(Image via MBTA.com)
Editor: Vivian Galindo
Email: bgalindo@umassd.edu
After many, many, many years of promises and delays, there is official confirmation that the Commuter Rail will have stops in New Bedford and Fall River.
South Coast Rail, the project name for these new stops, has been approved by the MBTA to begin service on March 24, 2025, with tickets costing $12.25 each way to and from Boston.
Along with Fall River and New Bedford receiving a station, four more new commuter rail stops will be added along the line, being renamed the Fall River/New Bedford Line. The new stops are as follows:
- Middleborough, which will replace the current Middleborough/Lakeville stop for Commuter Rail services.
- East Taunton, a new station opening in Taunton.
- Freetown and Fall River, which will both be a part of the Fall River branch of the line.
- Church Street and New Bedford, which will both be a part of the New Bedford branch of the line.
What does all this mean for you and I?
I imagine it’s obvious, but the first major thing it means is easier travel in and out of Boston. Ease of travel will allow for new work opportunities for people within the area who don’t drive or who want to save on gas.
The benefit isn’t just for people wanting to work in the big city, though. Students who want to spend the day in Boston, seeing sports games or visiting museums, will also enjoy the ease of access with New Bedford and Fall River both next door to us here at UMassD.
A Commuter Rail stop in both New Bedford and Fall River also means that both cities could be more accessible for people to visit. This could lead to a rise in popularity for local arts, such as theatre and music, which New Bedford has quite a bit of.
There can also be a downside, however. These new Commuter Rail stops may lead to New Bedford and Fall River being more desirable places to live, which on its own isn’t a bad thing, as it’s not bad to have a larger population. The potential downside of that, though, is the possible rise in housing costs if living in the area becomes competitive.
New Bedford State Senator Mark Montigny actually brought this up in a press release regarding the new stations. In his statement, he pledged to “remain focused on addressing these concerns.”
But that’s enough about economic and social effects. I’m sure you want to know the real stuff.
How do we know that these stations are actually ready for use?
An official video from the MBTA on YouTube shows a Commuter Rail train riding along South Coast Rail tracks. The train is riding smoothly at a normal pace, and there doesn’t seem to be any issues.
This video is a bit old, being from June of 2024. If anything, though, that’s more of a point in the MBTA’s favor—if it was ready in June of 2024, it’ll definitely be ready for March of 2025.
Plus, it was confirmed last month that the trains and their tracks passed all 988 safety and stress tests.
The effects that come from South Coast Rail will definitely become very evident within the next few years. The new trains definitely add something to New Bedford and Fall River that many have wanted. Even if negative things come along, too, many will take the bad with the good.
For more information on South Coast Rail, go to www.mbta.com/projects/south-coast-rail.