On Monday morning, the MBTA debuted its newest rail line: a two-branch extension of the former Middleborough/Lakeville Line to the Bristol County cities of New Bedford and Fall River.
Here's what to know about the Commonwealth's newest transit line:
Trains every 70 minutes
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.
Most trains will run about 70 minutes apart, although some rush-hour trains will run more frequently.
View the official timetable here.
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, but a bit slower than driving with no traffic.
Shuttle trains between East Taunton and branches
The T is also running 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 ends of the new line's two branches.
For instance, if you're riding from New Bedford to Boston, there are direct trains scheduled at 5:55 and 7:25 a.m.
But there will also be a connecting shuttle train that will depart from New Bedford at 6:22 a.m. to take you as far as East Taunton.
From East Taunton, your shuttle will meet up with the 6:35 a.m. train from Fall River, so you can switch trains and continue on to South Station.
Fully accessible stations, bikes allowed on all trains
The MBTA built 6 new stations for the new rail line, at Middleborough, East Taunton, Freetown, Fall River, Church Street (a park-and-ride station on the north side of New Bedford), and downtown New Bedford.
Thanks to fully accessible, level-boarding platforms at all the new stations, passengers will be allowed to carry bicycles on board all trains that serve the new line.
Note that the former Middleborough/Lakeville station, located on Commercial Drive, will no longer serve commuter rail trains. It will still be a stop on CapeFlyer service during the summer.
Free fares this week, and free weekend rides in April
The MBTA's new New Bedford/Fall River regional rail line will offer fare-free service from opening day until the end of March, and will continue to offer fare-free rides every weekend in April.
For other times, the T has also started selling tickets for the Fall River/New Bedford Commuter Rail Line on its mTicket mobile ticketing app.
The new stations will all be in Zone 8, which means that a full-priced one-way ticket between South Station and Fall River or New Bedford will cost $12.25.
