The MBTA’s spring schedule changes will affect several bus routes that run through Chelsea, primarily with increased service during the day on weekdays.
The MBTA held a virtual meeting Tuesday to outline spring changes for rapid transit, the commuter rail, and bus routes.
The major impact for Chelsea residents will be with the 116, 117, and 450 bus routes, which all run through Chelsea. All three routes will see increased frequency during the days on weekdays, according to Melissa Dullea, the senior director of service planning at the MBTA. The 450 runs from Salem Depot to Haymarket in Boston through Chelsea, while the 116 and 117 routes run between Maverick and Wonderland stations through Chelsea.
While some bus routes will see decreases in service as many commuters continue to work from home as a result of the Covid pandemic, Dullea said the routes through Chelsea are among those that have seen steady ridership of people who need to commute to in-person jobs.
“Most routes are at 60 to 70 percent of their pre-Covid service levels, but some routes where we have a lot more … work from home commuters or folks who have more hybrid schedules have seen more drop offs in ridership, whereas folks who have more in-person work, we’ve seen ridership that is more durable,” said Dullea.
Dullea said the 116 and the 117 are routes that have seen the more durable ridership, while the 450 that runs to Salem Depot is seeing an increase in frequency in park because of a need for more travel time due to congestion along the route, Dullea said.
The increased bus route frequency schedule will go into effect on Monday, March 15.
As for rapid transit, Dullea said there will be some subway changes on the Green Line associated with the Green Line Extension project to Somerville and Medford. The Green Line C branch will see one additional trip per day in the spring, while there are no other scheduled changes for the other lines.
Effective March 21, the Union Square Station will join the Green Line as part of the Green Line Extension, and the Lechmere and Science Park/West End stations, which had been closed, will reopen.
The spring service changes do not address issues that were recently raised by the City Council, which requested a meeting with the MBTA to provide more of a split of the 116 and 117 routes in Chelsea in order to serve more residents.