COMMUTER RAIL SYSTEM

Presented here is a description of the MBTA’s commuter rail system. Included below are links to tables with ridership figures. (The MBTA Ridership and Service Statistics (“The Blue Book”), 2005-2006 edition, is the source of this information, unless noted otherwise.)

Commuter Rail service is provided along 12 active trunkline routes, essentially split into two districts. They are:

North Side: North Station Routes
• Newburyport/Rockport Line (“Eastern” Line)
• Haverhill/Lawrence Line (“Western” or B&M Line - this line also hosts Amtrak “Downeaster” service to Portland, Maine that began on Saturday, December 15th, 2001)
• Lowell Line (“New Hampshire” Line)
• Fitchburg Line

South Side: South Station Routes
• Framingham/Worcester Line (“Boston and Albany” Line)
• Needham Line
• Forge Park/495 Line (“Franklin” Line)
• Attleboro/Providence Line (“Northeast Corridor” or “Shore” Line)
• Stoughton Line
• Fairmount Line (“Midlands” or “Dorchester” Line)
And three routes referred to as the Old Colony Railroad:
• Middleborough/Lakeville Line
• Plymouth/Kingston Line
• Greenbush Line, presently under construction.

In addition to regular service, railroad operations special trains are operated for major events such as sporting events, First Night, and chartered trains.

Railroad Operations Statistical Highlights:

• Revenue Vehicle Fleet Size: 80 Passenger Locomotives, 410 active coaches (including 33 double-deckers)
• 127 Stations (including limited-service stations at Foxboro, Riverworks, and Mishawum; Readville East (Fairmount Line) and Readville West (Franklin Line) counted separately)
• Approximately 353 Route Miles of Service (161 North Side, 130 South Side, 62 Old Colony excluding Greenbush)

Approximate Ridership (Inbound & Outbound Boardings):

Click here for the annual ridership for the years 1976 through 2003.

Click here for a map of station boardings.

Click here for the typical weekday boardings by station over the years.

Commuter Rail Vehicle Load Performance (source: 2005 MBTA Title VI Report, Table 4-5)

Commuter Rail On-Time Performance (source: 2005 MBTA Title VI Report, Table 4-6)

Approximate Weekday Fleet Utilization and Service (Spring 2005)
Includes new Fitchburg Express service that began on Feb 17, 2004.

* Includes limited-service stations at Foxboro, Riverworks, and Mishawum.
Readville East (Fairmount) and Readville West (Franklin) counted separately.

Commuter Rail Maintenance and Operation
Heavy maintenance on trains is performed at the new (1998) Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility (at the former Boston Engine Terminal site) in Somerville. Dispatching for North Side routes is controlled at the nearby Cobble Hill facility, while South Side dispatching is coordinated with Amtrak's Centralized Electric and Traffic Control (CETC) system at South Station. Running maintenance and special work are performed at the Southside Service and Inspection Facility near South Station, and at the Readville Interim Repair facility in Hyde Park, Boston.

A third party contractor, currently the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (a joint venture of Bombardier, Connex, and Alternate Concepts), operates and maintains the MBTA’s Commuter Rail service.

The MBTA owns about 500 pieces of commuter rail rolling stock, including passenger locomotives, utility locomotives, work train equipment (such as flat cars, hopper cars, etc.), snow plows, midtrain coaches, and cab cars. Operation, staffing, and maintenance of this equipment is the responsibility of the contractor.

Commuter Rail Coach Fleet Roster (source: 2005 MBTA Title VI Report, Table 3-6)

The MBTA also owns the majority of the trackage upon which commuter rail service is provided, including the “Wildcat” branch that links the Haverhill and Lowell lines near Wilmington. Several trains per day use this route variation. Exceptions to MBTA track ownership include:

• Worcester Line: Back Bay to Newton (right-of-way owned by the Mass Turnpike Authority)
• Worcester Line: Framingham to Worcester, owned by CSX Transportation
• Foxboro Station: Connecting trackage owned by CSX Transportation
• The “Grand Junction” line from Beacon Park to Somerville, used in non-revenue service to transfer trains from one district to another, is owned by CSX Transportation.

Rail freight service is provided along many commuter rail lines by agreement with private railroad corporations. Carriers include the Providence and Worcester Railroad, CSX Transportation, the Bay Colony Railroad, Guilford Transportation, and Fore River Transportation.

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