The South Coast Rail program of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) recently reached two significant milestones with the completion of a finance plan and federal permitting.
The funding will come from the Commonwealth’s Capital Investment Plan. With approval by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), that money can now be put toward Phase 1 of the operation. The initial focus will be placed on the construction of six new stations and two layover facilities, upgrades to the 7.1 mile-long Middleborough Secondary track, reconstruction of 17.3 miles of the New Bedford Main Line and 11.7 miles of the Fall River Secondary, an extension of the Middleborough Line Service to New Bedford and Fall River through the use of diesel-powered trains.
“The last major hurdle with Phase 1 proceeding was the Finance Plan, and now that hurdle is gone – funding has been identified,” Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack said. “Phase 1 of South Coast Rail will be funded one hundred percent by the Commonwealth, and the MBTA will not be required to provide any capital funding or issue any revenue bonds that might otherwise impact the MBTA’s future operating budget. We are now well on our way to offering passenger rail service to the South Coast in a few short years with the financing secure, major permits in hand and infrastructure being built.”
The managing organizations have already begun infrastructure work and acquiring land for the new stations. The beginning of service under the new project is expected to start in late 2023.
Pollack said the MBTA would not have to issue any revenue bonds or affect its operating budgets to advance the project’s $1.047 billion cost. Independent cost and schedule reviews by three separate firms and consultations with the Executive Office for Administration and Finance instead concluded that The Commonwealth would fund Phase 1 through a mix of bonds issued under the Rail Enhancement Program.