18-05-2025
Not satisfied with South Coast Rail service? MBTA hosting public meeting in Fall River
FALL RIVER — Residents who have been unsatisfied with the MBTA's South Coast Rail service can take their complaints right to the top when MBTA General Manager Phil Eng hosts a meeting in Fall River on May 22.
Eng and representatives from the MBTA and Keolis, the company contracted to run commuter rail service, will host the meeting starting at 5:30 p.m. at Morton Middle School, 1135 N. Main St.
According to the MBTA, the meeting will address 'concerns occurring since service began on March 24, including noise, weekend service cancellations, Keolis staffing, and other service challenges.'
The meeting is open the public.
Text alerts: Worried about late or cancelled MBTA commuter trains? How to be prepared
The South Coast Rail commuter rail extension was a $1 billion project decades in the making and long-delayed.
The new Fall River/New Bedford Line has been plagued by almost daily delays five to 20 minutes, or longer in extreme cases. Shortly after its rollout, weekend service faced multiple cancellations due to a lack of trained staff, inconveniencing riders for hours. Some weekend trains have been replaced by shuttle buses.
Other residents have noise complaints due to idling trains and at road crossings.
Free weekend service, originally set to last through April as a way to tempt riders into making the service a habit, has been extended until June as an apology for substandard service.
Rides to and from any of the six South Coast Rail stations — Fall River Depot, Freetown, East Taunton, Middleborough, Church Street and New Bedford — are currently free through June 1.
Parking at those stations is also free.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: MBTA to hear commuter rail complaints at public meeting in Fall River
