MBTA Commuter Rail
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
The MBTA Commuter Rail is the Regional rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The line's characteristic purple-trimmed coaches run as far south as Providence, Rhode Island and as far north as Newburyport. Due to this coloring, locals occasionally call it the Purple Line to match the colored subway lines. The trains have two terminal stops in Boston, South Station and North Station. Both of these stations link with Amtrak and the local bus and subway lines. (See Boston transportation).
The MBTA currently contracts operation of the commuter rail system to a private company known as the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR).
Contents |
[edit] Current lines
The eight lines of the Commuter Rail leaving from South Station are, from southeast to west:
- Old Colony Lines (MBTA) to Plymouth and Kingston/Route 3 and to Middleborough/Lakeville
- Fairmount Line to Readville, with trains continuing along the Providence/Stoughton and Franklin Lines
- Providence/Stoughton Line to Stoughton and Providence, Rhode Island
- Franklin Line to Forge Park-495
- Needham Line to Needham Heights
- Framingham/Worcester Line to Worcester
- Greenbush Line to Greenbush
Trains run to Foxboro for special events at Gillette Stadium via a spur off the Attleboro/Stoughton Line.
The four lines of the Commuter Rail leaving from North Station are, from west to northeast:
- Fitchburg Line to Fitchburg
- Lowell Line to Lowell
- Haverhill/Reading Line to Haverhill
- Newburyport/Rockport Line to Newburyport and Rockport
MBTA commuter rail service from both stations is provided by push-pull trains powered by diesel locomotives. (This is true even though some of the lines run on the electrified Northeast Corridor.) EMD F40PH locomotives and Kawasaki bi-level passenger cars are typically used for trains that originate from South Station with EMD GP40MC locomotives and single-level passenger cars used from North Station. No direct connection exists between the two stations and there are no current plans to remedy this deficit; passengers wishing to travel from one station to the other must use the MBTA subways and change subway trains at either Park Street or Downtown Crossing stations. A North-South Rail Link is proposed to unify the two halves of the Commuter Rail system. Currently train cars are transferred via the Grand Junction Railroad, which is not used for passenger service.
[edit] Expansion
Several extensions of the MBTA commuter rail network are either on-going or currently being debated: As of 2004, the Greenbush Line is being restored and a service extension of the Lowell Line to Nashua, New Hampshire is being considered. An extension of the Stoughton Line is proposed to Fall River, Massachusetts and New Bedford, Massachusetts, and the Providence Line is planned for extension to T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island. There is a proposal to extend the Worcester/Framingham Line to Springfield, Massachusetts, though a more pressing need for an increased number of trains on the route will likely be addressed first. There is a proposal to build a South Salem commuter rail station in Salem, Massachusetts to improve access to Salem State College, as well as extend commuter rail to Peabody, Massachusetts and Danvers, Massachusetts.
[edit] Operational history
In 1973, the MBTA bought various commuter rail lines from private owners.
The Boston and Maine Railroad was contracted to run service on the Lowell Line (which it had formerly owned). After bankruptcy, the B&M continued to run and fulfill its contract under the protection of the Federal Bankruptcy Court, in the hopes that a reorganization could make it profitable again. It emerged from the court's protection when newly-formed Guilford Transportation Industries (GTI) bought it in 1983. GTI let the contract expire in 1986.
From 1986 until 2003, Amtrak managed the entirety of Boston's commuter rail. Amtrak is viewed by MBTA observers as having been a reliable manager/operator, however the National Passenger Railroad Corporation experienced strained relations with the MBTA at times. Quibbles centered on equipment failures, crewing issues centred on the number of conductors per train, and responsibility for late trains. Because of these issues, and Amtrak's repeated statements that the MBTA contract was unreasonable, few people were surprised at Amtrak's decision not to bid again for the MBTA Commuter Rail contract when it came up for renewal in 2003.
When the MBTA asked for tenders on the Commuter Rail operation contract, Amtrak did not bid. Two tenders were submitted, one from Guilford Rail System, and one from the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company'. MBCR ended up receiving the contract and took over the MBTA commuter rail operation from Amtrak in July 2003.[1] The transition was seamless with no visible changes for commuters, since MBTA owns the trains, tracks, and establishes schedules.
The MBCR is a joint venture of Veolia Transportation North America (formerly Connex), Bombardier Transportation (which has manufactured some of the vehicles in the MBTA fleet), and Alternate Concepts, Inc.,[2] majority owner of Paul Revere Transportation (which operates some bus lines under contract from the MBTA).[3]
