T introduces six-car Blue Line trains

REVERE – The introduction of new, six-car Blue Line trains could not come at a better time according to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials who said Blue Line ridership has jumped by over 25 percent.Average weekday ridership jumped from 53,424 customers last December to 66,933 customers in July, paralleling an increase in overall bus line and subway use as high gasoline prices push drivers out of their cars and onto trains.”I am happy to see the upward trend in MBTA ridership continue,” said Transportation Secretary and MBTA Chairman Bernard Cohen. “It’s a positive sign our economy is doing well, and it means we’re moving more people without adding to highway congestion. “The MBTA is completing a Blue Line station platform renovation project started during the summer and plans to start six-car train operations during the week of Sept. 15. Fourteen trains will provide a 14 percent increase in subway capacity for riders.The T is also revamping bus routes to ease overcrowding created by increased ridership. Another bus will be added to the Route 116/117 Wonderland-Maverick route.”Improvements to service whether tweaking a bus schedule or introducing 6-car trains as we are on the Blue Line will significantly improve the quality and reliability of service for our customers. We will continue on this path to ensure the needs of our customers are met,” said MBTA General Manager Daniel Grabauskas.