South Coast Rail

South Coast Rail
The completed Freetown station in December 2022
Overview
Status	Phase 1 opened Phase 2 proposed
Locale	Southeastern Massachusetts
Termini	Boston South Station Fall River New Bedford Battleship Cove (Phase 2)
Stations	6 new stations in Phase 1 5 new stations in Phase 2
Service
Type	Commuter rail
System	MBTA Commuter Rail
Daily ridership	Phase 1: 2,280 projected boardings at new stations[1]: 6
History
Opened	March 24, 2025 (Phase 1)
Closed	Previous New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad service ended on September 5, 1958
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Phase 2 only (proposed)
Operating speed	79 miles per hour (127 km/h)
Route map   Phase 1   Phase 2 Show interactive map 0.0 mi 0 km South Station Northeast Corridor Fairmount Line Track 61 2.3 mi 3.7 km JFK/UMass 7.9 mi 12.7 km Quincy Center Greenbush Line 10.9 mi 17.5 km Braintree Kingston Line 15.0 mi 24.1 km Holbrook/​Randolph 18.6 mi 29.9 km Montello 20.0 mi 32.2 km Brockton 21.9 mi 35.2 km Campello 27.7 mi 44.6 km Bridgewater CapeFLYER Existing service South Coast Rail 34.5 mi 55.5 km Middleborough Middleboro Yard Middleboro Secondary Dean Street Industrial Track (South Coast Rail Phase 2) Attleboro Secondary 42.8 mi 68.9 km East Taunton New Bedford Branch 57.4 mi 92.4 km Church Street 60.0 mi 96.6 km New Bedford Fall River Branch 51.2 mi 82.4 km Freetown 56.6 mi 91.1 km Fall River Fall River Subdivision This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram map for Phase 1 0.0 mi 0 km South Station Fairmount, Greenbush, and Old Colony Lines 1.2 mi 1.9 km Back Bay Framingham/Worcester Line 2.2 mi 3.5 km Ruggles 5.0 mi 8 km Forest Hills Needham Line 8.4 mi 13.5 km Hyde Park Fairmount Line 9.5 mi 15.3 km Readville Franklin/Foxboro Line 11.4 mi 18.3 km Route 128 14.8 mi 23.8 km Canton Junction Northeast Corridor and Providence Line 15.6 mi 25.1 km Canton Center 18.9 mi 30.4 km Stoughton Existing service Phase 2 21.4 mi 34.4 km North Easton 22.7 mi 36.5 km Easton Village 29.1 mi 46.8 km Raynham Place 34.3 mi 55.2 km Taunton Attleboro Secondary Phase 2 Phase 1 Middleboro Secondary 37.5 mi 60.4 km East Taunton New Bedford Branch 51.9 mi 83.5 km Church Street 54.7 mi 88 km New Bedford Fall River Branch 45.7 mi 73.5 km Freetown 51.1 mi 82.2 km Fall River Phase 1 Phase 2 52.1 mi 83.8 km Battleship Cove Fall River Subdivision This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram map for Phase 2

South Coast Rail is a project to expand the MBTA Commuter Rail system into the South Coast region of Massachusetts, United States. The first phase opened on March 24, 2025, becoming part of the Fall River/New Bedford Line. It extended service from Middleborough via Taunton with branches to Fall River, and New Bedford. Six stations and two layover yards were constructed and 36.1 miles (58.1 km) of freight railroad track were rebuilt for passenger service.

Previous passenger service to the South Coast ran over four different routes: via Mansfield, via Stoughton, via Randolph, and via Middleborough. The first lines reached Taunton in 1836, New Bedford in 1840, and Fall River in 1846. The network of lines in southeastern Massachusetts was consolidated by 1888 under the Old Colony Railroad, which was in turn acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1893. Passenger service peaked in the early 20th century and declined thereafter, with the final service to the South Coast in 1958.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) began planning the restoration of South Coast service in the 1980s. Feasibility studies were released in 1990 and 1995; the MBTA filed plans for a route using a new bypass near Attleboro in 1995. Environmental impact statements instead recommended a route via Stoughton, which required reactivating an abandoned section of rail line. Planning was suspended in 2002 due to increasing costs but resumed several years later. In 2010, the state purchased the rail lines from CSX Transportation.

Environmental impact statements in 2011 and 2013 recommended the Stoughton route. In March 2017, the project was split into two phases due to high costs and long construction timelines. Phase 1 would provide interim service to Fall River and New Bedford, while Phase 2 would complete the northern section of the project. Phase 1 construction began in 2019 with a projected cost of $1.047 billion. Phase 2, which is not funded, would result in a total projected cost of $3.42 billion if built.