MBTA Cancels Salem Train Service Amid Halloween Tourist Crush

SALEM, MA — After weeks of imploring Salem Halloween visitors to take public transportation to the Witch City — along with announcing additional Commuter Rail train service this week — the MBTA was forced to cancel several scheduled and added train routes along the Newburyport/Rockport line Sunday because of what it called "crew availability issues."

The MBTA said on Sunday morning and early afternoon trains from North Station were canceled with the hope that "scheduled service will likely be restored this afternoon."

"All Haunted Happenings extra trains on the Newburyport/Rockport Line are canceled until further notice today due to crew availability issues," the MBTA posted in a message on its X/Twitter. "Extra service will be restored when crew availability improves."

MBTA and city officials had boasted on Tuesday that it was adding train frequency to two trains per hour to and from Salem during October with additional service both to Boston and north to Beverly. There had been planned 10 more inbound trains daily from Salem to North Station, with at least 10 trains after 6 p.m.

There were also to be eight additional outbound trains from North Station to Salem, and seven more outbound trains from Salem to Beverly.

The additional service was to translate into a train arriving in Salem from North Station about every 40 minutes each day.

But on the first sunny weekend day since the announcement, service came to a halt getting to and from Halloween's unofficial hometown.

The city does have more than 1,300 spots available at three satellite lots located at Salem State University, Salem Hospital and Salem High School with free shuttle service to Riley Plaza.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)