The Alewife TMA has compiled a summary of the MBTA service cuts that were approved by the MBTA's Fiscal Management and Control Board (FMCB) on December 14, 2020. The reductions are being made based on an 80% drop in ridership due to the pandemic. Although these cuts are not as severe as originally proposed by the MBTA in early November, they are significant. According to the MBTA, most of theses changes are not intended to be permanent and they will resume service as demand increases and there is revenue and funding to support it.
Below are the service changes that will have the most impact on Cambridge, MA.
The full list of changes, system wide, can be found at https://www.mbta.com/forging-ahead
Cambridge bus routes to be suspended effective March 2021:
- 68 - Harvard Square to MIT/Kendal Station
- 72 – Aberdeen Avenue to Harvard Station
- 79 – Arlington Heights to Alewife Station
- 80 - Arlington Center to Lechmere Station
- 351 – Oak Park/Bedford Woods to Alewife Station
Cambridge bus route to be consolidated effective March 2021:
- Consolidate Routes 78 and 84 (Arlmont Village to Harvard Station and Arlmont Village to Alewife Station)
- Consolidate Routes 62 & 76 (Bedford VA Hospital to Alewife Station and Hanscom Air Force Base to Alewife Station)
Cambridge bus routes with 20% reduction in frequency effective Spring 2021:
- 70 - Waltham Center to University Park
- 71 - Watertown Square - Harvard Station
- 73 - Waverley Square - Harvard Station
- 74 - Belmont Center - Harvard via Concord Avenue
- 75 - Belmont Center - Harvard via Huron Avenue
- 77 - Arlington Heights - Harvard Station
- 78 - Arlmont Village - Harvard Station
- 87 - Clarendon Hill or Arlington Center - Lechmere Station
- 96 - Medford Square - Harvard Station
- 350 - North Burlington - Alewife Station
Cambridge bus routes with 5% reduction in frequency effective Spring 2021:
- 1 – Harvard Square to Nubian Station
- 47 - Central Square, Cambridge - Broadway Station
- 66 – Harvard Square to Nubian Station
- 83 - Rindge Avenue - Central Square
- 85 - Spring Hill - Kendall/MIT Station
- 86 - Sullivan Square Station - Reservoir Station
- 91 - Sullivan Square Station - Central Square, Cambridge
- CT2 - Sullivan Square Station - Ruggles Station
Subway - effective March 2021:
Frequency will be reduced by 20% on the Red, Green and Orange lines - this means that during peak travel, the wait time between trains will increase to 5 ½ minutes from the current 4 ½ minutes. Frequency on the blue line will be reduced by 5%.
Commuter Rail - changes starting as early as January 2021:
Service on all commuter rail lines will be reduced. On weekdays, service will be end at 9 pm. In January, weekend service will be suspended the Fitchburg Line serving Belmont and the Lowell Line serving West Medford. Five stations (none in the greater Boston area) will close due to low ridership and available alternatives.
The Ferry - changes starting as early as January 2021:
Charlestown service will be suspended. Direct service Boston-Hingham will be suspended. Hingham/Hull service will be reduced.
The Ride - effective Spring 2021:
Some trips will need to be booked 40 minutes ahead of time vs. the current 30 minutes. In addition, some RIDE trips may become premium trips, though the RIDE service boundaries would not change, and the premium service hours will be adjusted to match Commuter Rail hours of operation. These changes are expected to become effective in spring.
Search Your Best Transportation Options with eCommuter.org
Commuters of the Alewife TMA can use Commute Match on eCommuter to explore all their transportation options in one place. Commute Match is a flexible tool that helps you to design a commute that best meets your needs and schedule. Find others who live and work nearby that also want to share the ride to work.
Use Commute Match to search for:
- carpool partners
- vanpool groups
- nearby park-n-rides
- bike buddies
- public transit trip planning
- bike route planning
