Commuter Rail Preparing for Winter Storm Amid Anticipated COVID-19 Impacts to Workforce
Winter adjusted schedule to operate on Haverhill Line and on Worcester Line
Stations, platforms, and passenger areas being treated with salt and sand
BOSTON – January 6, 2022 – Keolis Commuter Services (Keolis) and the MBTA are reminding the public to use caution on Friday due to a winter storm that may impact much of the MBTA Commuter Rail network beginning overnight on Thursday. Beginning on Monday, January 10, the Commuter Rail will operate an adjusted winter schedule on the Haverhill Line and on the Worcester Line due to COVID-19 impact on workforce availability. Because these two lines normally operate both Local and Express service, they offer the greatest flexibility to adjust the schedules so that passengers don’t have a long time to wait for an alternative train. Customers on the Haverhill Line may also consider using the MBTA Bus 137 as an alternative. The adjusted winter schedule will be in place for an initial period of two weeks subject to a weekly review. Normal train service will resume when workforce availability allows.
On the Haverhill Line, all trains originating or terminating at Reading will be cancelled. All remaining Haverhill trains will make all stops. Similarly, on the Framingham/Worcester Line, Framingham local trains will be cancelled and all Worcester “express” trains will make additional stops to accommodate customers between Framingham and Boston. Modified schedules are available at North Station and on mbta.com. There are no changes to the weekend schedules on either line.
“We have proactively adjusted the schedule based on projected staffing shortages due to COVID-19 that will be further strained if the number of positive cases continues to surge,” said Abdellah Chajai, Keolis CEO and General Manager. “We are making these temporary modifications now in order to avoid last minute cancellations and to enable our riders to plan their trips accordingly.”
The winter adjusted schedule will be in effect starting on Monday, January 10, for a minimum of two weeks. In advance of the approaching storm, crews will be deployed across the network overnight into Friday, January 7, to keep passenger areas, equipment, and infrastructure clear of snow and ice accumulation. Due to the storm, passengers who will be traveling on Friday should leave extra time to get to stations, use caution on platforms and when boarding trains, and stay connected for service updates on www.mbta.com.
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 begins to fall Thursday night to mitigate any disruption in train traffic.
Recent forecasts from the National Weather Service anticipate a range of snow totals from 4” to 8” 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/alerts.
