Fall River/New Bedford Commuter Rail (South Coast Rail)

GP40MC said:
A T spokesperson said Thursday that the MBTA has imposed $51,541 in fines against Keolis for the disruptions so far.
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Are these quantities of fine actually meaningfully punitive for Keolis? Or will they probably just eat the cost and carry on?
Teban54 said:
To be clear, there are two issues at hand:
  1. Staffing issues on weekends that caused trips to be canceled, heavily delayed (1+ hours) or converted to shuttles unexpectedly. These incidents are getting more media attention, understandably so for their disruptiveness.
  2. "Regular" delays on the Old Colony line that are not limited to weekends. In fact, it may be happening on most (if not all) days, affecting multiple Old Colony lines.
#2 is what I'm more concerned about, and what I implied in my original comment (despite the news article at hand focusing more on #1).

While I haven't been following CR on-time performance closely, I had checked the MBTA alerts section 3-5 times during daytime since SCR opened... And almost every time, at least one Old Colony line was showing a 15-20 min delay at least.
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Fair enough, I was mostly reacting to #1. And yes, anecdotally it seems like weekday delays are quite common.
Teban54 said:
I wasn't implying the worst-case scenario of discontinuing SCR service and ripping the stations apart completely (although Watertown and Arborway branches did happen). The operational costs are probably manageable, even in the long term. But to me, "not investing more" would mean:
  • Not building Phase 2
  • Not double-tracking the Old Colony line (yes, I know the T is starting some planning for it, but low ridership would be a good excuse to be rejected funding)
  • Or both
And, as F-Line said, a very real possibility is reducing service levels on Old Colony lines. While arguably less likely, it's still very plausible even if not inevitable, and its operational and political effects would be very bad.

(Keep in mind, there was already some noise from Greenbush and Kingston riders whose schedules got shuffled due to SCR, making previously well-times commute trips less convenient.)
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Fair points all around. I do think I stand by my point below:
Riverside said:
My point is that the simple presence of the line creates a gravitational pull that biases things in favor of keeping the trains running. And as long as there are trains running, there will be incentive to recoup those costs by finding some way to generate revenue, which in turn, under the right political climate, will create incentive for further investment.
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As long as the tracks are there (and certainly as long as the service operates), it won't be that Phase 2/OCR Double Track doesn't happen -- it will be that it hasn't happened yet. (Is this a distinction without a difference? Quite possibly, I grant.)
 

Service Changes Planned for Fall River/New Bedford Line This Weekend | News | MBTA

Official website of the MBTA -- schedules, maps, and fare information for Greater Boston's public transportation system, including subway, commuter rail, bus routes, and boat lines.
www.mbta.com www.mbta.com
Keolis Commuter Services (Keolis), the MBTA’s operations and maintenance partner for the Commuter Rail, will temporarily replace select train trips on the Fall River/New Bedford Line with shuttle bus service on April 26 and 27. The alternative bus service provides reliability for riders in the event there are any crew availability issues over the weekend and enables passengers to plan accordingly.

Shuttle buses will replace trains for a total of 10 trips per day (five inbound and five outbound) on both Saturday and Sunday. Express buses have been added for this weekend to shorten journey times for passengers traveling between Fall River, New Bedford, and South Station and to supplement the local buses serving most stations along the line.
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I fell down a rabbit hole this weekend and reviewed South Coast Rail delay alerts on the site formerly known as Twitter. I eventually narrowed my scope to peak direction trains, and created a spreadsheet (by hand, so be mindful of human error) of each train and its delay on each date. I used the maximum delay figures, e.g "running 5-15 minutes behind schedule" is recorded as 15. An X indicates a canceled or truncated train. Links to the Twitter searches included in the spoiler box below.

1745805739741.png


The AM Peak is pretty reasonable, though the 9:33am inbound from New Bedford struggles a lot more (perhaps the start of an unraveling that persists for the rest of the day? I didn't examine midday trains, as the peak-direction exercise was already time-consuming enough).

The PM Peak is a different story.
  • The 4:38pm outbound to New Bedford has been delayed on all but 4 weekdays out of the 25 since SCR opened.
  • The 3:42pm to Fall River does a bit better but still only had 10 weekdays with no delays.
  • The 5:05pm to Fall River, oddly enough, seemed to have been doing fine up until this week. (I'm a little suspicious of the data on that one.)
  • And the 5:38pm to New Bedford had fewer delays, but the delays were worse when they did happen, with more 30+ min delays than any other train
https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("1966") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("2016") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("1918") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("2021") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("1971") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("1925") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("2075") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("2029") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("1931") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("2033") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("1983") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("2037") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("1987") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("1939") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("2022") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("1972") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live

https://x.com/search?q=(from:MBTA_CR_Alerts) ("2089") since:2025-03-24&src=typed_query&f=live
 
www.southcoasttoday.com

Senator demands answers to South Coast Rail delays and cancellations: 'Unacceptable error'

A state Senate Committee led by Mark Montigny is investigating Fall River/New Bedford Line staffing lapses that have led to delays, cancellations.
www.southcoasttoday.com
Montigny is requesting MBTA General Manager Phil Eng provide the answers to 15 questions by 5 p.m. Friday for the Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight, which he chairs.
[...]
He added that failure to provide the information by the deadline will compel the committee to take further action.

Eng said on April 24 he would hold commuter rail operator Keolis accountable for staffing problems, and that the company had said it was ready for the March 24 launch, according to the State House News Service. An MBTA spokesman said Keolis had been fined $51,541 for the disruptions.
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Neighbors express frustrations with South Coast Rail: ‘It sounds like we’re in a drum’​

South Coast Rail’s Jean Fox listened to residents’ concerns and plans on sharing them with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

Fox said potential solutions include studying ridership and reducing service on less popular days, or applying for a federal quiet zone designation.
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themissinglink said:

Neighbors express frustrations with South Coast Rail: ‘It sounds like we’re in a drum’​

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“[The realtor] said ‘There’s no commuter rail, and there never will be again,'” he recalled.
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) began planning the restoration of South Coast service in the 1980s. Feasibility studies were released in 1990 and 1995.

This person opted not to do an ounce of research before purchasing their home and wants to blame the realtor for their ignorance. You need to verify important information rather than blindly believing (easily disprovable) lies.
 
If they want quiet zones, they have to be prepared to spend more town-level $$$ (and pay more town-level tax to do so) for extra crossing safeguards on town-control streets and wait out a federal approval process. Quiet zones are not the state's or MBTA's bag. Bitching at them about it is going to do nothing. The municipalities wanted Commuter Rail service; they had ample notice that it was going to come with horns and complete self-choice as to whether they wanted to do something about it.
 
F-Line to Dudley said:
If they want quiet zones, they have to be prepared to spend more town-level $$$ (and pay more town-level tax to do so) for extra crossing safeguards on town-control streets and wait out a federal approval process. Quiet zones are not the state's or MBTA's bag. Bitching at them about it is going to do nothing. The municipalities wanted Commuter Rail service; they had ample notice that it was going to come with horns and complete self-choice as to whether they wanted to do something about it.
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100%.

That said, it's pretty remarkable how audible the train horns are from many locations in the area. My mother lives nearly about 1.5 miles as the crow flies from the nearest grade crossing with dense forest, many neighborhoods, and a highway in between. But the horns are clearly audible with the windows closed and you can even occasionally hear the hum of the locomotives. I followed this project closely enough to know what was coming, I only visit occasionally, my mother's house is further from the tracks than many in the area, and I'm still surprised at just how loud they are. So while I don't have a ton of sympathy for those who are complaining, I kind of understand where they're coming from.

Though as someone whose apartment was about 300 feet from the Fitchburg Line and had another place about .5 miles from Logan, I can attest that you get used to the noise. I imagine that the hysterics will die down as the foliage fills in to muffle the sound, and people just get used to it.
 
Lrfox said:
That said, it's pretty remarkable how audible the train horns are from many locations in the area. My mother lives nearly about 1.5 miles as the crow flies from the nearest grade crossing with dense forest, many neighborhoods, and a highway in between. But the horns are clearly audible with the windows closed and you can even occasionally hear the hum of the locomotives.
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I live 4 miles away from the grade crossings in Franklin, and I often hear the horn in the distance. But it's usually only in the evening or early morning. It's impressive that the horn is loud enough to be heard from so far away.
 
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themissinglink said:
wbsm.com

New Bedford City Council Wants Answers on Trash Along Commuter Rail Tracks

Three New Bedford City Councilors have put forth a motion to hold the MBTA and MassDOT responsible for trash and debris along the commuter rail tracks.
wbsm.com wbsm.com
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Maybe I'm a bit funny this way, but I think I'd rather the MBTA focus on getting the schedules and other operational needs where they need to be first. Also, the city can probably work on the trash issue with just a touch of coordination between it and the 'T.
 
I haven't experienced it first hand, but is it really that bad?

I did take SCR from East Taunton earlier this week and noticed a sizeable homeless encampment in Braintree (strewn with trash). Right in the woods in the triangle of land formed by the junction of the FR/NB line and the Kingston Line. It's an interesting juxtaposition with the boardwalk and park construction they're doing along the Monatiquot River right next door. I've ridden the Middleborough/Lakeville line many times in the past (though most recently, probably a year ago) and have never seen this before. Maybe it's new. Maybe I just haven't noticed.

Also, fares were not collected in either direction (thought the inbound announcement told passengers to have tickets open/activated on phones). This was during the week.
 
Lrfox said:
I did take SCR from East Taunton earlier this week and noticed a sizeable homeless encampment in Braintree (strewn with trash). Right in the woods in the triangle of land formed by the junction of the FR/NB line and the Kingston Line.
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That's been there for at least a decade, if not more. Most of it is off T property and on an absentee abutter's land, so no one has bothered them all this time.
 
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