Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
South Coast Rail schedule has some readers ‘deeply disappointed’
“These changes will likely make the situation worse,” one reader wrote.
The MBTA’s South Coast Rail began service on Monday, providing passenger rail service for some South Shore commuters to Boston for the first time in 65 years.
The project extended the existing Middleborough Commuter Rail Line (renamed the Fall River/New Bedford Line) into Taunton, New Bedford, and Fall River. Six new commuter rail stations were constructed for the project, as well as two new laver facilities.
The Fall River/New Bedford Line (formerly the Middleborough/Lakeville Line) began service at 4:27 a.m. inbound on Monday. Passengers like Hannah Switlekowski, a Sharon Select Board member and deputy director of the MBTA Board of Directors, called the opening of rail service a “historic day decades in the making.”
The MBTA said there will be 15 trips on the Fall River line and 17 on the New Bedford line daily, with a total of 32 trips between South Station and East Taunton. Weekend service will also be available for commuters, with 26 trips between South Station and Easton Taunton.
Advertisement:
The addition of six new station stops also meant schedule changes to the old departure times – to the chagrin of many Boston.com readers.
Under the new schedule, trains run every 70 minutes on weekdays and every two hours on weekends, compared to every hour on weekdays and every hour and a half on weekends under the old schedule. A one-way trip from Fall River or New Bedford was estimated to take 90 minutes to get to South Station from Fall River and New Bedford, according to Google Maps.
When we asked how South Shore commuters would commute once the new rail was open, the majority (69%) of the 36 respondents to our poll said they would drive, 14% would take the new commuter rail, and 6% would take the T or would do a combination of all.
The MBTA will begin South Coast Rail service on March 24. How will you commute?
I will take the South Coast Rail
14%
I will take the T
6%
I will drive
69%
I will do a combination of the above
6%
Other
6%
Some readers said they were “very happy” about the schedule changes, while others were more critical.
Advertisement:
“I am deeply disappointed with the new schedule,” Lori from Whitman said.
Below, readers share how they will commute with the addition of South Coast Rail, and how the new schedule will impact them.
Responses have been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.
The MBTA will begin South Coast Rail service on March 24. How will you commute?
I will take the South Coast Rail
“I am very happy about the schedule changes.” – Rode C., Taunton
“I take the commuter rail from Brockton and with the change, now I have to decide if I’ll take a train that arrives 30 minutes early or 15 minutes later than my current train. Frequently, they have a train with fewer cars, that gets pretty packed. I hope they’re taking that into account and providing longer trains with the expected increase in passangers.” – Nate, Brockton
“Great to see rail service back to the south coast in 65 years!” – Joe D., East Bridgewater
“I typically take the earliest train out of Kingston at 5:30 a.m. With the new schedule, the departure has been moved to 4:55 a.m., but terminates in Braintree. I will now have to wait for another inbound commuter rail train, or take my chances with the Red Line to South Station. Not sure how a new line was developed without the proper track numbers to support said line. Mismanagement at its finest. Going home, I will now need to leave work 30 mins. early or 1 hour later due to the change. When you have children to pick up at a certain time daily, this is frustrating.” – Larry F., South Shore
“I am deeply disappointed with the new schedule and reduced train services on the Kingston Line. The service is already unreliable, with frequent delays, particularly during the evening commute. These changes will likely make the situation worse, leading to increased overcrowding and even less dependable service.” – Lori, Whitman
“I take the train from Campello on the current Middleboro Lakeville line. My train will now leave 43 minutes earlier in the morning. I’ve had to adjust how my kids get to school. What they haven’t told us is if they are also adding more cars. I’m the third stop now and the train is already crowded by then, and often standing room only by Montello or Holbrook. Are they adding more cars to account for six additional stops?” – Cate, West Bridgewater
I will drive
“I am definitely one of the ones on the disappointed side. I live in New Bedford. I was so happy that the line was finally opening, but the problem is the times. Currently I drive to Middleboro to catch the 4:50 a.m. train and on a good day it gets me to South Station by 5:50 a.m. which gives me 10 minutes to rush to my job that starts at 6 a.m. With the new schedule the first train won’t arrive to South Station until a little after 6 a.m. I think the exact time they have is 6:05 a.m., and believe me, they never make the time they post. This lousy 10 or 15 minute change of schedule will force me to drive in traffic and pay to park, at 40 dollars a day I have no idea what I am going to do. I have already written to the MBTA and they did not respond. There are lots of people that currently pay to ride that train and start work at 6 a.m., and now that’s out the window. They really need an early bird train for the people that start at 6 a.m. The first train should leave Middleboro at 4:40 a.m.” – Kevin S., New Bedford
“I used to take the commuter rail from Kingston, but now I’ll have to drive. The Kingston line got slapped with 1 hr 45 minute headways, as opposed to the hour headways we had before. That is unacceptable. It is the only option other than a car for anyone south of Braintree. Keolis should use Braintree as a transfer and run shuttle trains between Kingston and Braintree to fill in the gaps in service. If you need to be at work by 8 a.m., you need to take an inbound 5:53 a.m. because the 6:30 am is gone. The outbound 4:57 p.m. is useless if you’re out at 5 p.m., and the train that’s packed with commuters and BC high students at 3:33 p.m. has been eliminated.” – Ash, South Shore
Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com