The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) will start a weekday commuter rail service pilot program Oct. 21 between Boston and Foxboro Station, as well as offer reverse commute fare.
This one-year service pilot offers 10 round-trip weekday trains between Foxboro and Boston via the Fairmount and Franklin Lines. The service and special reverse commute fare begin the same day the fall/winter commuter rail schedule changes take effect.
“The addition of regular weekday service to Foxboro Station provides important access to transit for both regular commuters and reverse commuters,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “The MBTA is committed to improving public transit in all the communities we serve, and we look forward to measuring the success of this pilot program as we offer transit solutions that remove more cars from our roadways.”
Keolis General Manager and CEO David Scorey added, “We’re pleased to operate commuter rail service in new communities, providing residents with new transit options for work and leisure. We hope the comfort and reliability of commuter rail is an attractive option to commuters and reverse commuters with a new discounted fare. We look forward to marketing the service and continuing to grow ridership on commuter rail.”
Train Service
On weekdays, there will be a total of 20 trips between South Station and Foxboro. This includes 10 inbound trips and 10 outbound trips. Foxboro Station is in Zone 4 with a regular Zone 4 one-way fare of $8.75, a regular Zone 4 round-trip fare of $17.50 and a regular Zone 4 monthly pass of $281 on CharlieTicket or $271 on the mTicket app.
While trains between Foxboro and South Station travel on the Franklin and Fairmount Lines, not all trains will stop at Hyde Park, Ruggles or Back Bay Stations.
Reverse Commute Fare
For reverse commuters to Foxboro, a reverse commute fare will be offered for the same price as an interzone 4 fare: $4.25 one way, $8.50 for a round trip, $139 for a monthly pass with a CharlieTicket or $129 for a monthly pass with the mTicket app. The reverse commute fare is designed for those who travel from Zone 1A stations on the Franklin and Fairmount Lines to Foxboro in the morning and return to Boston in the evening.
One-way reverse commute tickets may be purchased onboard trains, at ticket windows and on the mTicket app. Monthly reverse commute passes are available on mTicket and at South Station and Back Bay Station ticket windows. Passes purchased at ticket windows include free transfers to local bus service.
Reverse commute fares will be accepted on trains to Foxboro leaving South Station at 6:03 a.m., 7:05 a.m., and 8:50 a.m. Reverse commute fares will be accepted on trains to South Station leaving Foxboro at 4:32 p.m., 5:25 p.m., 6:34 p.m., and 7:39 p.m.
Like service to Foxboro, the reverse commute fare will be piloted for one year. During this time, the MBTA will be monitoring and evaluating performance, ridership, parking, the subsidy per passenger and other opportunities for reverse commuters.
Parking
The commuter rail lot at Foxboro Station will have 500 spaces at a daily rate of $4.00. The additional parking is expected to alleviate space constraints at Mansfield Norfolk, Walpole and Sharon Stations. This will allow for even more passengers to ride commuter rail and alleviate congestion on roadways.
At Foxboro Station, Keolis and MBTA crews have replaced signage, updated maps and installed new lighting, seating and wayfinding. For passenger safety and comfort, the station has been enhanced in advance of the pilot program.
Customer service teams and passenger assistants will be at major stations to answer questions leading up to Oct. 21, and to help ensure passengers are familiar with these changes. Passengers can also turn in old schedules to be recycled at these stations.
