City and state officials are working with the MBTA to ensure the subway system’s beleaguered Red Line can handle the soon-to-be massive crowds flocking to South Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.
The MBTA is increasing typical Sunday Red Line service on the day of the parade, March 19, to more closely align with a regular weekday schedule, which was requested by lawmakers, Boston Councilor Michael Flaherty said.
“The Red Line will be operating at or near weekday service levels, and last year’s data shows ridership on parade day was about 30,000 less than a regular weekday,” T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said. “The MBTA is confident the Red Line will have the capacity to handle the volume of parade-goers.”
State Sen. Nick Collins, D-Boston, said out-of-town visitors are also being encouraged to take the commuter rail to relieve pressure on the Red Line, which is far outpacing other subway lines with 37 speed restrictions as of Feb. 28, according to the T’s latest slow zone data.
“Generally, obviously, the system’s in need of reinvestment and we’ve been seeing issues that have happened in different parts of the Red Line system,” Collins said. “We hope that the ride on March 19 is going to be a safe one for all taking the commuter rail and the Red Line.”
Shuttle buses will be available at South Station, and a heightened police presence will also be seen on the day of the parade, Collins said.
Pesaturo said the T encourages people to use all transit modes to get into the city that Sunday, but there are no plans to temporarily reduce commuter rail fares.
Roughly one million people are expected to attend this year’s parade, which is running on a full route for the first time since the pandemic.
Most north-of-Boston visitors arriving via the Red Line are expected to disembark at four main stops: JFK/UMass, Broadway, Andrew and South Station, Flaherty said.
“The Red Line is the main vein to get into the community that day, and then after the parade, we want to make sure that we get folks out of the community safely,” Flaherty said.
He said there have been issues with the Red Line in past years as well, but is optimistic that things will run smoothly this year, saying that “the MBTA always seems to answer the call on St. Patrick’s Day.”
“They understand the volume,” Flaherty said. “It’s not their first rodeo, if you will, with that. They know exactly how many riders will be coming from the South Shore, how many will be coming from the north.”
A spokesperson for Mayor Michelle Wu’s office said the city “streets cabinet is working closely with the MBTA to ensure that there is safe and accessible transportation to the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in South Boston.”
“We are actively collaborating to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to manage crowds and keep passengers moving safely and efficiently,” the city spokesperson said.
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March 08, 2023 at 06:41PM
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Embattled MBTA ‘confident’ it can handle St. Patrick’s Day parade crowds - Boston Herald
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