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Politics & Government

Marblehead Selectmen Oppose Cuts to Bus Route 441

Selectmen to write letter to legislators to oppose proposed cuts in bus service that could impact Marblehead.

The Board of Selectmen agreed unanimously last week to ask legislators to oppose proposed cuts in service to the MBTA bus route that serves Marblehead.

After an update from John Heffernan, the town's liaison with MBTA, the Selectmen agreed that the town should oppose the proposed cuts in service because Marblehead's Route 441 to Wonderland Station has a low ridership and would probably be a candidate for discontinuation.

The Selectmen instructed Town Administrator Jeff Chelgren to draft a letter to state Sen. Tom McGee, D-Lynn, and state Rep. Lori Erhlich, D-Marblehead, opposing the cuts in service.

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The MBTA, facing a $161 million budget shortfall this year, has proposed two options for fare increases and/or service cuts. The proposals, now before the state legislature, would go into effect in July.

The first option would raise overall fares by 43 percent and cut service only minimally. The second option would increase overall fares by 35 percent and make sweeping service cuts, especially in bus service.

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If the shortfall amount and proposed fixes sound familiar, its because similar numbers were tossed around last year before there was indeed a fare hike.

Some legislators are casting a suspicious eye on the T's never-ending budget woes, citing recent revelations of sweetheart, non-public pensions paid out to relatively young employees.

A map of the route may be found at this link or in the attached PDF.

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