2 days ago
Frustrated East Boston commuters wait in long lines for ferry during Blue Line closure
The MBTA Blue Line trains from Bowdoin to Orient Heights are shut down for maintenance work through June 15. During that time, the trains are being replaced by buses that have begun to clog up traffic.
In response, hundreds of commuters have turned to the ferry from East Boston. It is free during construction, but the wait times to get on have people upset.
"They knew this was coming, and they fumbled the bag," says Jacob Evanter. "If I was Jesus, I could have walked across the harbor and been at work 10 minutes ago."
On Tuesday, people took to social media to voice their displeasure and experiences. One person said their husband missed their daughter's graduation. Another person said there were already 100 people in line by the time they showed up at 830 a.m. Commuters say ferries that were at capacity were forced to leave people at the back of the line behind.
"[I have been waiting] about 15 minutes, but I think people have been waiting much longer too," said Bridgette Muckian.
MBTA adds more ferry trips
In response to the heavy demand, the MBTA added 12 more trips during weekdays, and 23 on the weekends. The morning pickup time has been extended, and as of June 11, the evening schedule has been extended by an hour.
The MBTA also added an extra 550-person vessel during rush hour. It made three trips Wednesday morning which helped to accommodate the huge influx.
The MBTA said the Eastie to Long Wharf ferry had 1,585 passengers from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Wednesday. They only had 50 passengers between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. a week prior.
