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February 9, 2017

Pats parade gave T's commuter rail its busiest day ever

Commuter rail service reached an all-time high Tuesday for the Patriots parade in Boston.

The commuter rail system had its busiest day on record Tuesday as 215,000 people rode the system to get to and from work, appointments, and the Patriots' Super Bowl victory parade in Boston, the system operator announced Wednesday.

Keolis Commuter Services, which operates the MBTA's 14 commuter rail lines, said ridership on Tuesday was 60 percent higher than an average weekday. To accommodate the crush of Patriots fan traveling into Boston for the parade, Keolis added 15 additional trainsets and seven coaches, the company said.

"Yesterday, we successfully ran more trains, operated more equipment and carried more passengers on the commuter rail network than has ever been done before in a single day," Keolis General Manager David Scorey said in a statement. "This was the result of careful planning and preparation, and underscores our commitment to putting passengers first no matter what the occasion, including extraordinary weekday or weekend events."

More than 100 Keolis staff members volunteered to help passengers find their way and navigate the commuter rail system at North, South and Back Bay Stations, the company said.

The MBTA, which signed a $2.69 billion eight-year contract with Keolis in 2014, said it was pleased with the company's performance in a statement released by Keolis.

"The MBTA and its Commuter Rail partner worked very hard to meet yesterday’s ridership demands across all modes," MBTA Acting General Manager Brian Shortsleeve said in the statement. "When there are large events in Boston, the public understandably turns to the MBTA for transportation support, and we’re pleased that we were able to satisfy the needs of not only parade-goers but also our regular weekday commuters."

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