The article“T targets weekend commuter service’’ (Page A1, March 14) illustrates the myopic vision of management at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority when it comes to weekend commuter rail. Instead of viewing it as a valuable asset, they look at it as a pariah jeopardizing the T’s solvency.

As Duxbury’s representative to the MBTA Advisory Board, I have pleaded with the T and the fiscal control board a dozen times to bring back family fares, which were eliminated in 2012. Right now, it costs $120 for a family of five round-trip between Boston and Kingston, whereas five years ago the cost was $31. That money now goes into the SUV’s gas tank.

Major markets such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles all offer sharply reduced weekend fares. Commuter trains operate at a fixed cost whether there are 50 or 500 passengers on board. By filling empty seats at a discounted rate, revenue rises, and the subsidy per passenger decreases sharply.

It is disheartening to see the South Shore’s expensive, well-built railroads languishing on weekends because the T doesn’t recognize that affordable fares and convenient scheduling are the keys to getting cars off the highway while improving the T’s bottom line.

Richard S. Prone

Duxbury

The writer served on the Old Colony and Greenbush citizens advisory committees, and is a retired Amtrak and commuter rail locomotive engineer.