MBTA’s South Coast Rail service appears to be delayed

Riders in New Bedford, Taunton and Fall River are looking to leverage a new commuter rail line to connect Boston and the South Shore by train for the first time in decades.

MBTA’s South Coast Rail is expected to begin service this summer.

South Coast Rail will serve South Coast communities from the Middleborough/Lakeville line, which currently terminates at Middleborough. The line then splits after Taunton to enter Fall River and New Bedford. Ultimately, the project will also extend the Stoughton line to the South Coast.

After decades of advocacy and delays, South Coast Rail will offer residents a one-seat ticket to Boston for the first time since the 1950s, the transit agency announced. The project should also encourage housing and development in the region.

In late 2022, the MBTA announced that trains would begin running in late 2023, but a November update identified this summer as the start of service. For now, the MBTA is running test trains on the tracks, but as Memorial Day approaches, the official timeline and other details of the project remain unclear.

When will the service start? Summer seems ‘unlikely’

The MBTA held an in-person meeting last week at Morton Middle School in Fall River, during which several questions from community members went unanswered. South Coast rail community engagement director Jean Fox told potential riders a July start of service was “unlikely”, the Fall River Herald News reported.

An MBTA spokesperson did not specify the timeline for the expansion, but said the timeline was being reevaluated.

“Along with a recent change in project leadership, a new project director has been assigned to evaluate all aspects of the project, including the schedule,” MBTA spokeswoman Lisa Battiston said in Boston. com. “The MBTA will share more information once this review is complete.”

When will the new train run?

The schedule for the service has also not been finalized. The MBTA plans to run three morning peak trains and three evening peak trains to New Bedford and Fall River. During off-peak hours, three trains will run approximately every three hours, according to preliminary details posted on the state website.

According to Herald NewsFox did not elaborate on specific passenger schedules, but said there would likely be weekend service.

How much will it cost riders?

South Coast Rail will have stations in Freetown, Fall River, Middleborough, Church Street and New Bedford – all of which are completed or close to being fully constructed, according to a November update. East Taunton station is the most complex railway station, with an 800-foot platform, elevators, ramps and bridges.

Commuter rail pricing is set by zones, and it is unclear which commuter rail zone South Coast Rail would qualify for. Middleborough is in zone 8, which means it’s a $12.25 trip from Boston. The farthest is Zone 10 – where commuters can go to North Kingstown, RI for $13.25.

THE Herald News reported that Fox said at the public meeting that the area for the rail had not been determined.