Sixty-five years after the region lost its rail service, commuter trains will once again run between the South Coast and Boston.
At a recent MBTA public meeting on the anticipated March 24 launch date, the room was filled with Fall River, Freetown, and New Bedford residents as well as many others who came to learn how many trains would operate, if there’d be parking, what fares would be, and more.
One Fairhaven man, however, was there for more personal reasons.
During the Q&A, Father Frederick LaBrecque told those in the room that without the train to Boston, his parents would not have met and fallen in love and he might never have been born.
In the early ’30s, Fr. LaBrecque’s mother commuted five days a week from New Bedford to her job at the Registry of Motor Vehicles in Boston. His father caught the train in Taunton on his way to classes at Tufts Medical School.
A friend introduced them and the rest, as they say, is history.
“They traveled together. They fell in love. When (my father) got his (medical degree), my grandmother gave them permission to marry and I came along nine and a half months later,” the retired priest told the full room.
The local love connection was appreciated by MBTA officials who highlighted the many connections — to work, education, and recreation — that rail service creates.
“Transportation options open up the door for people to have freedom to move around, to connect with families and friends, or to work and entertainment,” said MBTA Chairman Phil Eng at the Jan. 10 meeting. “Projects like South Coast Rail are truly, truly game changing for communities and the people that we serve.”
MBTA officials at the Freetown Elementary School announced the new launch date is two months before the expected start in May.
“We’re very optimistic that we will be receiving (Federal Rail Authority) approval to target March 24th as the date that we start the first train passenger service,” Eng said. “We welcome the community to join us on the first train ride. There’s only one first train ride, so please make it on that day with us.”
The trip from New Bedford to Boston will take 90 minutes with 15 weekday trips on the Fall River line, 17 on the New Bedford line, and 32 between South Station and East Taunton, officials said. There will be a total of 26 trips between South Station and East Taunton on the weekends. The MBTA anticipates trains to run every 70 minutes on weekdays and every 2 hours on the weekends.
Late night service will be offered with the last train expected to leave Boston just before midnight.
There are no off-peak hours, Eng said, because the MBTA has learned that offering service throughout the day works better than designating slower passenger times.
“Ridership is much stronger, more robust, when it’s much more regular throughout the day,” he said. “The ability, particularly now post COVID, to have the flexibility to go in at any time of the day and go home at any time of day really brings the ridership back (better) than if you have off-peak hours with less service.”
In his comments, Sen. Michael Rodrigues said he’s been working on the train project for nearly 30 years and still has a South Coast Rail ground-breaking shovel given to him by then Gov. Paul Celluci in October of 1998.
“We’ve had so many promises to once again connect Fall River and New Bedford, the two hub cities of the South Coast, to Boston via commuter rail as it was from 1859 to 1959,” Sen. Mike Rodrigues told the full room. “Throughout all that time, all those years, I think tonight is going to be the first time that we hear that a very important, probably the most important, milestone of this project is actually being delivered ahead of schedule. And that is a result of the amazing job that Phil Eng and his team are doing.”
“I can’t say enough about Jean Fox who has been on this roller coaster ride with me for many, many years and has always been available and accessible to answer not only any of my questions but any questions that arise from any constituents on this project,” Rodrigues continued.
The one-way fare will be $12.25, based on existing Zone 8 fare or $6 for those who qualify for reduced fare. Reduced fare information, which includes a reduced rate for people age 65 and older, can be found on the MBTA website at MBTA.com.
In addition to direct service, a shuttle train will operate between the East Taunton station and Fall River and New Bedford. The shuttle allows passengers heading to New Bedford to take a Fall River-bound train out of South Station, get off at East Taunton and catch the shuttle train to New Bedford, all for the same one-way fare. Fall River bound passengers can do the same.
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