Keolis doesn’t anticipate more disruptions after Salem commuter rail cancellations last weekend

Four days after nearly a dozen trains were cancelled to and from Salem, Keolis said it does not anticipate future disruptions along the Newburyport/Rockport line.

The transportation company said it was forced to cancel 11 of 56 trains in and out of the Witch City Sunday because of “crew availability issues.” Salem city officials have been asking visitors to use public transportation to ease congestion and reduce gridlock during the busy Halloween season.

“Despite these cancellations there were still trains each hour from Boston to Salem and the full scheduled service was able to resume on Sunday late afternoon,” a Keolis spokesperson said.

Keolis partners with the City of Salem and the MBTA to provide additional weekend service during Haunted Happenings. The company is still advising travelers to take the train or ferry to Salem.

“We do not anticipate future disruptions to service and encourage all passengers to follow @MBTA_CR on Twitter/X and subscribe to T alerts,” the spokesperson said.

Harrison’s Comics owner Larry Harrison said small businesses depend on public transportation to bring in more foot traffic.

“Especially this time of year, we need to have more trains. It just makes everything flow a lot better,” Harrison said. “We definitely need it to continue to bring people in to keep the cars out. It just makes everything a lot smoother.”

The Salem Police Dept. has said driving into the downtown area is not a good idea, especially on weekends.

“Traffic is heavy and parking is severely limited,” Chief Dominick Pangallo said last week. “Plan to drive to a free satellite parking lot and ride the free shuttle, take the Salem Ferry, or ride the commuter rail.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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