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February 1, 2012

What Others Say: Merrimack Valley city staked future on T service

What Others Say The Eagle-Tribune

Overflow attendance at a meeting last week in Salem to discuss the MBTA's proposed fare increases and service cuts shows the level of public concern over this issue.

In Haverhill, there is justifiable concern among city leaders about the MBTA's plans. The city has, to a large extent, staked its downtown development plans on ease of access to the T's commuter trains.

Plans to make the T more costly and less rider-friendly throw those plans into question.

The MBTA plans to eliminate late-night trains and weekend service in addition to fare hikes of up to 43 percent.

Mayor James Fiorentini has touted the downtown's proximity to the commuter rail station.

The city's new parking garage is connected to the station by a bridge to encourage people to park their cars there and take the train to Boston.

In addition, the mayor has promoted the train service as a selling point for the conversion of former shoe factories into apartments and condominiums.

"We have over 62,000 people in our city, and many of them rely on public transit for work, travel and entertainment," Fiorentini told reporter Paul Tennant. "This cut would greatly impact the quality of life for our residents."

Eliminating late-night and weekend service on the commuter rail line is simply not acceptable.

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