The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has announced that the South Coast Rail passenger service will commence on Monday 24 March 2025, pending final approval from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
This marks the return of passenger rail service to Taunton, Freetown, New Bedford, Middleboro, and Fall River for the first time in 65 years.
The South Coast Rail project extends service on the current Middleborough/Lakeville Line, which will be renamed the Fall River/New Bedford Line when service begins.
The South Coast Rail service will include:
- 15 weekday trips on the Fall River Line and 17 weekday trips on the New Bedford Line
- 32 total weekday trips between South Station and East Taunton
- 26 weekend trips between South Station and East Taunton
Trains will run every 70 minutes on weekdays and every two hours on weekends. Late-night service will see the final train from Boston departing just before midnight.
Governor Maura Healey said:The people of Taunton, Freetown, New Bedford, Middleboro and Fall River have been waiting for passenger rail service for far too long. General Manager Eng and his team aren’t kicking the can down the road – they're delivering. 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.
South Coast Rail’s six new stations—Middleborough, East Taunton, Freetown, Fall River Depot, Church Street, and New Bedford—were completed by September 2024 and are fully accessible.
Safety testing for Automatic Train Control (ATC) was completed in July 2024, with dispatch responsibilities transferred to Keolis. More than 800 Positive Train Control (PTC) functions have been tested, with final operations handed over to Keolis in January 2025.
Qualification runs for operator training and route familiarisation are currently underway, with demonstration service planned for early March. Additional signage, station posters, route maps, and street signs will be installed in the coming weeks as part of the final preparation for service commencement.
MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng said:Delivering new rail service to the communities as part of South Coast Rail is another example of our workforce fulfilling commitments made to the public. 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. This will allow communities in Boston, southeastern Massachusetts, and many in between to connect by train for the first time in decades.
South Coast Rail fares will be set at Zone 8 pricing, meaning a full fare of 12.25 USD and a reduced fare of 6 USD.
