BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s commuter-rail network was swamped by record ridership Tuesday as fans attended the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl victory parade — despite advance planning that included more than two dozen extra trains.
The Boston Globe reports that MBTA authorities said ridership was about double the usual 127,000 trips.
“We are seeing extraordinary ridership levels across the entire network, notably higher than seen for previous parades and almost certainly the highest ridership ever seen on the network,” spokesman Tory Mazzola of Keolis Commuter Services, contract operator of the commuter trains, told the Globe. Authorities believe unusually mild weather, with temperatures in the 60s, helped swell the crowds.
Regular commuters found it difficult to reach work, as packed trains skipped normal stops. Some riders watched multiple trains pass without anyone being allowed to board. Some subway lines also saw heavy crowding.
For the afternoon commute, the MBTA and Keolis created lined up passengers outside stations, organizing them by transit line, and allowed them in only when their trains arrived.
