BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will launch South Coast Rail operations — serving a group of southeastern Massachusetts communities that have been without passenger rail for 65 years — on March 24, 2025, the agency announced today.
The start date — two months ahead of the most recent timeline, which called for service to begin in May — is pending final approval from the Federal Railroad Administration.
The project, an extension of the current Middleborough/Lakeville Line, adds 37 miles to the MBTA commuter rail network and includes six new stations. It addresses the lack of rail service for Taunton, New Bedford, and Fall River, the only three major cities within 50 miles of Boston that do not currently have commuter rail service. When the extension opens, the Middleborough/Lakeville Line will be renamed the Fall River/New Bedford Line.
“The people of Taunton, Freetown, New Bedford, Middleboro and Fall River have been waiting for passenger rail service for far too long,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a press release. “… We’re thrilled to soon be launching South Coast Rail service, which will make it easier for South Coast residents to get around the state, reduce congestion, and spur economic development.”
Service plans call for 32 trains on weekdays between South Station and East Taunton, with 17 continuing on the New Bedford Line and 15 on the Fall River Line. The MBTA anticipates trains will run every 70 minutes. On weekends, there will be 26 trips between South Station and East Taunton, with trains running every two hours. The schedule will include late-night service, with the last train leaving Boston just before midnight. Trips from the two endpoints will take about 90 minutes; tickets to all the new stations will be $12.25, or $6 for those qualifying for reduced fares.
“The MBTA is proud to be in this position, working collaboratively with the Federal Railroad Administration as we now seek their approval to begin passenger train service at the end of March ahead of our May target,” said MBTA CEO Phillip Eng. “This will allow communities in Boston, southeastern Massachusetts, and many in between to connect by train for the first time in decades. We sincerely appreciate the patience and support from stakeholders and community members as we performed train testing and conductor training.”
The MBTA will hold the latest in a series of public meetings on the new service on Feb. 10 in Freetown. This follows earlier meetings in Taunton, Fall River, and New Bedford.
More on the South Coast Rail project is available here.
Let us hope that MBTA is not getting up hopes too soon. The FRA like many other federal agencies is sinking into Chaos. Will the FRA even be allowed to grant approval? I have no idea.
Good! Great! Awesome!
Lower-income Bristol County – I never heard the term “South Coast” growing up – didn’t get much respect. Fall River and New Bedford were considered Portuguese ghettos, and as for Taunton, well, it was just there. Good to see the South Coast joining the rest of the Commonwealth with good rail service. Not just a couple of trains per day but a full schedule.
Oh, and Bristol County is the answer to a great trivia question. Does anyone know the question? HINT: Consider a former trivia question, now nullified by events, was this: What state has the longest name? (It no longer does, as the state’s name has changed.)