No such thing as a free ride? Try the MBTA Fairmount Line
Written by Railway Age Staff
Will Bostonians think a fare-free promotion is a fair deal? The city’s transit stakeholders hope so.
Officials from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation along with MBTA and operator Keolis on May 5 gathered at South Station to kick off two weeks of sponsored free rides from all Fairmount Commuter Rail Line stations.
Customers will be able to board at station stops between Fairmount and South Stations free of charge beginning today until the end of the day on Friday, May 21.
“The Fairmount Line offers a fast and convenient way to travel between the neighborhoods of Hyde Park, Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury, and into the city’s Financial District,” said Acting MBTA General Manager Brian Shortsleeve. “It’s only a 30-minute trip to South Station from the end of the line in Fairmount and even less time from the stations stops along the way. For two weeks, beginning this Monday, we hope people take advantage of the fare-free service, and learn the benefits of quick and easy train travel.”
Fairmount, which operates seven days a week, is the only MBTA line that operates completely within Boston city limits.
“It’s exciting to showcase the transit solutions afforded by the Fairmount Line,” said Keolis General Manager and Chief Executive David Scorey. “We look forward to demonstrating the value of the Commuter Rail to members of the Fairmount Line’s communities who otherwise may not have explored this convenient option.”
The MBTA purchased much of the line in the late Seventies and began operating what would later be known as the Fairmount Line between South Station and Fairmount in 1987. A 2002 study pinpointed needed upgrades; Fairmount station was renovated in 2005, and the Uphams Corner and Morton Street stations were completely rebuilt and re-opened in 2007. The Talbot Avenue station was added in 2012 with Newmarket and Four Corners/Geneva Avenue opening in 2013. The Blue Hill Avenue stop – the ninth station on the line – is scheduled to open in 2019.
