MBTA Commuter Rail is the commuter rail system for the Greater Boston metropolitan area of Massachusetts. It is owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and operated under contract by Keolis. In 2022, it was the fifth-busiest commuter rail system in the United States with an average weekday ridership of 78,800. The system's routes span and cover roughly the eastern third of Massachusetts plus central Rhode Island. They stretch from Newburyport in the north to North Kingstown, Rhode Island, in the south, and reach as far west as Worcester and Fitchburg. The system is split into two parts, with lines north of Boston having a terminus at North Station and lines south of Boston having a terminus at South Station.
, there are 143 active stations on twelve lines, four of which have branches. 122 active stations are accessible, including all terminals and all stations with rapid transit connections; 21 are not. Five additional stations (, , , , and ) are indefinitely closed due to service cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several other stations are planned.
The MBTA was formed in 1964 to subsidize suburban commuter rail service operated by the Boston and Maine Railroad, New York Central Railroad, and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Subsidies began in stages from 1965 to 1973; a number of stations closed in 1965–1967 before service to them was subsidized, of which 26 have not reopened. Contraction continued into the early 1980s; 42 additional stations closed between 1967 and 1981 have not reopened. Expansion of the system began in the late 1970s, including extensions of existing lines and the reopening of several lines discontinued before the MBTA era. Three additional low-ridership stations have closed since 1981, while several other stations have been relocated.
Key Station Indicates the MBTA's official name for the station. Indicates whether the station is accessible. (See MBTA accessibility for further details.) Line Indicates the lines that stop at the given station. A bold line designation indicates that the station is a terminus for that line. Connections Denotes any links to MBTA subway and MBTA bus routes, to other bus systems, to Amtrak trains, or to the CapeFLYER at the station. City/neighborhood Identifies the municipality (and for Boston, the neighborhood) in which the station is located. Fare zone Identifies which of the eleven fare zones the station is in. The zones are 1A, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, with Zone 1A being the closest to North Station and South Station, and Zone 10 being the farthest. Daily boardings Average daily boardings (in both directions) from a Fall 2024 count. Station info A link to the station's information page on the MBTA website.
Stations
Station Line Connections City/neighborhood Fare zone Daily boardings Station info South Station : , ,
: ,
Intercity buses at South Station Bus Terminal Boston/Downtown 22,467
: Boston/Dorchester 1,095
: Quincy 1 801 : Weymouth 2 364 – Weymouth 2 320 — Hingham 3 167 : Hingham 4 120 — Cohasset 4 133 — Scituate 5 153 – Scituate 6 425
: Braintree 2 538 — Weymouth 3 515 — Abington 4 376 — Whitman 5 239 — Hanson 6 182 — Halifax 7 146 GATRA: Kingston 8 634 GATRA: Plymouth 8 – : Randolph 3 406
BAT: Brockton 4 467
BAT: GATRA: Brockton 4 560 BAT: Brockton 5 357 — Bridgewater 6 529 GATRA: Middleborough 8 – GATRAEast Taunton8 –—Freetown8 – SRTA: Fall River8 –—New Bedford8 – SRTA: New Bedford8 – : Boston/Dorchester 191 : Boston/Dorchester 364 : Boston/Dorchester 424 : Boston/Dorchester 427 : Boston/Mattapan 427 : Boston/Mattapan 419 : Boston/Hyde Park 528 : Boston/Hyde Park 2 826 : , ,
Intercity buses at Copley Square Boston/Back Bay 6,786
Boston/Roxbury Crossing 3,166
: Boston/Jamaica Plain 521 : Boston/Hyde Park 1 435 : , Westwood 2 1,016 : Canton 3 1,105 : Canton 3 334 BAT: Stoughton 4 766 — Sharon 4 756 Mansfield 6 1,143 GATRA: Attleboro 7 1,220 GATRA: RIPTA: Attleboro 7 19 RIPTA: Pawtucket, RI 8 658 : , RIPTA: Providence, RI 8 1,462 RIPTA: Warwick, RI 9 124 RIPTA: North Kingstown, RI 10 157 — Dedham 2 297 — Dedham 2 437 — Westwood 3 166 — Norwood 3 451 — Norwood 3 624 — Norwood 4 228 — Walpole 4 – – Walpole 4 326 — Foxborough 4 150 GATRA: Norfolk 5 430 – Franklin 6 404 MWRTA: Franklin 6 485 : Boston/Roslindale 1 517 : Boston/West Roxbury 1 319 : Boston/West Roxbury 1 338 : Boston/West Roxbury 1 356 — Needham 2 405 : Needham 2 284 : Needham 2 199 : Needham 2 242
At : : (B, C, D) : Boston/Fenway–Kenmore 1,348 : Boston/Allston–Brighton 1,266 : Newton 1 421 : Newton 2 227 – Newton 2 171 — Wellesley 3 247 — Wellesley 3 301 — Wellesley 3 470 MWRTA: Natick 4 419 MWRTA: Natick 4 533
MWRTA: Framingham 5 904 MWRTA: Ashland 6 393 MWRTA: Southborough 6 425 – Westborough 7 409 WRTA: Grafton 8 367
WRTA: PVTA:
Worcester 8 1,139 North Station
: ,
: (at Lovejoy Wharf) (at Lovejoy Wharf) Boston/Downtown 11,186
: Cambridge 676 : Belmont 1 163 : Belmont 1 179
128 Business Council: Waltham 2 460 : Waltham 2 386 — Weston 3 130 — Weston 3 – — Weston 3 – — Lincoln 4 149 — Concord 5 287 — Concord 5 263 Acton 6 463 MART: Littleton 7 319 – Ayer 8 190 – Shirley 8 103 MART: Leominster 8 146 MART: Fitchburg 8 250 MART: Fitchburg 8 83 : Medford 415 — Winchester 1 346 : Winchester 1 115 — Woburn 2 –
Woburn 2 677 LRTA: Wilmington 3 377 LRTA: North Billerica 5 604 LRTA: MVRTA: Lowell 6 977
: Malden 101
: Malden 38 : Melrose 1 51 — Melrose 1 63 : Melrose 1 86 : Wakefield 2 77 : Wakefield 2 183 : Reading 2 209 — Wilmington 3 27 — Andover 4 167 MVRTA: Andover 5 247 MVRTA: Lawrence 6 298 – Bradford 7 294
MVRTA: Haverhill 7 – : () : Chelsea 365 — Lynn 36 : Lynn 470 – Swampscott 3 737 : Salem 3 1,739 CATA: Beverly 4 1,011 : Beverly 5 170 — Hamilton 5 162 CATA: Ipswich 6 205 — Rowley 7 62 MVRTA: Newburyport 8 349 Beverly 4 185 — Beverly 5 – — Beverly 5 83 — Manchester-by-the-Sea 6 121 CATA: Gloucester 7 38 CATA: Gloucester 7 275 CATA: Rockport 8 140`
Future stations
Five additional stations are planned, but not funded, as part of the second phase of the South Coast Rail project. is planned as part of the redevelopment of the former Beacon Park Yard, while is municipally planned. Station Line CityRef Fall River North Easton North Easton/Stoughton Raynham Salem Taunton Boston
Former stations Stations closed without MBTA subsidy
The MBTA was formed in August 1964 to subsidize suburban commuter rail services. Subsidies for Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) lines north of Boston began in 1965; subsidies for New York Central Railroad and New Haven Railroad lines west and south of Boston began later. If a railroad was given ICC permission to discontinue a service, the MBTA would subsidize operation within its funding district (within about of Boston), while municipalities outside the district could contract with the MBTA to fund continued service.
A number of out-of-district stations (and several in-district stations) were closed in January 1965; most reopened that June, or over the next decades. However, several minor stations were never reopened. In June 1967, the B&M discontinued never-subsidized Boston– and Boston– round trips - the last remains of B&M interstate service. Several out-of-district stations were also closed in April 1966 when the MBTA began subsidizing several New Haven Railroad lines.
This listing includes only stations closed when MBTA or local subsidies began, or on services that were never subsidized. Stations that later reopened are not listed.
Station Line City Date closed Blackstone Line Blackstone April 24, 1966 West Medway Branch Medway April 24, 1966 West Medway Branch Medway April 24, 1966 Central Mass Branch Hudson January 18, 1965 Central Mass Branch Hudson January 18, 1965 Central Mass Branch Hudson January 18, 1965 Fitchburg Line Waltham January 18, 1965 Lowell Line Woburn January 18, 1965 Lowell Line Wilmington January 18, 1965 Lowell Line Billerica January 18, 1965 Boston–Concord Chelmsford June 30, 1967 Reading Line Wakefield January 18, 1965 Boston–Dover Wilmington June 30, 1967 Boston–Dover Atkinson, NH June 30, 1967 Boston–Dover Plaistow, NH June 30, 1967 Boston–Dover Newton, NH June 30, 1967 Boston–Dover East Kingston, NH June 30, 1967 Boston–Dover East Kingston, NH June 30, 1967 Boston–Dover Exeter, NH June 30, 1967 Boston–Dover Newfields, NH June 30, 1967 Boston–Dover Newmarket, NH June 30, 1967 Boston–Dover Durham, NH June 30, 1967 Boston–Dover Dover, NH June 30, 1967 Portsmouth Line Hampton, NH January 4, 1965 Portsmouth Line North Hampton, NH January 4, 1965 Portsmouth Line Portsmouth, NH January 4, 1965
Stations dropped after the start of MBTA subsidies
The following stations had MBTA-subsidized service at one point, but are no longer served by the MBTA. Most were closed between 1967 and 1981, as four limited-service lines and a number of low-ridership stations were dropped. Three additional low-ridership stations were dropped in the 1980s and 1990s.
Station Line City Date closed Boston/Roslindale November 3, 1979 Foxborough November 1977 Dedham April 21, 1967 Dedham April 21, 1967 Dedham April 21, 1967 Dover April 21, 1967 Dover April 21, 1967 Medfield April 21, 1967 Medfield April 21, 1967 Millis April 21, 1967 Millis April 21, 1967 Newton October 28, 1977 Waltham November 26, 1971 Waltham November 26, 1971 Weston November 26, 1971 Weston November 26, 1971 Wayland November 26, 1971 Wayland November 26, 1971 Sudbury November 26, 1971 Sudbury November 26, 1971 Waltham June 1978 Waltham June 1978 Acton March 1, 1975 Littleton March 1, 1975 Gardner December 31, 1986 Arlington January 10, 1977 Arlington January 10, 1977 Lexington January 10, 1977 Lexington January 10, 1977 Lexington January 10, 1977 Lexington January 10, 1977 Lexington January 10, 1977 Bedford January 10, 1977 Medford October 1979 Woburn January 30, 1981 Woburn January 30, 1981 Winchester June 1978 Woburn 1996 Nashua, NH March 1, 1981 Merrimack, NH March 1, 1981 Manchester, NH March 1, 1981 Concord, NH March 1, 1981 Andover April 27, 1980 North Andover November 1974 Gloucester January 7, 1985
Relocated stations
Most stations reconstructed (or closed and reopened) during the MBTA era have been rebuilt on or adjacent to the site of the old station. However, several stations have been substantially relocated. Station Line City Date closed Notes February 20, 1981 Pawtucket/Central Falls station opened southwest in 2023. February 20, 1981 Amtrak service moved to Providence station on a new alignment north in 1986; MBTA service to Providence resumed in 1988 using the new station. Lawrence Moved east Salem August 10, 1987 Moved north Newburyport April 2, 1976 MBTA service resumed in 1998 using a station south. Chelsea November 15, 2021 Moved westLakevilleMarch 24, 2025Commuter rail service was moved to Middleborough station north. The station was renamed to Lakeville station and is still served by the CapeFlyer.
References
External links