South Coast Rail is a project to expand the MBTA Commuter Rail system into the South Coast region of Massachusetts, United States. The first phase opened on March 24, 2025, becoming part of the Fall River/New Bedford Line. It extended service from Middleborough via Taunton with branches to Fall River, and New Bedford. Six stations and two layover yards were constructed and of freight railroad track were rebuilt for passenger service.
Previous passenger service to the South Coast ran over four different routes: via Mansfield, via Stoughton, via Randolph, and via Middleborough. The first lines reached Taunton in 1836, New Bedford in 1840, and Fall River in 1846. The network of lines in southeastern Massachusetts was consolidated by 1888 under the Old Colony Railroad, which was in turn acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1893. Passenger service peaked in the early 20th century and declined thereafter, with the final service to the South Coast in 1958.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) began planning the restoration of South Coast service in the 1980s. Feasibility studies were released in 1990 and 1995; the MBTA filed plans for a route using a new bypass near Attleboro in 1995. Environmental impact statements instead recommended a route via Stoughton, which required reactivating an abandoned section of rail line. Planning was suspended in 2002 due to increasing costs but resumed several years later. In 2010, the state purchased the rail lines from CSX Transportation. Environmental impact statements in 2011 and 2013 again recommended the Stoughton route; state officials mandated that the service be electrified.
In March 2017, the project was split into two phases due to high costs and long construction timelines. Phase 1 would provide interim diesel service to Fall River and New Bedford via Middleborough as an extension of the existing Middleborough/Lakeville Line. Phase 2 would complete the northern section of the project between Stoughton and Taunton and add electrification to the Phase 1 portion. Phase 1 construction began in 2019 with a projected cost of $1.047billion and opened on March 24, 2025. Phase 2, which is not funded, would result in a total projected cost of $3.42billion if built.
Route Phase 1
The project, primarily located in the South Coast region of Massachusetts, is split into two phases. Phase 1 opened on March 24, 2025, as part of the Fall River/New Bedford Line. It was an extension of the existing Middleborough/Lakeville Line using diesel-hauled trains. The Phase 1 routing splits from the Middleborough Main Line in downtown Middleborough, with Middleborough station replacing Middleborough/Lakeville station. It runs west along the Middleboro Secondary through Lakeville and Taunton to Cotley Junction, where it turns southeast onto the New Bedford Main Line and reaches East Taunton station. At Myricks Junction in Berkley it splits into two southern branches. The Fall River Branch follows the Fall River Secondary southwest through Freetown and Fall River, with stops at Freetown station and Fall River station. The New Bedford Branch follows the New Bedford Main Line southeast through Lakeville, Freetown, and New Bedford, with stops at Church Street station and New Bedford station.
Phase 1 added passenger service to of track. The section of the Middleboro Secondary used for the project is single track with one siding. The of the New Bedford Main Line between Cotley Junction and Myricks Junction are double track, while the between Myricks Junction and New Bedford are a mix of single and double track. The of the Fall River Secondary are also a mixture. Positive train control was installed on the lines for the project. Except for sidings and the Church Street–New Bedford section, the track was built to support passenger train speeds of . Layover yards were built at Weaver's Cove in northern Fall River and Wamsutta near the New Bedford station. The six new stations are accessible with full-length high-level platforms. Construction cost for Phase 1 was estimated as $1.047 billion in 2019 (equivalent to $billion in ).
Phase 2
Phase 2 ("full build"), which is proposed but not funded, would turn the South Coast lines into an extension of the Stoughton Branch of the Providence/Stoughton Line. From Stoughton station, it would run south along the former Dighton and Somerset Railroad through Easton, Raynham, and Taunton. At Weir Junction in Taunton, it would turn southeast onto the New Bedford Main Line, meeting the Phase 1 routing at Cotley Junction. New intermediate stops would be added at North Easton station, Easton Village station, Raynham Place station, and Taunton station. The Fall River Branch would also be extended south to a new Battleship Cove station. The Stoughton Branch, the new segments, and the Phase 1 segments (except for the Middleboro Secondary) would be electrified. Total cost for the both phases was estimated as $3.4 billion in 2017 (equivalent to $billion in ).
Unlike Phase 1, Phase 2 would involve reactivation of previously abandoned railroad right-of-way, as the portion between southern Stoughton and eastern Taunton was abandoned around the 1960s. In southern Easton and northern Raynham, the route passes through the Hockomock Swamp on a low embankment, which is partially rewilded though used by pedestrians and all-terrain vehicle riders. The swamp is a designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern and houses several endangered species including the blue-spotted salamander. An trestle atop the embankment is proposed to allow animals to pass under the tracks and limit the disturbance to the existing ground. The trestle would use concrete box girders on piles spaced at , with a maintenance siding in the middle.
Previous service Expansion
Previous passenger service to the South Coast ran over four different routes: via Mansfield, via Stoughton, via Randolph, and via Middleborough. The first rail line to reach the area was the Taunton Branch Railroad, which connected with the Boston and Providence Railroad (B&P) at Mansfield. It opened to Taunton in August 1836; a closely affiliated extension, the New Bedford and Taunton Railroad, opened to New Bedford in July 1840. The Middleborough and Taunton Railroad opened in July 1856; it connected with the New Bedford and Taunton at Cotley Junction south of Taunton.
The first segment of what would become the Fall River Railroad opened from Myricks (on the New Bedford and Taunton) to Fall River on June 9, 1845. The rest of the line opened in 1846 from Myricks through Middleborough to South Braintree on the Old Colony Railroad, creating a second route from Fall River to Boston. The next year, owner Richard Borden founded the Fall River Line, which operated New York–Fall River steamship service. It connected with the "Boat Train" on the Fall River Railroad to provide New York–Boston through service. The Old Colony Railroad and the Fall River Railroad merged in 1854 as the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad. It merged with the Newport and Fall River Railroad in 1863 to become the Old Colony and Newport Railway, then with the Cape Cod Railroad in 1872 to become the Old Colony Railroad.
The Stoughton Branch Railroad opened in April 1845 from Stoughton to Canton Junction on the B&P. An extension, the Easton Branch Railroad, opened to North Easton on May 16, 1855. In 1863, the Dighton and Somerset Railroad began construction on a line between Somerset Junction (north of Fall River) and Braintree Highlands – both on the Old Colony and Newport – via Taunton, North Easton, and Randolph. The Old Colony and Newport purchased the potential competitor in 1865 and opened it on September 24, 1866. It used the Easton Branch Railroad between North Easton and Stoughton Junction (south of Stoughton); passenger service ended between Stoughton and Stoughton Junction. The new route via Randolph was shorter than the Middleborough and Mansfield routes; it became the Old Colony's primary Fall River–Boston routing.
Consolidation
The Taunton Branch Railroad opened a branch from Attleboro Junction (west of Taunton) to Attleboro in 1871. The company merged with the New Bedford and Taunton in 1874 as the New Bedford Railroad. The Old Colony acquired the Middleborough and Taunton Railroad in 1874 and a successor of the New Bedford Railroad in 1879. Around 1882, the Old Colony opened the Whittenton Branch between Whittenton Junction (near Attleboro Junction) and Raynham. It allowed trains on the Dighton and Somerset to serve Taunton Central station rather than Dean Street station, thus consolidating Taunton's passenger services at a single station.
The Old Colony acquired the B&P in 1888, consolidating all the railways in southeastern Massachusetts under a single owner. The company expanded Mansfield–New Bedford service and routed some Fall River and New Bedford trains via Stoughton at times. The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (New Haven) leased the Old Colony in 1893. By 1898, daily South Coast service via Mansfield included six Taunton–Boston round trips and one New Bedford–Boston round trip plus nine New Bedford–Mansfield round trips that connected with Boston trains at Mansfield. Service via Randolph included one Taunton–Boston round trip and four Newport–Fall River–Boston round trips. There were three Fall River–Boston round trips via Middleborough.
The opening of South Station in 1898 allowed increases in through service; by 1906; eleven of the fourteen daily New Bedford–Mansfield round trips ran to and from Boston. Service timed for Boston commuting had been available from Taunton and New Bedford via Mansfield since around 1885. Fall River never had a strong commuter market to Boston; commuter service via Middleborough was available for several years starting in 1915. Commuter service via Randolph never ran further south than North Easton.
Decline Cutbacks to service began during World War I and continued thereafter. Service between Mansfield and New Bedford was reduced sharply to five daily round trips, and Fall River service via Middleborough dwindled. The New Haven resumed running South Coast trains via Stoughton during and after the war. Use of the Randolph route ended around 1924. By 1927, all service to New Bedford and Fall River ran via Stoughton, save for a single Fall River round trip that ran via Middleborough until 1931. Service on the southern part of the Dighton and Somerset ended in 1932, with Fall River service routed via Myricks thereafter.
South Coast service was rerouted via Mansfield in 1937 during the early stages of the 88 stations case, which also brought the end of service south of Fall River in 1938. Fall River service was reduced to Taunton shuttles during World War II. New Bedford service was reduced to three round trips in March 1949, and the Fall River shuttles were discontinued that September. Most New Bedford service was routed via Stoughton in 1950; both routes were used for several years. Fall River shuttles resumed in June 1952.
All service was routed via Stoughton in 1955 when a grade separation project at Mansfield cut the branch line. By that time there were three New Bedford–Boston round trips – one with a Fall River shuttle – and one Fall River–Boston trip. That remaining service ended on September 5, 1958, as the New Haven cut its unprofitable Old Colony Division; the remaining passenger service on the division ended the next year. Freight service to the South Coast continued, though the remainder of the Dighton and Somerset was abandoned in the 1960s and 1970s. The New Haven merged in late 1968 into Penn Central, which merged into Conrail in 1976. Passenger service continued on the ex-B&P, including the Stoughton Branch, eventually becoming the Providence/Stoughton Line.
South Coast Rail planning Restoration planning (1980s–2003)