Melrose MBTA Bus, Commuter Rail Service Spared In Latest Plan

Editor's note: This article was updated at 12:35 p.m.

The MBTA announced a new plan to tackle next year's budget deficit that would increase fares by 23 percent and make $15 million in service cuts—but none affecting Melrose's bus or commuter rail service.

According to a press release from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) emailed Wednesday morning, the MBTA would eliminate four bus routes and modify 14 others, but the five bus routes with stops in Melrose—106, 131, 132, 136 and 137—would all remain unchanged, according to the MBTA. (PDF of proposed bus route cuts attached.)

Melrose's weekend commuter rail service would remain intact; it would be eliminated on the Kingston-Plymouth, Needham and Greenbush lines.

Facing a $161 million deficit and fares that have not been increased since Jan. 1, 2007, the —one that raised fares more but cut less service, and a second that had smaller fare increases but more drastic service cuts.

Under the first scenario, bus 136 would have eliminated Saturday and Sunday routes, while bus 137 would have eliminated Sunday routes. Under the second scenario, the five bus routes that have stops in Melrose would all have been eliminated.

Both scenarios would have eliminated all commuter rail service on weekends, along with commuter rail service on weeknights after 10 p.m.

The current fares, the proposed scenarios and the final plan can be compared in the chart below:

Monthly LinkPass (unlimited subway and local bus)

$78

Monthly Local Bus Pass

$48

In addition to those fare increases, seniors and students would both pay 75 cents for a bus ride and $1 for a subway ride. The MBTA would implement a new 7-days-a-week weekly pass option for students for $28, in addition to the current 5-day pass.

The RIDE paratransit service would be changed to $4 per trip, with the MassDOT press release citing a 400 percent increase in program costs over the last decade. Customers outside The RIDE's ADA-required service area would pay $5 a trip.

Commuter rail single trip and monthly passes would be increased an average of 29 percent depending upon the zone of travel, the press release said.

The fare increases are projected to raise $72.9 million in new revenue, the press release said. The MBTA would also take $5 million from the MassDOT snow and ice removal program and seek approval from the Legislature to take $51 million from the motor vehicle inspection fund to help close the budget gap.

Patching up this year's budget shortfall through the new plan would still mean a projected $100 million budget gap in fiscal 2014.