The MBTA will scale back service on buses, trains and ferries in the new year.
The T s Fiscal Management and Control Board voted 3-2 Monday to approve a series of service cuts that will lead to less frequent trains and buses as well as the elimination of most ferry service.
The approved service cuts are not as drastic as what was originally proposed in November. The T previously suggested halting all ferry service, cutting 25 bus routes, ending some late-night and weekend services, and closing six commuter rail stations. But the transit agency faced strong opposition from riders, and criticism from transit advocates, elected officials, union leaders and other groups. Many said the cuts would hurt essential workers and riders who rely on the system. And a recent MassINC poll of Massachusetts residents found 64% opposed the scope of the originally proposed cuts.
READING - Pointing out that several major Reading Center housing projects relied upon state-encouraged, transit-oriented development initiatives, the townâs State House delegation strongly objects to the MBTAâs proposal to eliminate a major bus route and slash local commuter rail runs.
Earlier this month, House Minority Leader Bradley Jones (R-N. Reading), State Rep. Richard Haggerty (D-Woburn), and State Senator Jason Lewis (D-Winchester) all urged MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak to reconsider a proposal to completely eliminate local stops in Reading along the Route 136 bus that heads to and from downtown Reading to Orange Line train stations at Oak Grove in Melrose and Malden Station.