Train Fares to Rise 20 Percent, Weeknight and Weekend Service to Remain

Regular commuter rail riders headed to Boston will pay 20 percent more for a monthly pass based on the MBTA’s latest – and final – plan to hike rates to close a budget gap.

But a plan to cut weeknight and weekend commuter rail service on the North Shore has been dropped.

None of the bus routes that travel through Swampscott are expected to be eliminted.

Proposed bus fare increases are listed below.

The T’s final plan was unveiled on Wednesday and is headed for a final vote by the MBTA Board of Directors next week. If approved, the new rates would go into place on July 1.

A monthly pass for service between and North Station would go from $163 to $212, or an increase of 30 percent. A one-way ticket would rise from $5.25 to $6.75, or 28 percent.

The first proposal to close the estimated $185 million budget gap was presented in January, calling for rates hikes of up to 40 percent and elimination of commuter rail service after 10 p.m. and on the weekends. Since then, the T said 6,000 riders attended to voice their opinion. Almost 2,000 spoke at those meetings, plus the MBTA received 5,850 emails and more than 400 letters.

The feedback indicated that riders favor keeping MBTA service in place.

“In response, the final proposal relies more on fare increases than service reductions,” the T said in announcing its final plan.

It will be the first rate increase for the T in five years and T officials say it will still keep public transit costs lower than in most other metropolitan areas in the country.

In addition to the $73 million in additional revenue from fare increases, the T said that it “identified and implemented a series of savings and efficiencies” to close the gap by $33 million and “an additional $75 million in operating, administrative and financial changes have been provisionally identified.”

The final proposal calls for an average fare increase of 23 percent for all MBTA service plus “targeted service reductions.” The proposal has been submitted to the MBTA board for its approval at its April 4 meeting.

But the T is not out of the woods. Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey estimates the T’s budget gap with be $100 million in fiscal 2014.

“We have put forth a solution that limits the impact on riders for one year but I encourage everyone to remain engaged in helping us find a long-term fix for the T’s budget challenges,” Davey said in a prepared statement. Before taking over at the helm of MassDOT, Davey was the T’s general manager.

One-way Commuter Rail Fares

Train Zone Communities Old Price New Price Increase 3 Salem, Swampscott $5.25 $6.75 28.6% 4 Beverly Depot $5.72 $7.25 26.1% 5 Hamilton-Wenham, North Beverly $6.25 $8 28%

Monthly Passes

Train Zone Communities Old Price New Price Increase 3 Salem, Swampscott $163 $212 30.1% 4 Beverly Depot $186 $228 22.6% 5 Hamilton-Wenham, North Beverly $210 $252 20%

 Single Ride Fares Including Bus Service

Fare Category

 

Existing

 

Proposed

 

% Chg.

 

$ Chg.

CharlieCard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Adult

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Local Bus

 

$1.25

 

$1.50

 

20.0%

 

$0.25

  Rapid Transit

 

$1.70

 

$2.00

 

17.6%

 

$0.30

  Bus + RT*

 

$1.70

 

$2.00

 

17.6%

 

$0.30

  Inner Express

 

$2.80

 

$3.50

 

25.0%

 

$0.70

  Outer Express

 

$4.00

 

$5.00

 

25.0%

 

$1.00

 Senior

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Local Bus

 

$0.40

 

$0.75

 

87.5%

 

$0.35

  Rapid Transit

 

$0.60

 

$1.00

 

66.7%

 

$0.40

  Bus + RT*

 

$0.60

 

$1.00

 

66.7%

 

$0.40

 Student

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Local Bus

 

$0.60

 

$0.75

 

25.0%

 

$0.15

  Rapid Transit

 

$0.85

 

$1.00

 

17.6%

 

$0.15

  Bus + RT*

 

$0.85

 

$1.00

 

17.6%

 

$0.15

CharlieTicket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Adult

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Local Bus

 

$1.50

 

$2.00

 

33.3%

 

$0.50

  Rapid Transit

 

$2.00

 

$2.50

 

25.0%

 

$0.50

  Bus + RT*

 

$3.50

 

$4.50

 

28.6%

 

$1.00

  Inner Express

 

$3.50

 

$4.50

 

28.6%

 

$1.00

  Outer Express

 

$5.00

 

$6.50

 

30.0%

 

$1.50

Commuter Rail**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Zone 1A

 

$1.70

 

$2.00

 

17.6%

 

$0.30

  Zone 1

 

$4.25

 

$5.50

 

29.4%

 

$1.25

  Zone 2

 

$4.75

 

$6.00

 

26.3%

 

$1.25

  Zone 3

 

$5.25

 

$6.75

 

28.6%

 

$1.50

  Zone 4

 

$5.75

 

$7.25

 

26.1%

 

$1.50

  Zone 5

 

$6.25

 

$8.00

 

28.0%

 

$1.75

  Zone 6

 

$6.75

 

$8.75

 

29.6%

 

$2.00

  Zone 7

 

$7.25

 

$9.25

 

27.6%

 

$2.00

  Zone 8

 

$7.75

 

$10.00

 

29.0%

 

$2.25

  Zone 9

 

$8.25

 

$10.50

 

27.3%

 

$2.25

  Zone 10***

 

N/A

 

$11.00

 

N/A

 

N/A

  InterZone 1

 

$2.00

 

$2.50

 

37.5%

 

$0.50

  InterZone 2

 

$2.25

 

$3.00

 

33.3%

 

$0.75

  InterZone 3

 

$2.50

 

$3.25

 

30.0%

 

$0.75

  InterZone 4

 

$2.75

 

$3.50

 

36.4%

 

$0.75

  InterZone 5

 

$3.00

 

$4.00

 

41.7%

 

$1.00

  InterZone 6

 

$3.50

 

$4.50

 

35.7%

 

$1.00

  InterZone 7

 

$4.00

 

$5.00

 

31.3%

 

$1.00

  InterZone 8

 

$4.50

 

$5.50

 

27.8%

 

$1.00

  InterZone 9***

 

N/A

 

$6.00

 

N/A

 

N/A

  InterZone 10***

 

N/A

 

$6.50

 

N/A

 

N/A

Ferry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  F1

 

$6.00

 

$8.00

 

33.3%

 

$2.00

  F2: Boston

 

$6.00

 

$8.00

 

33.3%

 

$2.00

  F2: X-Harbor

 

$10.00

 

$13.00

 

30.0%

 

$3.00

  F2: Logan

 

$12.00

 

$16.00

 

33.3%

 

$4.00

  Inner Harbor

 

$1.70

 

$3.00

 

76.5%

 

$1.30

THE RIDE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  ADA Territory

 

$2.00

 

$4.00

 

100.0%

 

$2.00

  Premium Territory***

 

N/A

 

$5.00

 

N/A

 

N/A

* “Bus + RT” indicates the linked-trip price of a trip on both local bus and rapid transit.

** Multi-ride and onboard ticket prices are described in Section 2.1, Fare Structure Changes.

*** This fare category does not currently exist; therefore, both the existing price and percent change are marked as “N/A.”

 

Pass Price Increases Including Bus Service

Pass Category

 

Existing

 

Proposed

 

% Chg.

 

$ Chg.

Local Bus

 

$40.00

 

$48.00

 

20.0%

 

$8.00

LinkPass

 

$59.00

 

$70.00

 

18.6%

 

$11.00

Senior/TAP

 

$20.00

 

$28.00

 

40.0%

 

$8.00

Student 5-Day

 

$20.00

 

$25.00

 

25.0%

 

$5.00

Student 7-Day*

 

N/A

 

$28.00

 

N/A

 

N/A

1-Day

 

$9.00

 

$11.00

 

22.2%

 

$2.00

7-Day

 

$15.00

 

$18.00

 

20.0%

 

$3.00

Inner Express

 

$89.00

 

$110.00

 

23.6%

 

$21.00

Outer Express

 

$129.00

 

$160.00

 

24.0%

 

$31.00

Commuter Rail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Zone 1A

 

$59.00

 

$70.00

 

18.6%

 

$11.00

  Zone 1

 

$135.00

 

$173.00

 

28.1%

 

$38.00

  Zone 2

 

$151.00

 

$189.00

 

25.2%

 

$38.00

  Zone 3

 

$163.00

 

$212.00

 

30.1%

 

$49.00

  Zone 4

 

$186.00

 

$228.00

 

22.6%

 

$42.00

  Zone 5

 

$210.00

 

$252.00

 

20.0%

 

$42.00

  Zone 6

 

$223.00

 

$275.00

 

23.3%

 

$52.00

  Zone 7

 

$235.00

 

$291.00

 

23.8%

 

$56.00

  Zone 8

 

$250.00

 

$314.00

 

25.6%

 

$64.00

  Zone 9

 

$265.00

 

$329.00

 

24.2%

 

$64.00

  Zone 10*

 

N/A

 

$345.00

 

N/A

 

N/A

  InterZone 1

 

$65.00

 

$82.00

 

26.2%

 

$17.00

  InterZone 2

 

$77.00

 

$100.00

 

29.9%

 

$23.00

  InterZone 3

 

$89.00

 

$109.00

 

22.5%

 

$20.00

  InterZone 4

 

$101.00

 

$118.00

 

16.8%

 

$17.00

  InterZone 5

 

$113.00

 

$134.00

 

18.6%

 

$21.00

  InterZone 6

 

$125.00

 

$151.00

 

20.8%

 

$26.00

  InterZone 7

 

$137.00

 

$167.00

 

21.9%

 

$30.00

  InterZone 8

 

$149.00

 

$184.00

 

23.5%

 

$35.00

  InterZone 9*

 

N/A

 

$201.00

 

N/A

 

N/A

  InterZone 10*

 

N/A

 

$218.00

 

N/A

 

N/A

Commuter Boat

 

$198.00

 

$262.00

 

32.3%

 

$64.00

* This fare category does not currently exist; therefore, both the existing price and percent change are marked as “N/A.”