The Melrose Messenger

Commuter Rail to Cut Midday Inbound Trains for Construction

Starting May 20th, the MBTA Commuter Rail line that runs through Melrose to Reading and Haverhill will begin operating on a reduced schedule. This schedule is due to construction, and it is expected to continue through the summer.

There will be no inbound trains on weekdays between the train that leaves Melrose at 7:45 am and arrives at North Station at 8:10 am, and the train that leaves Melrose at 4:50 pm and arrives at North Station at 5:15 pm. This will make a total of 9 inbound trains per day; currently there are 20 inbound trains that stop in Melrose on weekdays. There will still be inbound service throughout the day from Haverhill to Ballardvale, but those trains will change to the Lowell line at Anderson/Woburn and will not run through Melrose.

Outbound train service will also be reduced, although not as dramatically. There will be 15 outbound trains throughout the day that stop in Melrose, compared to the 21 outbound trains that currently stop in Melrose on weekdays.

Weekends will continue to operate as previously, with 8 trains running in each direction per day, with each one scheduled to make all the stops between North Station and Haverhill.

The MBTA will not run shuttles to make up for reduced service. Instead, riders are encouraged to take the 137 bus, which roughly follows the Haverhill line route from Oak Grove to Reading along Main Street in Melrose and Wakefield.

For riders who travel into Boston after 8 am, this loss of service may cause disruption to their routines and result in a longer commute.

Posted May 12th, 2024