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MBTA Regional Rail Transformation

MBTA Regional Rail Transformation (MBTA Rail Modernization)
The MBTA Commuter Rail currently operates diesel locomotives on the electrified Northeast Corridor
Location	Boston, Eastern Massachusetts, U.S.
Owner	Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority
Established	January 4, 2019 (2019-01-04) (Rail Transformation office established)
Status	Proposed

MBTA Regional Rail Transformation (also referred to as MBTA Rail Modernization) refers to ongoing efforts to improve the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Commuter Rail network by converting its existing diesel-hauled commuter-oriented operations into a high-frequency regional rail system. The project would be achieved through the electrification of all MBTA Commuter Rail lines along with significant upgrades to trackage, stations, maintenance facilities, and power infrastructure. Planning for regional rail was initiated in 2019 with approval by the MBTA Fiscal Control Board.

As of 2024, the MBTA Regional Rail Transformation is in the pre-decisional planning stage and lacks sufficient funding or planning. There is no timeline for project completion; however, early projections indicated the project could take ten to twenty years to fully implement at an estimated cost of $17.9 to $28.9 billion. Planning for regional rail has also been subjected to several alternative proposals and project changes.

Background

Early history

The modern-day MBTA Commuter Rail network is derived from legacy regional and intercity rail services in Eastern Massachusetts; however, present-day operations utilize diesel push-pull train sets for daily revenue service. Beyond the short-lived electrification of a few shorter lines during the early 20th century, suburban railroads surrounding Boston had not been electrified, mostly in part due to costs.

Suburban railroads around Boston in 1912

The New Haven, B&M, and NYC all planned to electrify several lines in the early 20th century, though this would not come into fruition. The New Haven had plans to electrify some southside commuter lines, and some infrastructure was built, including lower-level loop platforms at South Station. The New Haven tested electrification on South Shore and Nantasket Beach lines (along what is now the what is now the Greenbush Line). The Nantasket Beach line was electrified in 1895, and trolley service ran on the line until 1932. Between 1896 and 1899, the South Shore was electrified from Braintree to Cohasset, with an unusual center-of-the-track third rail. However, the third rail was dangerous at grade crossings, and the South Shore returned to steam-only service in 1902. The only New Haven lines that would extensively electrified north of New Haven, Connecticut, were the Bristol Secondary and the Fall River Branch in 1900, both of which emanated from Providence, Rhode Island. The New Haven would never follow through on its plans to electrify South Station and the inner section of the ex-B&P.

Despite a study to electrify the mainline to Framingham plus the Highland branch, the NYC only electrified the short Lower Falls Branch. Quadruple-tracking and electrification of part of the ex-Eastern Railroad was planned by the B&M around 1910 when it was briefly under control of the New Haven, but this fell through when they separated. Service levels on the three major railroads peaked around 1910 and began to decline from streetcar and later auto competition in the 1910s. The independent BRB&L electrified its mainline and single branch line in 1928 and increased service to near-rapid transit levels. Two Old Colony branches were converted to an extension of Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) rapid transit in the 1920s.

Early regional rail proposals

Northeast High Speed Rail Improvement Program

In the 1990s, Amtrak upgraded the Northeast Corridor north of New Haven to get it ready for the high-speed Acela Express trains. Dubbed the Northeast High Speed Rail Improvement Program (NHRIP), the effort eliminated grade crossings, rebuilt bridges and modified curves. Concrete railroad ties replaced wood ties, and heavier continuous welded rail (CWR) was laid-down. In 1996, Amtrak began installing electrification gear along the 157 miles (253 km) of track between New Haven and Boston. During this time, it had been assumed that the MBTA would utilize this infrastructure for electrified Providence Line service by 2000. As of 2024, the Providence/Stoughton Line operates diesel locomotives under-wire on the Northeast Corridor.

Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T Project)

The original Big Dig plan also included the North-South Rail Link, which would have connected North and South Stations, but this aspect of the project was ultimately dropped by the state transportation administration early in the Dukakis administration. Negotiations with the federal government had led to an agreement to widen some of the lanes in the new harbor tunnel, and accommodating these would require the tunnel to be deeper and mechanically vented; this left no room for the rail lines, and having diesel train passing through the tunnel would have substantially increased the cost of the ventilation system.

Indigo Line

The Indigo Line was a proposed rapid transit service of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority that would have incorporated parts of the former Grand Junction Railroad, the Seaport District's Track 61, a spur to Riverside station and other MBTA Commuter Rail lines. The Indigo Line project was officially proposed in 2014 and was canceled in 2015.

Conversion of underutilized rail infrastructure within the Greater Boston area into regional rail or semi-metro services has been discussed for several decades, mostly in relation to the Fairmount Line. The term "Indigo Line" dates back to the creation of the Fairmount Indigo Planning Initiative in 2012; this study was facilitated by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (now the Boston Planning and Development Agency) which recommended transforming the Fairmount Line into a hybrid rail line (similar to New Jersey Transit's River Line). The hybrid approach was intended to be a low cost alternative to implementing high-frequency services on existing right-of-ways through the use of diesel multiple units.

2019 Rail Vision study

Following the cancelation of the Indigo Line proposal in 2015, multiple constituencies (including lawmakers and transit advocates) would call for the modernization the MBTA Commuter Rail. Between 2018 and 2019, the MBTA conducted an internal study of regional rail alternatives known as Rail Vision. The study assessed so-called domestic and international "peer" rail systems that the MBTA could model electric service from, as well as outlined service alternatives on a line-by-line basis.

The study presented several service alternatives, ranging from modest enhancements to the existing system to more transformative changes. These included:

• Baseline Service: Maintaining the current service with minor improvements.
• Enhanced Service: More frequent service during peak hours.
• Urban Rail: High-frequency, electrified service focused on urban areas.
• Regional Rail: Frequent, all-day service with electrification across the network.

The study's preferred alternative was a hybrid approach that combined elements of the Urban and Regional Rail options, focusing on high-frequency service on the busiest lines and electrification; this approach aimed to balance the benefits of modernization with cost-effectiveness. Electrification was one of the more expensive elements considered in the Rail Vision study; the installation of overhead wires and supporting structures was a major cost driver. The total cost for electrification, including infrastructure, rolling stock, and associated improvements, was estimated to be between $10 billion to $20 billion, depending on the extent of electrification (whether it was partial or full across the entire network).

In 2019, the MBTA's Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) approved a plan to transition the commuter rail system into a more modern regional rail model; this approval was the culmination of the MBTA's Rail Vision study. The FMCB voted to endorse the full-build alternative that included electrifying key portions of the rail network and significantly increasing the frequency of trains, with service every 15-20 minutes in the urban core and every 30 minutes to an hour in outer areas. The first phase of this transformation focused on electrifying the Providence Line, the Fairmount Line, and the Rockport Line through Chelsea, Revere, and Lynn—lines that were either already partially electrified or served environmental justice communities. The MBTA also committed to establishing a Regional Rail Transformation Office to oversee this significant upgrade. Later in 2019, the MBTA contracted Network Rail Consulting, the international consulting arm of Network Rail, to assist with regional rail planning.

Canceled electrification pilots

Despite approval by FMCB, planning for regional rail had largely stagnated into the early 2020s, with only noncommittal plans for several electrification pilots. In 2021, the MBTA indicated plans to pilot leased electric multiple units on Providence service (on the Northeast Corridor, which is already electrified for Amtrak service) in 2024, with the Fairmount Line and the inner section of the Newburyport/Rockport Line electrified later in the decade. In 2022, the MBTA would instead indicate that pilot electric service between Boston and Providence would be possible after the introduction of the Avelia Liberty (then planned for late 2023) would free up ACS-64 locomotives for use with existing MBTA coaches.

Ultimately, neither pilot was pursued, with no reasoning given for the cancelation of the pilots.