MA: MBTA’s Cape Cod train sets July Fourth weekend record, with big jump over last year
The CapeFLYER, the MBTA’s summertime weekend train to Cape Cod, ferried a record number of passengers from Boston to Hyannis over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, according to the MBTA data.
The 2,285 riders on the CapeFLYER last weekend represented a 31% increase in ridership from last Fourth of July and the highest ridership the train has recorded during the holiday period in its 14-year history, a spokesperson for the T said.
The train typically runs three round trips each summer weekend, one each on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday.
The T adjusted the schedule for the Fourth of July weekend, adding a round-trip journey on Thursday, July 2, and a Hyannis-to- Boston trip Monday afternoon.
“It’s a great service,” said Brian Kane, the executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, an independent body representing communities served by the T.
He pointed to the number of cars that nearly 2,300 riders would have driven over the two bridges onto Cape Cod — notorious chokepoints for summer traffic.
“That’s got to be worth something,” Kane said.
The CapeFLYER reported record ridership in 2025. It sold 10,800 tickets during its Memorial Day to Labor Day season, 1,100 more than in 2024.
This summer brought the added attraction of the World Cup, the nation’s 250th birthday and related festivities. Given the numerous visitors expected in the region, MBTA officials hoped to maintain last year’s strong demand for the Cape train, which they run in partnership with the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and Keolis, the company that operates the T’s commuter rail.
Commuter rail ridership, including on the CapeFLYER, has improved significantly from the steep dropoff caused by the pandemic. According to the T, its commuter rail system has one of the strongest ridership recoveries in the country.
In 2019, about 2,000 people rode the CapeFLYER over its five-day Fourth of July weekend service, according to MBTA data.
MBTA riders “respond to service that is reliable, predictable, and easy to use,” Maya Bingaman, an agency spokesperson, said last month. The CapeFLYER, which began operating in 2013, “reflects that, offering a consistent trip that avoids bridge traffic, which is often the most variable part of traveling to the Cape.”
The CapeFLYER also allows passengers to store bicycles onboard and order snacks and beverages, including alcohol, from its café car.
Tickets are $22 one-way from Boston, or $40 round-trip.
Along the way, the train stops in Braintree, Brockton, Lakeville, Wareham Village, Buzzards Bay and Bourne.
Travel from stops closer to the Cape Cod Canal costs as little as $5 one-way and $8 round-trip. Children 11 and under ride free, and dogs are welcome on board.
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