It’s been seven months since the MBTA ended express train trips from Worcester to Boston without explanation and commuter Tracy O’Connell Novick can’t stand it anymore.
What was once an hour-long train ride became an hour-and-a-half slog after the MBTA announced in September that it would no longer provide direct trips between the two cities. For Novick, 51, a former Worcester School Committee member, this announcement was a disaster, as she had organized her commute to work in Boston, family life and sleep schedule around the express.
“I now get less sleep and there’s more morning rush to the train,” Novick told MassLive. “The previous service fit neatly into our family schedule, too. I could leave about the same time the high school bus came for the kids.”
Despite her frustration, there is a chance Novick and nine other people can put the express back on track. City Manager Eric Batista announced Friday the creation of the Worcester MBTA Working Group — a team of 10 people who will collaborate with MBTA officials to improve commuter rail service in Worcester.
The group comprises several figures from Worcester’s business and education fields, such as Worcester Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tim Murray, Chief Development Officer Peter Dunn and President of College of the Holy Cross Vincent Rougeau, along with Massachusetts Department of Transpiration (MassDOT) Chief of Intergovernmental Affairs Gus Bickford and MBTA Assistant General Manager for External Affairs Angel Donahue-Rodriguez.
A spokesman from Batista’s office wrote to MassLive Wednesday and confirmed that one of the improvements the group will push for is the restoration of the express service.
“Providing one-hour service between Worcester and Boston is critical to growing ridership, providing commuters with a viable public transportation option, supporting efforts to fight climate change, and increasing access to jobs, housing, and other resources,” the spokesman wrote. “The newly announced working group will ensure the dialogue continues and advocate for new and seasoned riders, ensuring that Worcester has a seat at the table and is improving transportation options between New England’s two largest cities.”
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Additionally, the group will work with MassDOT to prepare for the construction and operations of Amtrak services between Boston and Pittsfield, according to the spokesman. The service, known as East-West rail, requires using Worcester’s Union Station and creating a new central platform to hold more passengers. According to the MBTA’s website, the platform is scheduled to be completed sometime in spring while construction for East-West rail is expected to begin in 2027.
Despite the group’s focus on both the state’s east and western regions, commuters such as Novick said her priority is to find a way to restore the express service as soon as possible.
“It’s pretty clear I will be the voice of the train riders,” she told MassLive. “I’ll work to be faithful in ensuring that is represented.”
The MBTA launched the “heart to hub” express service in 2016 to allow commuters in Worcester and Boston to travel by train without stopping at the stations between Framingham and Worcester. These services continued until September 2023, when the MBTA and Keolis, the company that operates the commuter rail system, announced they would add more stops to the “heart to hub” services. These additional stops increased ridership on the Framingham/Worcester Line but Worcester residents were upset over the sudden decision to alter the express service from an hour to about 90 minutes.
Worcester commuter Matthew Noe told MassLive he loved taking the express to Boston during the spring and summer months and noticed how ridership increased because of faster travel time. He said the current train schedule for Worcester is worse without an express train as people need to travel to Boston quickly for their jobs or other events.
“They’ve continually increased the amount of time we spend on the train since 2020,” Noe said. “Hopefully we will get the express again.”
State Rep. Jim O’Day, D-14th Worcester, told MassLive he and his colleagues have been trying to hold meetings with the MBTA to restore the express service for several months. According to O’Day, the MBTA has not told him or the rest of the Worcester delegation why the express services changed and did not indicate if they will run express trains again.
“It’s ridiculous,” O’Day said. “They need to come back.”
Lisa Battiston, deputy press secretary for the MBTA, told MassLive Thursday the agency is committed in its goal to help Worcester improve its commuter rail service but did offer detail about what the improvements will be.
“We continue to proactively collaborate with the City of Worcester on best serving their transportation needs,” Battiston said. “We look forward to publicly sharing more information on upcoming Worcester schedules and service improvements soon.”
Keolis did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday.
Before the creation of the working group, the city manager’s office spokesman said that Batista and Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty have also been holding meetings with the MBTA for the last seven months. In a statement released on Friday, Petty wrote that the working group would help bring these conversations to a larger audience. He maintained his belief that express service would help Worcester and Boston’s residents travel between the two cities at a fast and reliable speed.
“Efficient and multiple express trains to Boston is a must if the City of Worcester will continue to grow and prosper. We are quickly becoming an alternative to people who are priced out of the Boston real estate market,” Petty wrote. “I hope that working alongside the MBTA will help ensure our residents have a better opportunity to experience a faster commute to Boston.”
While elected officials and commuters want the working group to succeed in its mission, Novick told MassLive she is realistic about how much power the group will have. She said she will do her best to represent commuters when the group meets for the first time.
“I hope so,” she said. “I’m waiting to hear about when we’re first meeting and I’ll go from there.”
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