MBTA announces free fares, schedules, parking for Middleborough, East Taunton, Freetown, Fall River, New Bedford ahead of service beginning next month

If you are one of those folks who thought South Coast Rail was never coming, you may want to look away.

According to Jean Fox, Director of Community Engagement, MBTA General Manager (GM) and CEO Phil Eng shared exciting news with South Coast Rail (SCR) communities and the region at a public meeting on February 10. Pending final approval from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), passenger service will begin Monday, March 24, 2025. For the first time in 65 years, Southeastern Massachusetts will have passenger rail service.

Following up on this announcement, GM Eng announced that weekend rides and parking will be free on the new Fall River/New Bedford Line through the end of April to celebrate SCR. The offer, supported by Governor Healey, is an opportunity to celebrate the new service and thank everyone who has waited many years to ride a train. The MBTA wants to encourage people to experience the convenience of this transportation expansion: “you can get out of congestion, get out of traffic, and leave the driving to us” Eng added.

Fare-free service will be available on South Coast Rail’s new Fall River/New Bedford Line for all weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) between March 29 and April 27, and on April 21 (Patriots’ Day). Passengers can ride for free if they are boarding or ending their ride at one of the six South Coast Rail Stations.

Riders should share their origin and destination stations with conductors to receive free travel. This offer is only valid on the Fall River and New Bedford lines and does not apply to trains on other Commuter Rail lines.

A detailed timetable for SCR trains will be released next week.

There will be a total of 15 direct trips to and from Fall River and 17 direct trips to and from New Bedford with a total of 32 trips between South Station and East Taunton. There will be a total of 26 trips between South Station and East Taunton on the weekends, with roughly half of the trips each going to Fall River and New Bedford. The MBTA anticipates trains will run approximately every 70 minutes on weekdays and every 2 hours on the weekends. Late night service will be offered to South Coast Rail stations with the last train leaving Boston just before midnight.

In addition to direct service, connecting trains will operate between each terminus station (Fall River and New Bedford) and East Taunton station. They will be scheduled to meet a corresponding train serving the other terminus. Passengers will be able to transfer between the connecting train and the direct train at East Taunton for continued service to Boston or step off the direct train to the connecting train to one of the terminus cities. This approach allows for more frequent service to and from Fall River and New Bedford.

When service begins, the Middleborough/Lakeville Line will be renamed the Fall River/New Bedford Line. The Middleborough/Lakeville Station will be renamed Lakeville Station and will serve the seasonal Cape Flyer. The new Middleborough Station (52 West Grove Street, Middleborough) will serve commuter rail.

The fare structure for all South Coast Rail stations will be priced in Zone 8. Passengers will pay a full fare of $12.25 and a reduced fare of $6. 

All six stations — Middleborough, East Taunton, Freetown, Fall River Depot, Church Street, and New Bedford – are fully accessible. They include parking, bicycle facilities, ramps and stairs, elevators in East Taunton and security cameras. Route maps and more information will be available online and in the stations.

Fox also emphasized safety.

“As we look ahead to March service, we want to remind everyone that safety remains a priority for the MBTA. This means now, as trains are running on all SCR rails as part of our testing process, and as operation begins. It takes all of us to prevent track tragedies. Please remember: When you see tracks, think train!”