On Tuesday, the MBTA released its official schedules for its new South Coast Rail lines, where passenger service will begin on Monday, March 24.
The schedule features near-hourly service between New Bedford, Fall River, and downtown Boston, with the earliest weekday inbound trains departing Fall River and New Bedford at 4:27 and 5:05 a.m., respectively, and the latest trains for both cities departing South Station at 11:59 p.m.
The scheduled trip time from both New Bedford and Fall River is approximately 95 minutes, which is faster than most rush-hour driving times between the two cities.
View the official timetable here.
Thanks to fully accessible, level-boarding platforms at all the new stations, the T will also allow passengers to carry bicycles on board all trains that serve the new line.
Additionally, the T is planning to run connecting shuttle trains between East Taunton and Fall River or New Bedford, with cross-platform transfers at the East Taunton station, to allow for easier connections between Boston and the new line's two branches.
For instance, there will be direct trains departing from New Bedford to South Station at 5:55 and 7:25 a.m., but there will also be a connecting shuttle train that will depart from New Bedford for Taunton at 6:22 a.m.
In Taunton, that train will meet up with the 6:35 a.m. train from Fall River, allowing passengers from New Bedford to switch trains and continue to South Station.
With the opening of new train stations in Taunton, Freetown, New Bedford, Middleborough, and Fall River, the T will rename the current Middleborough/Lakeville line as the Fall River/New Bedford line.
After March 24, the existing Middleborough/Lakeville stop, located at 125 Commercial Drive, will only serve summer-season CapeFlyer trains.
“The launch of South Coast Rail passenger service underscores the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s commitment to delivering safe, reliable, accessible, and resilient transportation infrastructure for the residents and businesses of Massachusetts,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt in an MBTA press release. “With service beginning on March 24, thousands of cars will come off the roads, and thousands of people will experience the convenience and benefits of public transportation firsthand.”
