MBTA starts Saturday schedules on weekdays for Orange, Red, and Blue lines
BOSTON -- Commuters will have to deal with big changes on the T starting Monday. The Orange, Red, and Blue lines will all now run on Saturday schedules during the week.
The changes come after a transit inspector's report found the MBTA doesn't have enough staff for its control center.
On average, commuters will have to wait an extra five minutes for their trains.
"That may work for some of the riders, that may not work for some others because of the timing and everything else. Some people, they have to get to their destination at a certain time. So hopefully we'll see how that goes down," one T rider told WBZ-TV on Monday.
Some riders in Quincy said the change wasn't noticeable.
Reducing the number of trains will help them spread out their dispatchers' schedules, the agency said.
"I'm sure their hand was forced a little bit to some extent. That's what I would imagine anyway, and I hope you can resolve those safety issues at the same time while being able to keep down the commuter wait time," said rider Doug Schonholtz.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker told WBZ-TV it's important that the T take action on the inspectors' recommendations.
"I think part of what they're going is putting some focus around a series of initiatives that are important to the safety record of the T going forward. And one of the things they said was you need to find or train up some people who have particular skills around dispatch because you need more dispatchers," said Baker.
The T said the change may last through the summer while they work to get more dispatchers.
Construction is also scheduled to begin on the Green line's B branch. Shuttle buses will replace the trains between Kenmore and Boston College for about the next two weeks.
"I think as it is right now it is already kind of crowded and already takes a long time," said rider Nelson Rateau. "I would hope for more trains and shortened times, not longer waits and more packed rides."
