Summer start to South Coast Rail looks 'unlikely' — but there's one bright spot for riders

FALL RIVER — Shannon Avery-Desmarais of Swansea told South Coast Rail Director of Community Engagement Jean Fox that she’s thrilled about commuter rail service coming to Fall River, since it allowed her to take a new position in Boston. But the job, she said, starts in July — and so far, the MBTA has been cagey about when service will start.

“I’m wondering if I might be on a train in the fall, maybe?” she asked during Wednesday’s public meeting, held at Morton Middle School. “Or are we talking 2025?”

“I wish I could give you an answer today,” Fox said. “I could probably tell you July is unlikely.”

Audience members who entered the meeting with questions about the consumer-level details of South Coast Rail service left with almost no answers — and a sense that the MBTA may be backing away from its previously stated timeline that trains would be rolling sometime this summer.

Safety checks causing delays: South Coast Rail passenger service pushed back from 2023 to 2024

When will the trains finally run? Nobody knows

Multiple attendees asked Fox when to expect the start of revenue service — the day paying customers can ride the commuter rail line from Fall River to points north. Fox said she couldn’t provide that date, or even a general timeline.

Earlier in the project’s life, service was announced to start in winter 2023. At an MBTA board of directors meeting in September, that start date was pushed to summer 2024. Statements from Fox seem to indicate that it may have to be pushed back again.

“One of the things we need to really be cognizant about is false deadlines,” said Ken Fiola, executive vice president of Bristol County Economic Development Consultants, who spoke from the crowd. “We need to definitively determine when we’re going to open. I need ‘Nov. 1.’ I need ‘Oct. 1.’ I need a definitive time from you.”

While many people said they were frustrated because they want to know when to expect the service, Fiola said the delays and ambiguity are frustrating from a business development standpoint.

“We don’t want to have this project tarnished by this confusion.”

Run the numbers: Would South Coast Rail be the cheapest way to commute to Boston?

How much will a commuter rail ticket cost? Nobody knows

Commuter rail tickets are priced by zones, which roughly correspond to geographical distance from Boston. Middleboro/Lakeville, the current terminus of the commuter rail line, is in Zone 8; a ticket costs $12.25 one way.

Fox said the MBTA has not yet determined what zone Fall River or New Bedford would be in.

Fall River resident Stephen Kobialka said the MBTA has a “credibility issue” regarding the lack of information about cost and the constantly shifting timeline for start of service.

“This sounds rather bureaucratically typical of when a time estimate fails, because now you back off,” he said. “I think what people want to hear, over and over again, is ‘When am I going to be able to ride this train into Boston?’”

Will South Coast Rail have weekend service? Probably

No daily schedule has been issued either — but Fox did suggest the train would likely run on Saturdays and Sundays.

“Right now, there’s weekend service on the Middleboro line,” she said. “I would expect it to happen — but again, that’s a different department.”

Fox said weekend train service could be an attractive option for people besides commuters who want to travel for school, medical appointments or recreation.

“We’ve made it clear people want the weekend service, and it would make sense because not everybody’s going to commute,” she said.

If South Coast Rail runs on weekends, that at least answers one aspect of the fare question: the MBTA’s commuter rail fare on weekends is $10 for unlimited travel in any zone.

Safety on the railroad right of way is still a problem

Fox reminded attendees that being anywhere on the train tracks is illegal and dangerous. She said last weekend an SUV apparently entered onto the right of way at the Tipsy Toboggan on Ferry Street, drove a mile and a half north on the train tracks, and became stuck behind Mello’s Chouriço and Linguiça on North Court Street.

“If a train had been on those tracks, those people wouldn’t be here," she said. “We’re going to have fast-running test trains in this area very soon, and they’re going to be running in some areas at speeds up to 79 mph.”

The MBTA has attempted to spread its safety message through multiple venues. It has recently begun reaching out to local schools and community groups.

“We are still seeing people trespassing — and it is trespassing. It is illegal to be on the right of way,” she said.

Why has the South Coast Rail timeline kept shifting? 

Fox attributed the delays to problems with construction of East Taunton station and a testing phase that has ended up being more exhaustive than initially scheduled.

East Taunton’s station is designed differently than the other stations, with a center-island platform that has tracks running on both sides. This requires multiple modes of entry and exit.

“It has elevators. It has ramps. It has bridges. It has a lot of complexity,” she said.

Between that and delays due to COVID and supply chain shortages, Fox said, that station has been behind schedule. She said a concentrated effort would see it finished in the next couple of months.

The line is entering a monthslong testing phase. She said the Federal Railroad Administration’s testing and commissioning process “in recent years has become far more robust” than in the past.

What’s left to do before South Coast Rail finally opens?

• Complete the East Taunton station construction

• Test the Active Train Control systems

• Test the Positive Train Control systems

• Complete more fire safety training sessions

• Certify the safety of every piece of equipment involved

• A period of field-testing and simulated service

Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: South Coast Rail: Summer start 'unlikely' but weekend service probable