Thousands of riders are signing an online petition to help save the Commuter Rail services, which under one proposal presented by the MBTA, would be eliminated on the weekends and after 10 p.m.
By Thursday afternoon, over 2,000 petitioners who say they use the Commuter Rail to get around the Commonwealth put their names on the petition.
The petition reads:
“Despite the understandable need to reduce the deficit, we the undersigned ask the MBTA not to consider cancellation of the commuter rail service on Saturdays and Sundays. Although ridership is undeniably greater on weekdays, there are more than enough riders to justify the continuation of weekend service. These trains connect Boston with the suburbs and small towns up to sixty miles away. In these troubled times, weekend workers unable to find alternate transportation risk losing their jobs. “
The petition also claims that small business owners would feel the loss of out-of-town shoppers if there was no weekend train service.
“I only travel to Boston on weekends and rely on the ‘T’ to get me there,” said Earlene Mara of Rhode Island.
Local rider Nathan Vaughan said the cuts would hurt peoples’ daily lives.
“Please don’t take this away. It will affect the lives of so many people in ways we can’t really foresee,” he said.
WHAT RIDERS ARE SAYING:
“The commuter rail service also provides transportation for college students who may have weekend jobs elsewhere, but are not allowed to keep cars on campus. Not only would this prevent these students from reaching the jobs that are helping to pay for their tuition, it would keep many of them from exploring the city and enhancing their education.”
-Jessica Mow, Medford
“Wrong move for all the wrong reasons!!! Money is not always the only consideration. Get creative – think outside the box to come up with a SMART solution!”
-Elaine K., West Roxbury
“More cars, more pollution, more consumption of gas and less people who can get into Boston, what a bad idea.”
-Leila Loyd, Boston
“If anything, more service on the weekend would make the commuter rail a better option for those of us who want to enjoy Boston’s culture without being quite so dependent on the few, rather inconveniently timed, trains.”
-Eliza Buchakjian-Tweedy, Attleboro
“Cancellation of these trains allow for more isolation of our senior citizens, create a lack of opportunities for our youth to par take in cultural opportunities”
-Penny Gordon, Needham
“I can’t imagine not having commuter rail services on the weekends! For those of us who live in Boston and don’t have cars, the commuter rail is the only way for us to get out of the city without asking a ride. I can’t imagine how people who work on weekends and depend on the commuter rail to get into Boston will be able to get to their jobs!”
-Jane Rosen, Boston
[View the story “Riders fight to save Commuter Rail services” on Storify]
