Salem Beefs Up Safety, Transportation for Influx of Halloween Visitors

America's Halloween hometown is gearing up for its busiest month of the year. The city of Salem is expecting more than 1.15 million visitors this Halloween, marking a steady increase from previous years when nearly a million visitors explored the city's history and witchery. 

Acknowledging the challenges of managing large crowds while balancing residents' needs, officials highlight the economic benefits of tourism for Salem businesses.

"We who live here love Salem, and we are fortunate to call the city our home," said Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo. "There are also the shops and restaurants that thrive because of this, which you wouldn't see in other communities the size of Salem."

To manage the crowds expected to descend on Salem this month, the city has expanded public transportation options. These transportation elements include additional ferry trips, extra commuter rail services, and satellite parking with shuttles to ease traffic and parking concerns.

City officials are actively encouraging visitors to use public transportation and avoid driving during the Halloween season to reduce traffic congestion.

According to a Patch of Salem report, the Salem Ferry service will add a 600-passenger ferry for the last two weekends of the month to go along with the regular 150-person passenger service.

Seven additional inbound trains and eight additional outbound trains will operate on Saturdays and Sundays throughout October. Train service will also operate every 30 minutes to and from Boston on Halloween itself.

According to the Patch, the Commuter Rail unlimited $10 weekend passes will be available each weekend. They will also be sold on Halloween. No bicycles or scooters will be allowed on Commuter Rail trains during weekends in October due to large crowd sizes.

Above all, safety remains a top priority during Halloween celebrations. Measures such as rigid pedestrian barriers, including Department of Public Works trucks, were installed along the Haunted Happenings Grand Parade route for the parade on Thursday, Oct. 2. Anti-vehicle barriers have been installed in densely populated areas to prevent incidents.

"Our first responsibility is going to be to ensure we can welcome these large crowds and welcome everyone safely," Pangallo added.