In a dramatic move, the MBTA plans to slash train trip frequency across most of its main subway system for the summer, downscaling service in response to a staffing shortage that federal overseers this week said poses a safety risk for riders and workers.
In a dramatic move, the MBTA plans to slash train trip frequency across most of its main subway system for the summer, downscaling service in response tothat federal overseers this week said poses a safety risk for riders and workers.
Officials said they plan to return Red, Orange and Blue Lines to full service levels"as soon as sufficient dispatch capacity exists." Blue Line trains usually run every five minutes during the morning and evening rush in the summer, close to that fast in the afternoon, and a slower pace of every nine to 10 minutes in mid-morning. Those headways will jump up to seven minutes from the start of weekday service until 9 a.m. and then eight or nine minutes for the remainder of the day.
Federal inspectors said the operations control center was so shorthanded in April that dispatchers were regularly required to work 16-hour shifts and sometimes 20-hour shifts followed by only four hours off. Several dispatchers and supervisors also failed to renew certifications after they expired, though MBTA officials say they addressed that problem in May.
The impending headaches for riders could renew pressure on the Legislature and Baker administration to rethink how the state funds the MBTA, a topic Beacon Hill has had virtually no interest in tackling in recent years.