MBTA Official Grilled In Worcester Over Express Train Cut

WORCESTER, MA — A top MBTA official says the express train between Worcester and Boston was downgraded to put more trains in service along the entire Framingham-Worcester Commuter Rail line — although it appears the new trains added to the line only serve riders who board in Framingham.

MBTA Assistant General Manager for External Affairs Angel Donahue-Rodriguez appeared at the Thursday Worcester Redevelopment Authority (WRA) meeting to answer questions about the express train cut, which went into effect Oct. 2. The WRA oversees Worcester's Union Station.

Donahue-Rodriguez apologized to the WRA board for a lack of communication over the change. Keolis, which operates Commuter Rail for the MBTA, included one paragraph in a Sept. 11 news release about downgrading the morning and afternoon express trains by adding four stops and about 20 minutes to each trip. Officials in Worcester only heard about the change through news reports.

Donahue-Rodriguez said the MBTA mostly based the decision on a recent survey of riders that showed commuters wanted more frequent train service.

"Our approach is holistic," Donahue-Rodriguez said. "What we had heard from folks across the line is they want more frequency."

WRA Chair Michael Angelini asked if the MBTA received any feedback from Worcester riders seeking longer trips to Boston, adding it was "unacceptable" that the MBTA made such a major change without informing anyone in Worcester.

"At a time when we're trying to promote a greener economy, we want to promote people taking the train to Boston, taking an hour and a half to get to Boston is unacceptable by any measure," he said. "To me, this is an insult to central Massachusetts."

An MBTA spokesperson clarified Donahue-Rodriguez comments saying that the schedule changes improved headways — intervals between trains — leaving Worcester at peak times. Worcester still has seven trains that leave between 4 and 7 a.m., but they are all spaced about 45 minutes apart under the new schedule. Under the previous schedule, the first seven trains left at 4:15, 5, 5:45, 6:30, 7:13, 8:13 and 9:05 a.m.

"This change to the Heart to Hub service was made in response to customer feedback and stakeholder requests for service more in line with the pre-pandemic schedule, i.e., additional a.m. and p.m. peak service and shorter headways. The only way to accomplish these service objectives AND maintain the midday hourly frequency is to change the Heart to Hub to a zonal express train," MBTA spokeswoman Lisa Battiston said.

Donahue-Rodriguez said multiple times that the reduction in Worcester express trains means more service for riders. But a comparison between the Commuter Rail schedules shows that riders who board trains in Framingham are getting additional trains.

Under the spring-summer schedule that went into effect May 22, 20 trains left Worcester each weekday bound for South Station, and Framingham had 25. Under the new schedule, Worcester still has daily 20 departures to South Station, but Framingham now has 27. (The entire line saw a reduction in trips over the summer due to track work.)

The Keolis press release about the schedule change specifically highlighted the new trains departing Framingham.

"Worcester Line passengers will also see an additional peak trip to and from Framingham, making stops at all stations between Framingham and South Station," the release said.

Donahue-Rodriguez also told the WRA "there are trains in the afternoon peak that go direct back to Worcester" — but the new schedules show no such direct trains. Battiston confirmed there are no such trains.

The fastest trains between Worcester and Boston — either inbound or outbound — stop in Grafton, Westborough, Southborough, Framingham, West Natick, Boston Landing, Lansdowne, and Back Bay. Under the old schedule, the fastest trains only stopped in Framingham, Lansdowne, and Back Bay between Union Station and South Station.

The WRA members also questioned how the decision to reduce service was made. Donahue-Rodriguez said the process began with the scheduling team but was ultimately up to the senior leadership team and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng.

"You mentioned communication issues, but what I didn't hear you say is that there's any sense this was a misstep on the part of the MBTA," WRA member Richard Burke said. "Did I understand this correctly?"

"That is correct," Donahue-Rodriguez responded. "It did increase frequency."

The WRA members are only the most recent Worcester officials to protest the express train loss. Every city councilor, including Mayor Joseph Petty, City Manager Eric Batista and members of Worcester's legislative delegation have all registered complaints.

School Committee member and former express train user Tracy Novick petitioned the city council for help shortly after the change was announced in September. Novick said, in her case, she would have to completely rearrange her schedule because she has to be in her office in Boston by 8 a.m. sharp. That would mean taking a train that leaves 45 minutes earlier.

Petty and Batista specifically asked the MBTA to delay the change. But this week, Petty said any change to express trains likely won't happen until new schedules come out in either April or May.

The new downgrade is the most recent for commuter trains between Worcester and Boston. The MBTA started the Heart To Hub express train service between the state’s two biggest cites in 2016 with no stops in between. When Heart To Hub returned in 2021 after pandemic-related slowdowns, the train picked up additional stops, including one in Framingham.

The WRA plans to send a letter to MBTA leaders about their dissatisfaction with the change. They also requested meetings with MBTA senior leaders and asked to see rider survey data. Angelini said he fears the service cut will reduce use of Commuter Rail service in Worcester more, leading to future cuts.

"This affects human beings in a real way," Angelini said, citing commuters who need to rely on a schedule for things like childcare. "The fact that someone with no notice at all changes that schedule and disrupts their lives, that's very meaningful. There's a human element to this we don't think has been taken into account."