October 3, 2023 |Holidays, MBTA, News, Transportation

MBTA: Commuter Rail Adding More October Service than Ever to and from Salem for Haunted Happenings

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Weekend service to and from Salem doubles for the month of October.

The MBTA and Keolis Commuter Services (Keolis), the agency’s operating partner for Commuter Rail, today announced that train frequency will increase to two trains an hour to and from Salem during the month of October, which is the most weekend Commuter Rail service ever. This increase in service is to accommodate visitors to Salem during Haunted Happenings. The schedule is available online at MBTA.com/CR.

“Salem is the place to be this Halloween season for Haunted Happenings, and we’re ready to bring you there with more weekend Commuter Rail trips this October than we’ve ever offered before to and from Salem,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “Mass transportation is a great way to travel, so leave the driving to us and enjoy Salem’s festivities in Witch City. Thank you to our partners at Keolis for their ability to provide more convenient service for the public with this great fall schedule.”

“Commuter Rail is a safe, fast, and reliable alternative to driving. We invite everyone to take their journey to Salem on the Commuter Rail this Halloween season,” said Abdellah Chajai, CEO and General Manager of Keolis Commuter Services. “For Haunted Happenings, passengers will have four weekends of added service throughout October, in addition to the extended late-night service provided in the 2023 Fall/Winter schedule. Commuter Rail is the best option for arriving to Salem’s festivities and we encourage passengers to arrive early for boarding.”

“Salem is a fun and vibrant city. Because we don’t have enough parking to accommodate the number of visitors who visit, though, we strongly encourage visitors to consider alternative ways to travel to our city. There will be an increase in Commuter Rail trains throughout the month of October, as well as passenger capacity on our ferry to and from Boston. So, this October, take the train, take the ferry, come by bike, or come by broom – but leave your car at home. You’ll have a much more enjoyable visit!”

Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo

Last year during Haunted Happenings, weekend ridership on the Newburyport Rockport Line was the highest it has ever been,exceeding more than 400% of the pre-COVID ridership. 

For Haunted Happenings, there will be 10 more inbound trains from Salem to North Station, with at least 10 trains after 6 PM. There will also be eight additional outbound trains from North Station to Salem, and seven more outbound trains from Salem to Beverly.

In the temporary Haunted Happenings schedule, passengers will have more flexibility with trains arriving in Salem from North Station about every 40 minutes throughout the day. 

This year, in addition to the existing all-day service, the 2023 Fall/Winter schedule also saw the return of late-night service. This has been by far the most requested change among riders on all Commuter Rail lines. Passengers looking to attend evening events in Salem can benefit from late weekday and weekend trains. In the Fall/Winter schedule, the last weekday outbound train to Salem departs North Station at 11:50 PM – 50 minutes later than in the current Spring/Summer schedule.

The last weekend outbound train to Salem departs North Station at 11:50 PM – 50 minutes later than in the current weekend schedule. The last weekend inbound train to North Station departs Salem at 12:35 AM – nearly two hours later than in the current weekend schedule.

Passengers can utilize the $10 Weekend Commuter Rail Pass for their journey to and from Salem. For Indigenous People’s Day (Monday, October 9), we will operate regular Monday weekday service.

Passengers can stay connected with Commuter Rail by calling customer service at 617-222-3200, following @MBTA_CR on X (formerly known as Twitter) or signing up for T-Alerts at mbta.com/alerts.  

Keolis Commuter Services operates and maintains the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s commuter rail system, the sixth largest commuter rail operation in North America. KCS is a subsidiary of Keolis North America (KNA), both headquartered in Boston, and employs approximately 2,500 people throughout the region. KCS and KNA are part of Keolis Group, an innovative global leader in transit services with more than a century of passenger transportation experience and operations in 13 countries.

For more information, visit mbta.com/CommuterRail, or connect with the T on X (the site formerly known as Twitter) @MBTA and @MBTA_CR, Facebook /TheMBTA, Instagram @theMBTA, Threads @thembta, or TikTok @thembta.

The above press release was submitted to us by the MBTA.