MBTA South Coast Rail not expected to open until Spring 2025

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said the South Coast Rail line  is not expected to open until Spring 2025.

The line, which is an extension of the Middleborough Line Commuter Rail service and will connect Southeast Massachusetts to the Boston line, was set to open in late 2023.

Eng announced the updated timeline at a pair of public meetings in Fall River and New Bedford on June 13.

He said the goal of the delay is to provide “more resources and attention to make the South Coast rail reliable on the first day of service and beyond.”

Eng said a list of safety tests and regulations had slowed down the project despite stations being completed in Fall River, New Bedford, Freetown, and Middleborough.

“We recognize this project is especially important for the Fall River, New Bedford, and Taunton communities, and the surrounding region,” he said. “Through testing and quality control measures, we are dedicated to providing the public with a reliable and dependable railroad system they can count on.”

However, test trains are set to begin running on the line on June 17.

Eng said that the public should be cautious during this time, as test trains run faster than the freight trains usually moving down the rails.