MBTA Commuter Rail — Routes, Fleet & Capital Plan

About MBTA Commuter Rail

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority operates commuter rail service on twelve lines radiating from South Station and North Station in Boston. The system, operated under contract by Keolis Commuter Services since 2014, is the fifth-largest commuter rail network in the United States and serves roughly 130,000 riders on a typical pre-pandemic weekday. Background context on the carrier's history is also catalogued in the North American Rail Atlas & Route Encyclopedia.

Operator Profile

Headquarters: Boston, MA
Founded: 1973
Routes catalogued: 1
Stations served: 11
Total route miles: 388 mi
States served: 3

Fleet

The fleet of HSP-46, MP36PH-3C, F40PH-3C and GP40MC locomotives haul rebuilt Pullman, Kawasaki, and Hyundai-Rotem cab cars and coaches. Equipment assignments rotate as new orders are delivered and existing rolling stock is retired or rebuilt; consult individual route pages for current information.

Capital plan and modernization

Rail Vision identifies long-term electrification of the Providence/Stoughton, Fairmount, and Newburyport/Rockport lines as the path to regional rail-style service. Quarterly capital-plan progress is tracked in the Passenger Rail Advocacy & Reform Quarterly.

Routes operated by MBTA

The table below lists all MBTA Commuter Rail services catalogued in the RailRover index, sorted by distance. Each entry links to a full route page with stations, fares, and timetable references.

Route	Type	Endpoints	Distance	Frequency
MBTA Commuter Rail	Commuter Rail	Boston ↔ Rockport	388 mi	14 lines plus the new South Coast service

States served

MBTA Commuter Rail service touches 3 states in the RailRover index. Each state hub aggregates every operator's service through that state on a single page.

Massachusetts Northeast New Hampshire Northeast Rhode Island Northeast

Booking and ticketing

RailRover does not sell tickets. To book travel on MBTA Commuter Rail, visit the carrier's official booking site or app directly. Many of the same trip-planning principles that apply to Amtrak — advance purchase saves significantly, multi-ride passes are heavily discounted on commuter services, group sales unlock 60% off Saver coach for parties of 8 or more — apply across operators. For a deeper walkthrough, see the RailRover guide to buying tickets and saving on fares, the field guide to onboard Wi-Fi and power outlets, and the baggage rules reference. Independent fare-watch newsletters such as the Commuter Rail Operators Reform Brief publish current promotional fare summaries.