signals, etc.) to help ensure normal operations. Switch heaters and snow jets will be activated in critical areas as snow and ice begin to fall Wednesday evening to ensure normal flow of train traffic.
Recent forecasts from the National Weather Service anticipate a range of snow totals impacting the region where Commuter Rail operates.
Passengers can stay connected with Commuter Rail by calling customer service at 617-222-3200, following @MBTA_CR on Twitter or signing up for T-Alerts at www.MBTA.com/winter.
B-roll of Keolis and MBTA winter storm response efforts can be found at www.vimeo.com/KeolisBoston.
