BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has completed over 28 miles of rail 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.
