LYNN — Commuters will be able to take the train from Lynn to Boston at subway rates through Dec. 31.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) announced it was extending a pilot program that has offered lower train fares at the Lynn and Riverworks Commuter Rail Stations this summer.
“We’re pleased to extend this reduced fare through the end of the year so that riders commuting between Lynn and Downtown Boston can continue to travel for the same price as a subway fare,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak.
Rates were first lowered by the MBTA for the final week of May and then again on July 1. Lower fares have been in place since that time, which are aimed at easing overcrowding on buses and providing additional travel options during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pilot program was set to expire on Aug. 31, but has been extended through the end of the year thanks to a push from local and state officials, who are advocating for the change to become permanent.
Under the program, Zone 1A fares will be accepted at the city’s commuter rail station, which means a one-way ticket into Boston will cost $2.40, the same price as a Charlie Card subway, instead of $7.
“I think it’s great they’re extending it to Dec. 31,” said Mayor Thomas M. McGee. “We really believe this should be a permanent 1A zone, but I want to thank the administration for working with us to have this pilot program and continue it.”
McGee said the city has been trying for decades to get an affordable, rapid transit option through the desired Blue Line extension into Lynn, but what he described as appropriately priced fares through the pilot program allows the community to take advantage of its current infrastructure.
“It’s an important transportation piece for our community and it also plays into the ongoing development,” said McGee, explaining that nearly 600 apartments — at North Harbor and on Munroe Street — are being constructed within a block and a half of the downtown train station.
“As we see the kind of expansion of population in the surrounding area of the train station, it’s walkable,” he continued. “It needs to be affordable, dependable and frequent. This is the kind of investment opportunity that will start to meet those needs. We think this service is important for our community and for our residents to have as well.”
McGee and the Lynn delegation, made up of state Sen. Brendan Crighton and state Reps. Daniel Cahill, Peter Capano, Lori Ehrlich, and Donald Wong, have long fought for a fare reduction on the city’s commuter rail line.
Last fall, the group, along with various North Shore stakeholders, attended many MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board meetings to lobby for the electrification of the commuter rail, fare reductions, and increased frequency along the Newburyport/Rockport line.
As a result of those efforts, the MBTA board unanimously voted to commit to electrifying the state’s commuter rail system, which would include implementing near-rapid transit at subway rates from Lynn to Boston.
The MBTA board determined that a section of the Newburyport/Rockport line, which connects Lynn, Revere, Chelsea and Everett to Boston, dubbed the Environmental Justice Corridor, was one of three lines that had the most urgent need for near-rapid transit and were most equipped to handle a switch to electrification first.
Following the MBTA’s announcement in May that subway fares would be offered to Lynn commuter rail riders from May 22-31, McGee and the Lynn legislative delegation sent a letter to the agency, which pushed for the pilot to be extended for additional time.
In June, the fare reduction was extended through August, and thanks to a continued push for “equitable fares,” this week, the pilot program was extended through the end of the year, according to Crighton’s office.
“We’ve been discussing it with the T since the most recent extension and expressing the need to have it extended further,” said Crighton. “I’m glad the T announced this so people can plan the safest and most efficient way to get to and from Boston. We feel that this should be a permanent fare structure here and we’ll continue to advocate for it.”
Although the pilot program is centered around safety, in terms of easing overcrowding on buses, Crighton said the board’s vote last November shows the MBTA is on record of being in support of permanent fare reductions and increased trip frequency.
“Public ridership is supposed to be accessible to all and when you have fares that are incredibly high, it’s obviously not for most folks on the North Shore,” said Crighton. “I think it’s just continuing to show that the need is there.”