MBTA to reintroduce express train from Worcester to Boston

Toni Caushi, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Updated ·2 min read
An MBTA train leaves Union Station in Worcester.
An MBTA train leaves Union Station in Worcester.

WORCESTER ― Morning commuters will be able to get to Boston faster this spring as the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority reintroduces weekday morning express trains from Worcester to South Station starting May 20, according to a statement by the MBTA.

With arrival time at South Station at 8:45 a.m., the express line will also include stops at Framingham and Lansdowne Station in Boston, said the Thursday statement.

The MBTA said the full schedule would be posted soon at mbta.com/CommuterRail.

Express lines for the Worcester/Framingham line kicked off in 2016 under the Heart to Hub moniker as a solution for workers who skipped the trains because they needed to be to work by 9 a.m.

Until last fall, an express line took off from Worcester at 6:30 a.m. and made one stop in Framingham before going directly to Lansdowne Station, arriving at 7:24 a.m.

In October, the MBTA added four stops to the express line between Worcester and West Natick, adding about half an hour to the commute, much to commuters' and city officials' dismay.

Following the announcement by the MBTA, City Manager Eric D. Batista and Mayor Joseph M. Petty called on the governor to get involved in halting the schedule change, but to no avail.

The MBTA in September attributed the change to customer and stakeholder feedback that the services should be more in line with the prepandemic schedule, which included additional service at peak times in the morning and afternoon.

The only way to accomplish those objectives and maintain midday hourly frequency was to change Heart to Hub into a zonal express train, according to the MBTA.

A spokesperson for the agency said 75% of riders on the line originate or terminate at Framingham.

On April 12, Worcester city officials announced a task force to focus on the need for an efficient commuter rail system, focused on service between Worcester and Boston.

At its height, there were 21 round trips daily between the two cities.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: MBTA to reintroduce express train from Worcester to Boston