BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has completed more than 28 miles of rail replacement on its Fairmount Line, part of work in preparation for the eventual launch of battery-electric train service on the 9.2-mile, nine-station commuter line between South Station and Readville, Mass. Service on the route, which has been modified since the $12 million project began in June, will return to normal on Dec. 1, 2025, the MBTA announced on Monday (Nov. 24).
“Battery-electric trains and the infrastructure supporting them will deliver a quieter, cleaner, and more reliable ride for our passengers,” Phillip Eng, the MBTA’s general manager and the state’s interim transportation secretary, said in a press release. “I’m thankful to our riders that use the Fairmount Line for their patience as we accelerated significant track renewal work critical towards bringing battery-electric trains for our riders and neighbors along this corridor. … We thank our operating partner, Keolis, for their efforts to accomplish this work in an accelerated schedule.”
Keolis CEO John Killeen said it was the largest rail replacement project Keolis has completed in a single construction season.
“Crews replaced an average of a quarter of a mile a day, and on some days as much as a half a mile,” said Killeen, “so that we could quickly update Fairmount Line infrastructure for the new battery-electric trains and return the tracks to full service for passengers.”
New schedules for the Fairmount Line will be available shortly at the schedules page of the MBTA website. Current Providence/Stoughton and Franklin/Foxboro schedules will remain in effect so Amtrak work can continue to repair an interlocking damaged by a downed catenary line on Aug. 1
The MBTA approved a Keolis plan for battery-electric trains on the Fairmount Line in 2024 [see “MBTA approves plan …,” Trains.com, July 24, 2025]. The procurement process for the equipment began in January.
Once again, Mr. Landey is commenting on things he doesn’t know much about. I truly don’t understand the impetus to expound on things you don’t know about. Perhaps it would be better to ask questions of people who do know something about the topic at hand.
I haven’t lived in Boston for a long time, but used to live in this part of the city. I also worked with health centers in this part of town when I worked at the Mass Public Health Department WIC Program. This line serves a lower income largely Black and Latino neighborhoods in Dorchester and terminates in Readville which is the far end of the City of Boston’s political limits. Readville is where the Fairmount Line meets the NEC.
The point of using BEMU trains is to provide faster service at a less expensive price. This line doesn’t have the density or traffic to support full electrification. Yes, that is a good idea and should be done on the lines that run on the NEC but that’s not what this is about. Please try to stay on topic. We all know how you feel about this, you’ve expounded on it at length before. OK?
This is going to improve service in a part of the city that has been underserved for a LONG time with rail transit. People have had to take long bus rides to Orange or Red Line stations to get to jobs in far flung parts of the city. This will give folks a one seat ride to South Station instead of a bus to Ashmont or Forest Hills and then a subway right.
As for the rail issue, it could simply be that the rail was OLD. This line has been neglected for a long time partly because it served a low income neighborhood. Googling around tells me they also did drainage work, repaired stations, removed graffiti and brush and did other work like that on the roadbed.
I don’t understand why battery-electric trains need different rail. Are the trains heavier and they are installing heavier rail?
First question is what happens to the removed rail. Was it having jointed rail or not? How close was it to end of life? Quarter mile replacements sounds like new welded rail. Was old rail scrapped or maybe used in a yard? Was the new rail heavier?
The B-EMUs have not been ordered yet as far as I can determine. It may be that the B-EMUs might be rechargeable type at each stop necessitating conduction rail at those stops.
Could also be that MBTA wants the stated 15 minute intervals to operate without future rail replacement. Or, maybe it is thinking that the rail and changed signaling can apply for future complete continuous electrification?
Charles, perhaps the T Commuter powers are hoping the battery trains are successful so they don’t need to incur the expense of stringing wires on their corridor line (or only need to electrify portions).
In any event, Amtrak has really given Metro North a hard time as they try to add a line and some stations alongside the Hell Gate route for Penn access.
Mr. Lassen,
Many thanks for your editorial watchfulness. Many of Mr. Landey’s comments are worthwhile and on-topic, but he seems unable at times to not veer off-topic.
To me, this is politics. If MBTA wants to promote electrification for environmental reasons, it might start with the main line Boston to Wickford Junction (Rhode Island), where MBTA has run diesels under Amtrak wire ever since Amtrak extended wire New Haven to Boston.
Charles Landey, I have deleted your post for its off-topic comment about a politician with no connection to Boston. Feel free to repost without that comment, and please try to keep your comments on topic. Contact me directly at david.lassen@firecrown.com if you have any questions. — David Lassen, senior editor.