What are the appropriate service hours for various MBTA routes?
The MBTA currently operates service on all subway lines, dozens of bus lines, and even some commuter rail lines, until the “last train” (between 12:00 midnight and 1:00 am, depending on location as the last trains pulse into and out of downtown). At that moment, seven days a week, the entire transit network shuts down in Boston and about 15 surrounding cities and towns. This situation seems arbitrary. It seems self-evident that an optimized transit network would keep service later in districts with higher late-night ridership, and on days of the week with higher late-night ridership. Ending service everywhere at about 12:30 am, seven days a week, is too simplistic. We call for an analysis of the proper shutdown times for particular routes, based on the time when ridership demand actually declines significantly on those routes. What are the appropriate service hours for consolidated routes tailored to late-night ridership patterns? Determining the proper service hours for existing route
