Most commuter rail riders will pay an additional $1 each way to Boston, and in many cases more. In Salem and Swampscott, a one-way ticket will jump from $5.25 to $6.75; in Lawrence and Lowell, one-way tickets will go from $6.75 to $8.75. Also, fares for The Ride - the T’s service for the disabled - will double from $2 to $4, and some users will pay as much as $5 for the service.
North of Boston, the T also will recoup savings by eliminating some bus routes in Beverly, Woburn, Lynn, and Medford. In addition, five bus routes serving Lynn, Marblehead, Salem, and Revere have been cut back.
In Medford, the Route 710, which brings riders from North Medford to Wellington Station, will be eliminated on July 1.
“I’m disappointed,’’ said Medford Mayor Michael J. McGlynn, who said the cut will leave North Medford with no public transportation. “For a lot of people, it’s their lifeline in and out of their neighborhood. People forget there are a lot of seniors on fixed income who don’t have a vehicle, or are disabled. Without bus transportation they can’t get around. That’s why it’s there.’’
In Salem, the T plans to eliminate a bus line from Salem Depot to Beverly and will also reduce bus service into Beverly. Representative John Keenan of Salem said lawmakers need to take a closer look at the T’s finances in the future.
“It sends a message to all of us in the Legislature that we need to deal with fiscal stability for the entire transportation system,’’ he said.
The T’s decision to curtail bus routes 441 and 442 at Wonderland will leave Marblehead and Swampscott commuters without a direct route to Boston. Those T routes have run from Old Town in Marblehead, through Swampscott, Lynn, and Revere to Haymarket Station since 1968. Even before that, the bus routes were operated by the Eastern Mass. Street Railway.