Boston too is switching some lines permanently onto weekend schedules with less frequent trains
Anecdotally, I've gone into Boston a few times this year. My observation when I've driven in was that rush hour traffic was as bad as ever. But both the commuter rail and the subway were significantly less crowded than I would have expected.
Of course, schedule cutbacks make public transit less appealing. The commuter rail I usually take if going in for a weekday cut all the express trains and seemingly spaced the trains generally in a less commuter-centric schedule so it's less attractive than it used to be at the margins.
They haven't been hiring dispatchers, and overworking the ones they do.