Weekend service on all of the MBTA’s commuter rail lines returned on July 3, and already ridership is back close to pre-COVID levels.

Saturday ridership is roughly 77 percent of what it was during the summer of 2019, while Sunday ridership is 100 percent, according to Justin Thompson, a spokesman for Keolis Commuter Services, the operator of the T’s commuter rail system.

Trains are still under-utilized, but those are strong numbers given that weekend service wasn’t even available on most commuter rail lines during the first half of the year. The numbers also represent a stark contrast with weekday ridership, which still hasn’t recovered from the pandemic and the corresponding decline in commuting to work.

On all lines combined, Thompson said, there are approximately 14,200 trips taken on an average Saturday and 12,600 trips on an average Sunday. That compares with 29,500 trips on an average weekday, a number that is well below pre-pandemic levels of roughly 120,000. 

In January, the T shut down service on the Fitchburg, Franklin, Greenbush, Haverhill, Kingston/Plymouth, Lowell, and Needham Lines. Service was continued on the Newburyport/Rockport, Framingham/Worcester, Fairmount, Providence, and Middleborough Lines but with fewer trips. 

On July 3, the T restored weekend service on all lines with the help of federal aid. The T also launched new standardized schedules with earlier trips and an increase in the overall number of weekend trains. The Needham line, for example, added Sunday service, which had never been available before.

The Newburyport-Rockport line, which runs through Chelsea and Lynn, attracted the most weekend riders – an average of 3,888 on Saturdays and 2,899 on Sundays. The Providence and the Framingham/Worcester lines had the second and third highest weekend ridership.

The Lowell line also did well, attracting an average of 1,063 riders on Saturdays and 731 on Sundays.

The Fairmount line fared the worst, despite having more service – 12 inbound and 12 outbound trains — than most other lines. The Fairmount had an average of 355 riders on Saturdays and 310 on Sundays. That works out to about 15 riders per train on Saturdays and 13 on Sundays.

The Needham line, running eight inbound and eight outbound trains on weekends, was the other low-performer. It had an average of 365 riders on Saturdays, or 22 per train. The Needham line’s new Sunday service attracted 239 riders, or 15 per train.

BRUCE MOHL

FROM COMMONWEALTH

Accessibility issues: Outdoor dining during the pandemic has been a lifesaver for many restaurants and their patrons, but the shift outdoors has been a challenge for many people with disabilities. Wheelchair users have had a hard time navigating curbs and and other obstacles, not to mention the picnic tables that many restaurants use. Read more.

A midwife rarity: Stephanie Johnson is the state’s only Black home birth midwife. She says the race of a midwife shouldn’t matter, but it can be a comfort. “For the Black community, particularly with everything that we are dealing with currently, it’s important. I understand the culture. I understand what they are going through. I have a different perspective. I can listen. I value what they have gone through and what they say. Culturally, we seek what we’re familiar with.” Read more.

Emily Rooney gone: The veteran broadcaster’s summer hiatus at Beat the Press became permanent on Friday, as GBH announced it was canceling the weekly show after 22 years. GBH said it wanted to focus on shows dealing with education, social justice, Covid/public health, and politics. The cancellation follows comments made by Rooney in an on-air discussion in April about concerns that public television relies too heavily on productions by Ken Burns, a white documentary maker. Rooney later apologized for her comments, which defended Burns and suggested his work may be superior to a documentary produced by one of the Burns critics. Read more.

Hazard pay bonus: New contracts with some state unions give the workers a $2,000 bonus for working during the pandemic. Gov. Charlie Baker approved the contracts even though he had said earlier that no action should be taken until after a public discussion of the issue. Read more.

OPINION

Does anyone want to work? Every business and nearly every industry seems to be plagued by a shortage of workers, which many say is caused by the availability of extra unemployment insurance benefits (“government handouts”) that are prompting many people to stay home and not work. Margaret Monsell, however, says the numbers indicate that states where the governor has declined the benefits have not seen a big increase in employment numbers. Read more.

Follow the science: Three doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital — Jarone Lee, Ray Liu, and Noelle Saillant — urge political leaders to follow the science and mandate vaccinations. Read more.

Hail nonprofits: Jim Klocke of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network and Lisa Murray of Citizens Bank say nonprofits have proven themselves during the pandemic and deserve public support. Read more.

FROM AROUND THE WEB

MUNICIPAL MATTERS  

Members of a Boston city task force appointed to deal with the problems in the area of Mass. Ave. and Melnea Cass Boulevard say the two-year old effort has ground to halt and is proving to be worthless. (Boston Herald)

HEALTH/HEALTH CARE

All of Massachusetts now meets the CDC’s criteria for being at high or substantial risk for the spread of COVID-19. (MassLive)

WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Fear and uncertainty overtake Afghanistan as its US-backed government falls to the Taliban. (New York Times)

ELECTIONS

Acting Mayor Kim Janey is using the levers of power she controls in City Hall to help her political fortunes, as the administration released information last month on three Janey rivals who had been in compliance with city rules requiring them to register rental apartments they own, but Janey was allowed to quietly fix the same violation with two apartments she owns. (Boston Globe)

The race for auditor between Chris Dempsey and Diana DiZoglio is focused on bringing transparency to Beacon Hill. (Salem News)

“How long can a person survive as a backup player,” asks Peter Lucas, describing Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito’s fate as political watchers await word on whether Gov. Charlie Baker will run for a third term. (Boston Herald) 

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

A proposed ballot question would give supermarkets and convenience stores access to more licenses to sell liquor. (Salem News)

The cost of industrial real estate in the Worcester area is skyrocketing, driven in part by Amazon seeking large amounts of space there to fuel its growing e-commerce business. (Telegram & Gazette)

ARTS/CULTURE

Separated for centuries, six paintings by Titian are reunited at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. (WBUR)

TRANSPORTATION

Questions are being raised about the MBTA’s years of delay in deploying safety technology  after last month’s collision of Green Line trolleys. (Boston Globe)

An MBTA project to build a new center platform at Union Station in Worcester just got delayed by three years. (Telegram & Gazette)

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

A new report from Boston-based ClimateXchange suggests broader carbon pricing could provide $1.2 billion per year to address climate change and offer “green dividends” to those impacted financially by the initiatives. (Berkshire Eagle)

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS

The Globe Spotlight Team investigates an incident at Souza-Baranowksi Correctional Center in which two inmates were forcibly removed from their cell under questionable circumstances that illustrate how opaque the Department of Correction is. (Boston Globe)

After James Hillman was assaulted by a juvenile at the Department of Youth Services facility where he worked, the Springfield police were called, but then turned away at the door after being told DYS was handling the assault. The police were called back an hour later, and Hillman later died of his injuries. (MassLive)

MEDIA

“This Ain’t Normal,” a documentary nearly 10 years in the making that looks at street gangs in Boston, is released. (Boston Herald)