FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — A year-long pilot program offering weekday service at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Foxboro station will lead to permanent service beginning Oct. 2, the MBTA announced Thursday.
The year-long pilot program began Sept. 12, 2022, and exceeded targets goals for ridership, with the MBTA saying third-quarter ridership was 112 to 133 boardings per day, compared to a goal of 83 to 118 daily boardings. On-time performance improved on the entire Franklin/Foxboro line, and the agency said the pilot created new opportunites for reverse and non-traditional commuters traveling to Foxboro.
“It’s great to see that the pilot was well received and such a success,” MBTA CEO Phillip Eng said in a press release. “This represents a win for the entire region because it provides expanded access and opportunities for nearby residents in the community, workers, and businesses while making mass transportation the best way to travel for visitors looking to enjoy Foxboro’s many attractions. We look forward to seeing the permanent service benefit all involved for years to come, and I thank the Kraft Group for their partnership and commitment to a fully accessible station in the future.”
The Kraft Group will develop plans for a fully accessible station at the Foxboro site, and will partner with the MBTA to seek funding for a full station renovation including full-length, high-level platforms, since the MBTA Capital Investment Plan does not include funding for the Foxboro project.
The permanent service begins with the MBTA’s fall/winter schedule revisions effective Oct. 2. It will feature 11 inbound and 10 outbound daily trips. The full schedule is available here.
The MBTA initially launched a pilot program serving the Foxboro station in October 2019, but that pilot was aborted in spring 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
there’s a Foxboro resident parking lot near the Mansfield station just over the town line.It is about a 1/3 mile from station and used to have a bus shelter.I do not know if they had a shuttle or people walked.The line to Boston from Mansfield is much quicker than the line from Foxboro (Gillette Stadium) via the Franklin line.The parking lot is still there, paved and usable.As R McGuire said ,it is a complete waste of money for spending millions of dollars for 133 passengers.The train from Foxboro stadium goes west about 3 miles and crawls at 5MPH thru Walpole station to join the Franklin line to Boston.The train does not stop at walpole,if they insist on wasting more money, they should at least have a platform at Walpole for passengers.We are still driving on interstate highways that have not changed since late 1960s and Boston has one of the worst traffic jams in the country.
I would hardly call 112 to 133 boardings a day for 21 trains a success. This why the MBTA is such a mess. Cancel the failed experiment and use the money for something where it will do some good.
So now we hear how patronage is! I know someone who was sent out to count the first runs of the service; a little bit of reverse commuting going on. No patronage from the 3rd Trick at the South Postal Annex–unlike at Middleboro’ and Halifax on the OC! At first The T was running out BOTH ways, B&P Mainline via Ruggles, and the NY&NE/2nd District via Fairmont; the two routes meet at Readville. The Franklin Branch is the old New York & New England main line and there is significant Mixed populations on that line and I would have expected significant reverse commuting to medical jobs close to Foxboro’ Station. Well, that traffic either didn’t show up or the T is too stoopid to pick up traffic for the taking–take your pick! Friend hasn’t been sent out since to do counts.
No service weekends. The Patriot Place Mall and its stores must not be a good draw for the inner city. Maybe that’s now the point!
East Foxboro’ on the Boston & Providence Mainline–the way AMTK now goes–I remember it in the late ’70’s from PC commuter trains. A cinder spot among the gravel ballast; notable landmark house nearby that’s still there as of a month ago. A large upgraded version of Mount Hope near Forest Hills which was a path in the weeds and bushes.
I wanted to say regular scheduled Providence Line trains.
Since the MBTA runs special trains to events at Foxboro from Providence why can’t they just reroute a few of those trains via Foxboro to the Franklin Branch?
It would need a backup move through a switch at the Walpole Station where the wye track involved goes across the access path to the station platform and buildings. Foxboro’ station is on an active freight line into SE Mass. and Walpole to Foxboro’ is several MILES. A backup move like that DOES/DID happen at North Plymouth/Kingston in the evening.
I AM surprised it is being kept. More down below.
Ten to twelve boardings per train … if evenly distributed over the schedule. Looking at the timetable, it seems that several of the trains are flip-backs where no boardings would be expected, meaning larger boardings per train on some trains.
This adds one station (on a spur line) to the Norwood – Franklin – Forge Park service, meaning the new trains dead-end at Foxboro and can’t continue south to Franklin. In addition to whatever Foxboro residents who can walk to the station, this would relieve drivers from trying to park at the overloaded stations at Sharon and Mansfield (both on the Boston – Providence NEC main) or in Norwood or Walpole on the Franklin branch.
BTW this isn’t the first commuter rail station in the Town of Foxboro a/k/a Foxborough. There used to be an East Foxboro station on the Providence trains, in a thinly populated area south of Sharon and north of Mansfield. I have no idea why this station was removed. I remember it from a 1999 ride Boston to Newark on Amtrak.