An outbound Lowell Line train at Anderson/Woburn in 2023
Overview
Owner
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
Locale
Eastern Massachusetts and central Rhode Island
Transit type
Commuter rail
Number of lines
13
Number of stations
135 active; 8 currently closed
Daily ridership
97,100 (weekdays, Q4 2023)[1]
Annual ridership
26,190,500 (2023)[2]
Website
mbta.com/schedules/commuter-rail
Operation
Began operation
1834 (first lines open)
1965 (beginning of MBTA subsidies)
1973 and 1976 (MBTA asset purchases)
1977 (full consolidation)
Operator(s)
Keolis Commuter Services
Reporting marks
MBTX
Number of vehicles
110 diesel locomotives, 475 coaches
Technical
System length
394 mi (634 km)
Track gauge
4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Top speed
79 mph (127 km/h)
MBTA Commuter Rail system maps
The MBTA Commuter Rail (reporting mark MBTX) system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA's) transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over 394 mi (634 km) of track to 134 stations. It is operated under contract by Keolis, which took over operations on July 1, 2014, from the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR).
In 2023, the system had a ridership of 26,190,500, or about 97,100 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023, making it the fifth-busiest commuter rail system in the U.S., behind the three New York-area systems and the Chicago-area system. The line's characteristic purple-trimmed coaches operate as far south as North Kingstown, Rhode Island, and as far north as Newburyport and as far west as Fitchburg, both in Massachusetts.
Trains originate at two major terminals in Boston – South Station and North Station. The only connection between the two halves of the system is the non-revenue Grand Junction Branch. The North–South Rail Link is a proposed tunnel between North Station and South Station to allow through-running service.
^"Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
^"Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
and 22 Related for: MBTA Commuter Rail information
The MBTACommuterRail (reporting mark MBTX) system serves as the commuterrail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA's) transportation...
weekday ridership of the commuterrail system was 97,100, making it the fifth-busiest commuterrail system in the U.S. The MBTA is the successor of several...
MBTACommuterRail is the commuterrail system for the Greater Boston metropolitan area of Massachusetts. It is owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation...
(MBTA) transit station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It serves the Red Line rapid transit line, the MBTACommuterRail Fitchburg Line, and several MBTA...
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The Lowell Line is a railroad line of the MBTACommuterRail system, running north from Boston to Lowell, Massachusetts. Originally built as the New Hampshire...
End neighborhoods. It serves MBTACommuterRail and MBTA subway routes, and also serves as a secondary Amtrak intercity rail station for Boston. The present...
Massachusetts metropolitan area. All routes connect to MBTA subway, MBTACommuterRail, and/or other MBTA bus services. Many routes are descendants of the streetcar...
It serves Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rapid transit, bus, and commuterrail services and is located at the intersection of Ruggles...
North Station is a commuterrail and intercity rail terminal station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by four MBTACommuterRail lines – the Fitchburg...
It is also the downtown terminus of the nine southern lines of the MBTACommuterRail system. An underground subway station serves the Red Line and the...
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and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). It is served by most MBTACommuterRail Providence/Stoughton Line trains, as well as by all...
South Coast Rail is a project to build a new southern line of the MBTACommuterRail system along several abandoned and freight-only rail lines. The line...
The Fairmount Line or Dorchester Branch is a line of the MBTACommuterRail system in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Except for a short portion in Milton...
Line (formerly named the Haverhill/Reading Line) is a branch of the MBTACommuterRail system, running north from downtown Boston, Massachusetts through...
The Fitchburg Line is a branch of the MBTACommuterRail system which runs from Boston's North Station to Wachusett station in Fitchburg, Massachusetts...
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates rapid transit (heavy rail), light rail, and bus rapid transit services in the Boston metropolitan...
215 Bi-level rail set - rail set consisting of locomotive, coaches and cab car seating 233 passengers and capacity for 337 MBTACommuterRail - both BTC...
Authority (MBTA) system is mostly but not fully accessible. Like most American mass transit systems, much of the MBTA subway and commuterrail were built...
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other MBTACommuterRail lines. The Indigo Line project was officially proposed in 2014 and was canceled in 2016. Conversion of underutilized rail infrastructure...
Global Information
