The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has announced that South Coast Rail passenger service will begin March 24, 2025, pending final approval from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
For the first time in 65 years, the communities of Taunton, Freetown, New Bedford, Middleboro, and Fall River will have passenger rail service
The MBTA will host a public meeting in Freetown on Monday, Feb. 10 at 6 pm with the community. This public gathering follows three previous community meetings hosted in Taunton, Fall River and New Bedford.
According to the MBTA, there will be a total of 15 trips on the Fall River line and 17 trips on the New Bedford Line with a total of 32 trips between South Station and East Taunton. There will be a total of 26 trips between South Station and East Taunton on the weekends. The MBTA anticipates trains to run every 70 minutes on weekdays and every 2 hours on the weekends.
Late night service will be offered to South Coast Rail stations with the last train leaving Boston just before midnight.
In addition to direct service, there will also be shuttles operating between each terminus point and East Taunton Station. This, the MBTA says, allows for even more frequent service, which is consistent with the All-Day Service model across the rest of the Commuter Rail network.
Train Station Renaming:
- When service begins, the Middleborough/Lakeville Line will be renamed the Fall River/New Bedford Line.
- The Middleborough/Lakeville Station (located at 125 Commercial Drive, Lakeville) will be renamed Lakeville Station.
- Commuter Rail trains will no longer stop at Lakeville Station.
- The Lakeville Station will serve only the seasonal Cape Cod Flyer.
- The new Middleborough Station (located at 52 West Grove Street, Middleborough) will serve the commuter rail.
Fares:
The MBTA has determined that the fare structure for all South Coast Rail stations will be priced in Zone 8. This means that passengers will pay a full fare of $12.25 and a reduced fare of $6.
Safety System Testing Complete:
Automatic Train Control (ATC) testing was completed in July 2024 and dispatch responsibilities were transferred to Keolis. More than 800 Positive Train Control (PTC) functions have been tested to ensure safety, reliability, and compliance. PTC system testing was completed in December 2024 and operations were transferred to Keolis on Jan. 6, 2025.
Construction Complete:
All six stations—located in Middleborough, East Taunton, Freetown, Fall River Depot, Church Street, and New Bedford—were completed by September 2024. Stations are fully accessible. Certificates of occupancy have also been given for the New Bedford Station and the Wamsutta Layover Facilities.
Operator Training Under Way:
Qualification runs are currently under way to allow for operator training and route familiarity. Demonstration service is slated for early March. All part of the federal New Starts process, these remaining tasks represent the final phases of the testing and commissioning process, according to the agency.
Communities can expect to see more signage installed shortly, including station posters, route maps, directional street signs, and more.
