MBTA to study new ways to attract commuter rail riders
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The Framingham/Worcester line's new Boston Landing stop in Brighton opened last month.
The MBTA is launching a study to look at the commuter rail system's needs and potential improvements in the years ahead.
The transit system sought firms this month to conduct a study, planning to hire a company by September and have the study started several weeks later.
Today, the MBTA said, commuter rail service is limited in how much it can grow during off-peak hours, attract reverse commutes or provide frequent connections between Boston and so-called gateway cities like Worcester, Fitchburg or Lowell.
The state and the transit agency are looking to gauge likely service demand, plan for infrastructure needs and come up with a cost-effective strategy for meeting growth across greater Boston.
The study will compare the T's system with others in North America and Europe and identify potential service alternatives. The $3-million process is expected to take 2.5 years.
Commuter rail ridership on the MBTA system has been down slightly in the past six years at about 120,000 trips per day as of fiscal 2015. The system's 14 commuter rail lines serve 50 cities and towns, accounting for nearly one out of 10 daily MBTA trips taking place on commuter rail trains.
The Framingham/Worcester line received a new stop just last month, at Boston Landing just off the Massachusetts Turnpike in Brighton.
The Framingham and Worcester commuter rail stops are both among the commuter rail system's 10 busiest, according to a 2013 ridership audit, with 1,300 or more typical riders each weekday.
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