BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is taking significant steps to address potential traffic issues during the upcoming closure of a 90-year-old highway tunnel, offering free service on the Blue Line subway and lowering fares on the Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail route.
Those changes will come July 5 through Aug. 31, when the Sumner Tunnel (State Route 1A) under Boston Harbor, which connects East Boston and Logan Airport, is closed for renovation. It’s the first of two years of planned summer shutdowns.
Blue Line fares are normally $2.40. Parking at four stations — Beachmont, Orient Heights, Suffolk Downs, and Wonderland — will be reduced to $2 per day; weekday parking at those stations normally ranges from $2.50 to $7.
Meanwhile, on the comuter rail Newburyport/Rockport Line, fares that can be as much as $8.75 will be reduced to $2.40 from the Salem or Swampscott stations. Parking at eight lots on the line will be free while at Salem and Swampscott, it will be reduced to $2.
The MBTA will also make its East Boston Ferry service free and add ferry service between Blossom Street Pier in Lynn and Long Wharf South in Boston. Logan Airport will be offering a “Ticket to Skip” program where those arriving by ferry or water taxi will receive a voucher allowing them to skip to the front of the TSA screening line.
More detail is available here.
CommonWealth Magazine reports that discussions are ongoing between MBTA and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation whether the MBTA will be reimbursed for the lost revenue resulting from these programs.
Share this article
