Customers of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (Metro) Fairmont Commuter Rail Line will travel free of charge for a two-week period in May. Customers will be able to board at station stops from Readville to South Stations and not pay a fare between Monday, May 8, and Friday, May 21.
“The Fairmont Line offers a fast and convenient way to travel between the neighborhoods of Hyde Park, Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury, and into the city’s Financial District,” said Acting MBTA General Manager Brian Shortsleeve. “It’s only a thirty minute trip from Readville to South Station for weekday morning customers taking the 7:15 train. For two weeks next month, we hope people take advantage of the fare-free service, and learn the benefits of quick and easy train travel.”
“It’s exciting to showcase the transit solutions afforded by the Fairmount Line,” said Keolis General Manager and CEO David Scorey. “We look forward to demonstrating the value of the Commuter Rail to members of the Fairmount Line’s communities who otherwise may not have explored this convenient option.”
This sponsored two-week period comes with the hope of highlighting the Fairmount Line as a convenient option for residents and employees of businesses. MBTA bus and subway options exist within the Fairmount corridor, but many members of the public may be unaware of the Fairmount Line and its station stops. The MBTA hopes this two-week period showcases the Fairmount Line as an excellent option for travel within the Fairmount corridor communities, to and from downtown, and as a connection to other MBTA services.
As the only Commuter Rail line that operates entirely within Boston, the Fairmount Line originates at South Station and station stops include Newmarket, Uphams Corner, Four Corners/Geneva Avenue, Talbot Avenue, Morton Street, Fairmount, and Readville. Seven of the Fairmont Line’s eight stations are zoned for a Zone 1A, which is a $2.25 one-way fare. The Fairmont Line operates seven days per week. An executed contract for the construction of a ninth station on the Fairmount Line at Blue Hill Avenue was approved in January 2017 with an anticipated opening of the station in 2019.
