MA: MBTA announces commuter rail schedule change to allow major rail replacement

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will soon launch an extensive rail replacement project covering 30 miles of tracks in Boston, forcing schedule changes for one commuter rail line.

The $12 million project will replace all rail on the Fairmount Line of the commuter rail, going “well beyond the amount of rail replacement work typically done in a year,” the MBTA said.

It will set up the T to introduce battery-electric trains to the Fairmount Line in 2028, a milestone for the state to meet its goal of eliminating carbon emissions from public transit.

But to accomplish that work in a timely manner, the MBTA must limit service on the Fairmount Line from June 2 through the fall.

The line will run with reduced service from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and weekends until the work is completed.

The Fairmount Line provides service from South Station to Hyde Park, Boston’s southernmost neighborhood, winding primarily through Dorchester and Mattapan on the way. It serves approximately 4,000 riders daily during the workweek, according to data from the public transit advocacy group TransitMatters.

While construction is underway, work crews will also deep clean and power wash all stations along the Fairmount Line, remove graffiti, clear trash and brush from the tracks, and improve water drainage.

Passengers can take nearby bus routes for alternate service, the MBTA said.

On weekends through the fall, the T also said three inbound trains and four outbound trains on the Franklin Line will operate on the Northeast Corridor route between Readville and South Station, instead of taking their normal route on the Fairmount Line.

A separate schedule change will also come on June 2 when construction ends on the Lowell and Newburyport/ Rockport lines of the commuter rail. The T plans to return midday trains to the schedules for both lines.

The Lowell Line schedule change allowed for the reconstruction of Winchester Center Station, which is expected to reopen in early June. On the Newburyport/Rockport Line, the T said it focused on track and other infrastructure upgrades.

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