With South Coast Rail only a few months away, funding released for emergency response equipment in Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton

BOSTON: Rep. Bill Straus (D-Mattapoisett) has announced that MassDOT notified him and the New Bedford and Raynham Fire Chiefs in a letter Friday of the Department’s intent to release over $700,000 in funding in March for the procurement of emergency response equipment in anticipation of the start of South Coast Rail Service later this year.

The Healey-Driscoll administration committed to fund the entire amount requested by the Chiefs for their equipment procurement needs. 

This money originated as an amendment filed by Representative Straus with support of the South Coast delegation and was authorized in the 2022 Transportation Bond Bill. The idea, however, for providing train related safety equipment directly to area Fire and EMS Departments belongs to New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger and the other regional Chiefs from Fall River and Taunton as well as the leaders of locals with the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts. 

The region’s Chiefs and fire departments spent the past several months working with MassDOT and provided the Department with a list of quotes for the safety and extraction equipment that should be available for train related emergency response as needed. “This was a collective effort, and I commend the work of Chief Kruger, Chief LaCivita and their fellow regional Chiefs in putting together this proposal,” said Rep. Straus. “I would also like to thank Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt for her support within the Healey-Driscoll Administration in seeing this through.”

Work on the Fall River Secondary contract was completed in spring 2023. This included the Fall River Depot and Freetown Stations and the Weaver’s Cove Layover. These stations are not yet open to the public.

Church Street, New Bedford, and East Taunton stations are expected to be completed in just a few weeks.

Safety testing is also currently taking place.

The MBTA still anticipates passenger service to start in summer 2024.