Residents of the South Coast are cheering on the return of passenger rail service after more than half a century with no trains connecting the region to Boston.
The MBTA’s new commuter rail line carries passengers from New Bedford, Fall River and Taunton to South Station in Boston. The three cities were previously the only major cities within 50 miles of Boston without commuter rail lines.
“It’s amazing,” said Brian da Camara. “When I heard, I was so psyched.”
The first day of service on Monday happened to fall on da Camara’s 48th birthday, and he used the opportunity to celebrate by testing out how long it will take him to get to Boston for NBA games.
“I don’t have to be stuck in traffic on the way to a Celtics game! Now we can get to Boston and back now without having to drive in a car and sticking in traffic,” he said.
The Fall River/New Bedford line is also welcome news for daily commuters like Katelyn Fisher, who took the train from the new Freetown station to Boston, where she works in-person five days a week.
“It’s really cool to see an opportunity for people who live way down here to make their way up to Boston,” she said.
Train enthusiasts of all ages were also on hand for the launch. Nine-year-old Kolson Miller convinced his father to wake up before 5 o’clock in the morning so they could watch the first train leave Fall River. He couldn’t hold back a scream as the train’s operator personally handed him an MBTA pin.
“I’m so excited because this is history,” Kolson said. “What I would say to the people who made this happen is, thank you so much.”
The long-awaited project cost the T more than $1 billion to construct. The Fall River/New Bedford line stops at 15 stations, including six new rail stops. Trains run every 70 minutes on weekdays and every two hours on weekends.
The scheduled trip time from Fall River and New Bedford to Boston is roughly 90 minutes, which is generally faster than car travel during rush hour. For Somerset resident Michael Kimpel, who drives his daughter to college in Boston four days a week, that’s a welcome relief.
“I’ll save some gas money,” he said.
Kimpel’s daughter, Victoria Kimpel, is also excited to be able to do school assignments on the train — too precarious a task, she said, for the car.
“I’m able to really sit back, enjoy and do my work,” she said.
To encourage ridership, all rides on the Fall River/New Bedford line will be free through the end of March. Fare-free service will continue only on weekends through April. Free parking is also available at many stations through April.
