Overview

 

The South Coast Rail project will restore passenger rail transportation from South Station in Boston to the cities of Fall River and New Bedford along an existing freight rail corridor running south from Taunton to Fall River and New Bedford.  The project will include the construction of several passenger stations and two terminal layover facilities.

 

The South Coast region offers many resources to the Commonwealth: a growing population, affordable housing, educational institutions such as the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and Bristol Community College, cultural institutions like the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, and an industrial base that provides economic opportunity for  many.  The potential impact of the reintroduction of passenger rail on the South Coast has been studied for more than a decade as part of local, regional, and statewide planning efforts, and many potential benefits have been suggested, including: 

 

• Addressing long-standing transportation inequity by extending MBTA service to a region of the Commonwealth – and particularly to two urban areas with large immigrant and low-income populations – currently under-served by the existing transportation network.
• Encouraging economic development and job-creation by providing significantly improved transportation access to a key region of the Commonwealth, one with affordable housing and a growing population.
• Making it possible for residents of the South Coast to access jobs and services in the Boston area.
• Creating an environment to attract new private investment to the communities of the South Coast.
• Allowing Boston-area workers to more easily take advantage of affordable housing in the South Coast.
• Promoting smart and sustainable growth by making it possible for residents to reduce their automobile-usage, particularly through transit-oriented development in and around new station locations. 
• Reducing automobile congestion – and attendant safety, air quality, and productivity impacts – on the roadways of the South Coast.
• Providing South Coast municipalities with the planning tools they need to leverage the opportunities inherent in a future that includes passenger rail to downtown Boston.  EOT will work in tandem with the Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development to support the corridor municipalities in developing a multi-jurisdictional blueprint for sustainable growth.
• Creation of design- and construction-related employment opportunities for the duration of the South Coast Rail project.