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With drinks and 'a ton of dogs,' the CapeFlyer train returns for the summer
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It's Friday! A quick programming note: this newsletter will be off Monday for Memorial Day. We'll be back after the long weekend on Tuesday. Now, before you rush to Dunkin' to try and snag a coffee bucket, let's get to the news:
Car-free to Cape Cod: The MBTA's CapeFlyer train to Cape Cod kicks off its 13th season today, coming off a record-breaking 2025 summer. The first 2026 train to Hyannis leaves Boston's South Station at 5:22 p.m., with roundtrips planned every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Labor Day. Kathy Jensen, the deputy administrator for the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, touts the train as a way to avoid the stress of summer holiday traffic and current high cost of gas. Plus, as Jensen told WBUR's Fausto Menard, it has some perks your typical MBTA train doesn't.
- Café car: Grab a snack or beer! According to the MBTA, the CapeFlyer is their only regular train on which you can buy food and drink (though they add the café car to commuter rail trains for special occasions, such as Salem service during October weekends last year). The menu includes chips, sandwiches, sodas, beer, wine — and even those wicked strong canned Cutwater cocktails.
- Dogs welcome: Pets are "always" allowed on the CapeFlyer, with none of the time and size restrictions that apply to other MBTA trains. " We have a ton of dogs that get on the train, especially our Friday night train," Jenson said.
- Bring your bike: Riders planning to take advantage of the Cape's bike trails can bring for free. There's a dedicated storage car with room for up to 50 bikes and a toolkit in case you need to inflate your tires or make small repairs.
- The important details: A roundtrip ticket normally costs $40, but Jensen said they're running a $10 special for the month of June. The entire ride from Boston to Hyannis takes about two and a half hours — with six stops along the way, including in Brockton, Buzzards Bay and Bourne. See the schedule here.
- The last mile(s): What to do after you landed on the Cape without a car? Jensen said there are a number of transit connections from the Bourne and Hyannis stations, including shuttles to the island ferries and free CCRTA buses that go up and down the rest of the Cape. Jenson said some people even bike from Hyannis to Provincetown and then take the fast ferry back to Boston.
ICYMI: The Boston City Council won't be giving back recent raises to help balance the city's tight budget after all. WBUR's Eve Zuckoff reports that the Council voted 9-3 this week against the proposal, which would have cut each councilor's $125,000 salary by $5,000 — and Mayor Michelle Wu's $250,000 salary by $43,000.
- The case for it: Councilor Ed Flynn said the proposal was largely symbolic but would show residents "we feel their pain." In total, his office estimated that it would save $108,000; the city's overall budget is $4.6 billion. "Will this $5,000 pay decrease make a meaningful impact? Probably not," he said. "But it sets a good example that we're willing to do everything we possibly can to support people in need."
- The case against it: Councilor Sharon Durkan criticized the proposal as harmful to councilors trying to raise a family in the expensive city. " I’m a single person and I might be able to cut back in ways that families cannot in terms of their savings," Durkan said.
Rental reminder: Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell issued a stern warning to landlords and real estate agents yesterday against illegally foisting broker fees upon renters. The reminder comes after WBUR first reported last week that some had been trying to get around the state's new restrictions on broker's fees.
- The backstory: One of the ways brokers had reportedly tried to skirt the new law and make tenants pay them the fee — often the equivalent of a single month of rent — was via what they called "open listings" that a property owner had sent to multiple agents to advertise. But Healey and Campbell said the law only allows tenants to be charged if they directly hired the broker to help them search for an apartment. Requiring tenants to pay a broker's fee "for services at least partly provided to landlords" is illegal, they added.
- Say something: Campbell encouraged prospective renters to report improperly charged broker’s fees to her office online or call 617-727-8400.
In court: Tyler Brown, the man charged in last week's Memorial Drive shooting rampage, will be held without bail as he awaits trial. WBUR's Deborah Becker reports there wasn't much of an argument during Brown's dangerousness hearing yesterday, as prosecutors pointed to both the May 11 shooting and Brown's 2020 conviction for a shootout with Boston police. Brown's defense team didn't even contest the motion.
P.S.— What first-in-the-nation option will soon let Boston-area travelers clear TSA security before ever entering Logan Airport? Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of this week's stories.
