This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
12/12/2022
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority last week marked the substantial completion of the South Coast Rail Main Line project, which is scheduled to begin passenger service in late 2023.
The $159 million contract for South Coast Rail Phase 1 included construction of two new stations in Freetown and Fall River, as well as the new Weaver's Cove layover facility, modernization work on 12 miles of track, and upgrades to nine bridges, 10 grade crossings and 11 culverts, MBTA officials said in a press release.
The $403 million contract for the second phase is continuing to build the New Bedford Line, upgrade the Middleborough Secondary and construct new stations in East Taunton, Middleborough and New Bedford. The work also calls for the construction of another layover facility and signal and communication systems, MBTA officials said.
MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, as well as other state and local officials, attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event also featured four of the MBTA's new bi-level commuter rail coaches, 16 of which are being procured as part of the South Coast Rail project. A total 80 Hyundai-Rotem bi-level coaches are being built and delivered.
The vehicles will replace single-level coaches, addressing an immediate need for additional trains, and will integrate positive train control and other upgrades into passenger service, MBTA officials said. Sixteen vehicles have been delivered since June 2022, with the remaining 64 to be delivered through the summer of 2024.
Meanwhile, the Federal Transit Administration has rejected 12 out of 15 corrective action plans the MBTA submitted to address hiring challenges, safety procedures and rail operations, the Boston Herald reported.
The MBTA will need to rework and resubmit the rejected plans by Jan. 3, 2023, said MBTA Deputy Chief of Quality, Compliance and Oversight Meredith Sandberg. The transit agency has received approval for eight of 20 total plans, all of which address the 20 findings in the four special directives FTA issued in its August safety management inspection report, the Herald reported.
FTA is requiring MBTA to create the corrective action plans in order to better manage the impact of operations, maintenance and capital projects on the existing workforce; prioritize safety management information; and improve rail-transit operating conditions and policies, procedures and training, the Herald reported.