March 1, 2025 • 13 mins
Back in 1958, passenger rail service came to an end between Boston and the South Coast of Massachusetts, leaving cities like Taunton, New Bedford, and Fall River without train access to the largest city in New England. Now, decades later, South Coast residents are about to get that access back, as the MBTA is starting up service in late March. MBTA General Manager Phil Eng joins the show to discuss the long-running project, what riders can expect, and what comes next.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
Each and every week right here, we come together, we
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. As always, so happy to be
back with you this week. I'm Nicole Davis. Let's get
in the way back machine for a minute and go
back to the summer of nineteen fifty eight. At that time,
(00:27):
New Bedford, Taunton, and Fall River were all serviced by
the New Haven Railroad's old Colony Line. At that point,
people in those cities could just get on a train
go to and from Boston, no big deal. Trouble was
brewing behind the scenes, though. A report in The New
York Times shows Fall River and other cities didn't want
to help contribute to a subsidy to keep that service going.
The New Haven Railroad was struggling to afford it put
(00:50):
the two together, and passenger service that September was cut
to the South Coast. Ever since, the rails have stayed
quiet for the most part, limiting travel between the South
Coast and Boston to your car or a bus. Now,
nobody likes to sit on the expressway, or if you do,
you're one of very few, I guess, and back in
the early nineties, then Governor Bill Weld said, yes, let's
(01:10):
do it. Let's get back South Coast service. There have
been a lot of ups and downs, safety concerns, cost overruns,
you name it. But now the MBTA says it's finally happening.
In late March, South Coast Rail service is returning to
Taunton Fall River and New Bedford General Manager Philaning here
to talk with us about the project. Good to have
you on the show, sir. Now, obviously you have not
(01:31):
been here in Massachusetts for this entire thirty forty year venture.
You came to us a few years ago from New York.
But you're here now. How do you feel seeing this
big project finally coming together?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
You know, these are very important initiatives, and you know,
when we had the public meeting and you get to
see the folks that attended and they talk about the
years and years of their attention and advocacy for these projects,
it really gives you a good feelings to say, we
finally delivered this for the communities that have been looking
(02:04):
for it and asking for it. And that's just something
that I think public agencies are striving to do how
do we start to deliver meaningful projects, meaningful service and
the our case sooner and and work through these initiatives,
and you know, a project of this size, over a
billion dollars, you know, those are some of the challenges
(02:26):
as you make priorities and you set you know which
projects move forward, which ones don't. And at the same time,
you know, I have the the privilege of being here
the last few years to be able to bring it
across the finish line. And really, you know, really give
these these different communities access to public transportation, which I
(02:49):
think is so vital to quality of life, freedom of movement,
and again just giving them options to be able to
say I don't need to drive, can take mass transportation,
which is why you know we've set up a more
robust schedule than originally committed when this project was initiated.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah, I was going to ask you about that. You're
running quite a few trains to and from New Bedford
and Fall River. Is it because you just don't want
people stuck on the expressway? Was that the main factor here?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
I think we've seen over the last few years when
we adjusted our schedule to be more frequent all day long.
Both weekdays and weekends. We saw a stronger return to
ridership and actually the strongest across the nation with that
type of schedule, and I think even more so with
(03:39):
the post pandemic. You know, people are looking for more flexibility.
So for instance, if you have flexibility in your company
that says you can work a half a day, but
our train schedules midday are not robuts enough, you may
not opt to use public transportation. And the ability to
have all day frequent, weekday service every seventy minute and
(04:00):
weekend service every two hours, I think give people more
viable choice to say, you know what the community rail
is going to be there. I can work a full day,
I can work a half day, I can work late,
I can work early. And in this new period of flexibility,
I think that's important to giving people the confidence let
(04:24):
me try mass transportation, let me use it. And I've
seen even in you know, prior positions, when service is
not as robusts, people may drive to a different line
to use the one that has more frequent service. And
what I want to do is make sure people can
use the stations within their own communities, which is why
(04:45):
we set up a more aggressive schedule.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Yeah, so win win. And you talk about the economic situation,
I mean the South Coast, You've got new Bedford, Fall River,
the Gateway cities, they're kind of up and coming, rebuilding
their economies. So I'm assuming that part of the factor
in getting this rail service up and running and frequently
is to help with the economic rebuilding of the South Coast.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Absolutely, transportation as a whole helps drive the economy, whether
it's highways and bridges, and I know I'm focused on
getting people on mass transportation, but all of these modes together,
I think is what generates improved quality of life, the
ability for people to decide to live somewhere, the ability
(05:27):
for people who decide to start a business somewhere, because
now you have the ability to not only make these
different communities, these six stations that we're opening a destination,
but you also have it that if they want to
work somewhere else, commuter rail is a viable choice. And
I think that that two way travel is also something
(05:49):
that we've seen change people's habits. And I've seen so
many places where if you embrace mass transit and you
allow how certain growth to happen, you can see store
fronts that maybe have been closed in the past open up.
You can see new businesses want to establish you know,
(06:11):
base here and and and take a chance on you know,
how do they invest in these communities and become part
of those communities. And it's a great thing because as
we try to make you know, Massachusetts and not just
here's so many places trying to make it more affordable
for you know, our children and their children in the
(06:31):
future to be able to live, work and play here.
I think access to mass transportation is something that I'm seeing,
you know, a different generation appreciating more so than perhaps
my parents and what and what I grew up in.
And and I think that is what we hope for
a better life for not only for us, but for
(06:55):
our children and future generations.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Yeah, and younger generations. I feel care about clubs as well,
and public transit is a great way to kind of
cut down on emissions from cars. It all comes full circle.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Yes, absolutely, the ability to get people out of their
cars and onto mass transportation in itself is driving improvements
for the climate. And at the same time, you know,
we're focused on how do we even decarbonize our own
system further. And that's why last year's announcement. As we
look at battery electric multiple units on the Fairmonunt line,
(07:29):
it's just the first step of trying new technology to
eliminate diesel locomotives in our system.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
So the South Coastline was supposed to be up and
running a few years ago. There were some safety issues
and I mean there's been some roadblocks along the way,
But over the past couple of years it's been pushed
out a few times. So what's been going on and
why is now where we're finally able to get over
the finish line.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
I think with these types of projects, the civil construction
of the projects is really much easier to define a timeline,
But what sometimes doesn't get picked up is the transfer
from civil construction to the operational component of actually running
trains and moving people. And the FRA has some very
(08:16):
important regulations and requirements for any new start. You know,
not only the positive train control which is an added
layer of safety on automatic train control, controlling train speeds
and collision avoidance. You know, those are all things that
have come out of unfortunate incidents, uh in in you know,
(08:38):
accrastination that the FRA has has really added these levels
of safety. So aside from the civil construction and some
tings delays that occurred due to COVID and and supply chains.
You know, those are expected and encountering a lot of projects,
but when I first got here, it was the transfer
(08:59):
of the city to operational, which is why I made
some changes in the team to bring on more of
an operational perspective to this handoff. That team, you know,
rework the schedule which we had identified to target May
of twenty five, and we're pleased that, you know, with
the hard work working through all the testing required to
(09:23):
complete positive training, control implementation and turning it over to
MVTA and Kiolas for rare operations on January sixth, you know,
that was ahead of schedule, at least the new schedule,
but all of those components. Now we are in the
final phases of qualifying our locomotive engineers all the training
(09:45):
that is required for them to know and understand this
new territory that they're going to operate on, and we're
working very closely with FRA so they can see and
observe all of the steps that we've done in compliance
with the new Starts program. And we're optimistic about this
much twenty fourth start. Everything is pointing in the right
(10:05):
direction and we know we will be ready. We just
need to and we are working with FRA right now
as they ride the trains, observe our testing and review
all of the documentation we've put together.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Yeah, I've got to get all the tea's crossed and
the I doot and all that, which is completely understandable.
And you know, my last question for you here South
Coast Rail is pretty much starting to wrap up at
this point, but you know what comes next. You talked
about getting more access out. There have been hearing about
the Northern tier maybe being a possibility, possibly springfield service.
What do you see coming down the pike? I guess
(10:40):
one way or another.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Two things, right, I need to make sure that I
ensure that we maintain our existing infrastructure. That's something that
not just the Commune Rail has been running very good
on time performance, running good service. But what I want
to do is make sure that I don't dis invest
in our infrastructure. I want to make sure our systems
(11:03):
are safe, modern, clean, welcoming, and that will allow me
now to as we sit through a capital investment program.
You know, how do we decide how to spread our
dollars and modernize and improve our system. And that includes
looking at commuter rail as we go to regional rail.
(11:26):
That includes working with our partners at mass DOT regarding
West East Rail. You know. So from a larger piece
is how do we start to improve service nominally the
way it is today, but as we have longer trips,
how do I give local service but also give robust
(11:47):
express service? Right because I think the other piece is
not just having access to rail, but what's the duration
of those trips and the frequency of those trips. So
we're focused on a new rolling stock. We have a
contract that is giving us the bi level coaches that
we need because as ridership continues to return, we want
(12:09):
to have more robust train, but we also want to
ensure that people can get on the trains. We're looking at.
I mentioned earlier the battery electric because we're focused on
decombinizing and battery electric locomotives or units would accelerate and
allow us to run better service than our diesel service.
(12:30):
But what I need to do then is really take
a look holistically at where our trains run today, how
we make service today, and how do we improve it
going forward. So a lot of tough decisions that we're
going to need to make. But my goal and my
intent is to make those decisions that we could deliver
results sooner, things that people have been long looking for us,
(12:52):
for instance, whether it's the South Coast rail. You know,
thirty years plus is a long time to be talking
about things. Yeah, I'm looking to see how I can
deliver more of these things sooner with the dollars we
have and make sure that when we do set timelines
and goals that we're maximizing the dollars that we have
(13:14):
too and that we're not wasting them and that we're
using them in the most efficient manner. And that's where
you know, as a public agency, we have obligation to
make sure that our investments are good, sound investments that
result in what the public has been asking for and
waiting for.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
All Right, Well, GMing, I really appreciate your time. I
know it's been a busy time for you, so thank
you for the time talking with me about this.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Thank you, Nicole, have.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
A safe and healthy weekend. Please join me again next
week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole Davis
from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
Each and every week right here, we come together, we
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. As always, so happy to be
back with you this week. I'm Nicole Davis. Let's get
in the way back machine for a minute and go
back to the summer of nineteen fifty eight. At that time,
(00:27):
New Bedford, Taunton, and Fall River were all serviced by
the New Haven Railroad's old Colony Line. At that point,
people in those cities could just get on a train
go to and from Boston, no big deal. Trouble was
brewing behind the scenes, though. A report in The New
York Times shows Fall River and other cities didn't want
to help contribute to a subsidy to keep that service going.
The New Haven Railroad was struggling to afford it put
(00:50):
the two together, and passenger service that September was cut
to the South Coast. Ever since, the rails have stayed
quiet for the most part, limiting travel between the South
Coast and Boston to your car or a bus. Now,
nobody likes to sit on the expressway, or if you do,
you're one of very few, I guess, and back in
the early nineties, then Governor Bill Weld said, yes, let's
(01:10):
do it. Let's get back South Coast service. There have
been a lot of ups and downs, safety concerns, cost overruns,
you name it. But now the MBTA says it's finally happening.
In late March, South Coast Rail service is returning to
Taunton Fall River and New Bedford General Manager Philaning here
to talk with us about the project. Good to have
you on the show, sir. Now, obviously you have not
(01:31):
been here in Massachusetts for this entire thirty forty year venture.
You came to us a few years ago from New York.
But you're here now. How do you feel seeing this
big project finally coming together?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
You know, these are very important initiatives, and you know,
when we had the public meeting and you get to
see the folks that attended and they talk about the
years and years of their attention and advocacy for these projects,
it really gives you a good feelings to say, we
finally delivered this for the communities that have been looking
(02:04):
for it and asking for it. And that's just something
that I think public agencies are striving to do how
do we start to deliver meaningful projects, meaningful service and
the our case sooner and and work through these initiatives,
and you know, a project of this size, over a
billion dollars, you know, those are some of the challenges
(02:26):
as you make priorities and you set you know which
projects move forward, which ones don't. And at the same time,
you know, I have the the privilege of being here
the last few years to be able to bring it
across the finish line. And really, you know, really give
these these different communities access to public transportation, which I
(02:49):
think is so vital to quality of life, freedom of movement,
and again just giving them options to be able to
say I don't need to drive, can take mass transportation,
which is why you know we've set up a more
robust schedule than originally committed when this project was initiated.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah, I was going to ask you about that. You're
running quite a few trains to and from New Bedford
and Fall River. Is it because you just don't want
people stuck on the expressway? Was that the main factor here?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
I think we've seen over the last few years when
we adjusted our schedule to be more frequent all day long.
Both weekdays and weekends. We saw a stronger return to
ridership and actually the strongest across the nation with that
type of schedule, and I think even more so with
(03:39):
the post pandemic. You know, people are looking for more flexibility.
So for instance, if you have flexibility in your company
that says you can work a half a day, but
our train schedules midday are not robuts enough, you may
not opt to use public transportation. And the ability to
have all day frequent, weekday service every seventy minute and
(04:00):
weekend service every two hours, I think give people more
viable choice to say, you know what the community rail
is going to be there. I can work a full day,
I can work a half day, I can work late,
I can work early. And in this new period of flexibility,
I think that's important to giving people the confidence let
(04:24):
me try mass transportation, let me use it. And I've
seen even in you know, prior positions, when service is
not as robusts, people may drive to a different line
to use the one that has more frequent service. And
what I want to do is make sure people can
use the stations within their own communities, which is why
(04:45):
we set up a more aggressive schedule.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Yeah, so win win. And you talk about the economic situation,
I mean the South Coast, You've got new Bedford, Fall River,
the Gateway cities, they're kind of up and coming, rebuilding
their economies. So I'm assuming that part of the factor
in getting this rail service up and running and frequently
is to help with the economic rebuilding of the South Coast.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Absolutely, transportation as a whole helps drive the economy, whether
it's highways and bridges, and I know I'm focused on
getting people on mass transportation, but all of these modes together,
I think is what generates improved quality of life, the
ability for people to decide to live somewhere, the ability
(05:27):
for people who decide to start a business somewhere, because
now you have the ability to not only make these
different communities, these six stations that we're opening a destination,
but you also have it that if they want to
work somewhere else, commuter rail is a viable choice. And
I think that that two way travel is also something
(05:49):
that we've seen change people's habits. And I've seen so
many places where if you embrace mass transit and you
allow how certain growth to happen, you can see store
fronts that maybe have been closed in the past open up.
You can see new businesses want to establish you know,
(06:11):
base here and and and take a chance on you know,
how do they invest in these communities and become part
of those communities. And it's a great thing because as
we try to make you know, Massachusetts and not just
here's so many places trying to make it more affordable
for you know, our children and their children in the
(06:31):
future to be able to live, work and play here.
I think access to mass transportation is something that I'm seeing,
you know, a different generation appreciating more so than perhaps
my parents and what and what I grew up in.
And and I think that is what we hope for
a better life for not only for us, but for
(06:55):
our children and future generations.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Yeah, and younger generations. I feel care about clubs as well,
and public transit is a great way to kind of
cut down on emissions from cars. It all comes full circle.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Yes, absolutely, the ability to get people out of their
cars and onto mass transportation in itself is driving improvements
for the climate. And at the same time, you know,
we're focused on how do we even decarbonize our own
system further. And that's why last year's announcement. As we
look at battery electric multiple units on the Fairmonunt line,
(07:29):
it's just the first step of trying new technology to
eliminate diesel locomotives in our system.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
So the South Coastline was supposed to be up and
running a few years ago. There were some safety issues
and I mean there's been some roadblocks along the way,
But over the past couple of years it's been pushed
out a few times. So what's been going on and
why is now where we're finally able to get over
the finish line.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
I think with these types of projects, the civil construction
of the projects is really much easier to define a timeline,
But what sometimes doesn't get picked up is the transfer
from civil construction to the operational component of actually running
trains and moving people. And the FRA has some very
(08:16):
important regulations and requirements for any new start. You know,
not only the positive train control which is an added
layer of safety on automatic train control, controlling train speeds
and collision avoidance. You know, those are all things that
have come out of unfortunate incidents, uh in in you know,
(08:38):
accrastination that the FRA has has really added these levels
of safety. So aside from the civil construction and some
tings delays that occurred due to COVID and and supply chains.
You know, those are expected and encountering a lot of projects,
but when I first got here, it was the transfer
(08:59):
of the city to operational, which is why I made
some changes in the team to bring on more of
an operational perspective to this handoff. That team, you know,
rework the schedule which we had identified to target May
of twenty five, and we're pleased that, you know, with
the hard work working through all the testing required to
(09:23):
complete positive training, control implementation and turning it over to
MVTA and Kiolas for rare operations on January sixth, you know,
that was ahead of schedule, at least the new schedule,
but all of those components. Now we are in the
final phases of qualifying our locomotive engineers all the training
(09:45):
that is required for them to know and understand this
new territory that they're going to operate on, and we're
working very closely with FRA so they can see and
observe all of the steps that we've done in compliance
with the new Starts program. And we're optimistic about this
much twenty fourth start. Everything is pointing in the right
(10:05):
direction and we know we will be ready. We just
need to and we are working with FRA right now
as they ride the trains, observe our testing and review
all of the documentation we've put together.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Yeah, I've got to get all the tea's crossed and
the I doot and all that, which is completely understandable.
And you know, my last question for you here South
Coast Rail is pretty much starting to wrap up at
this point, but you know what comes next. You talked
about getting more access out. There have been hearing about
the Northern tier maybe being a possibility, possibly springfield service.
What do you see coming down the pike? I guess
(10:40):
one way or another.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Two things, right, I need to make sure that I
ensure that we maintain our existing infrastructure. That's something that
not just the Commune Rail has been running very good
on time performance, running good service. But what I want
to do is make sure that I don't dis invest
in our infrastructure. I want to make sure our systems
(11:03):
are safe, modern, clean, welcoming, and that will allow me
now to as we sit through a capital investment program.
You know, how do we decide how to spread our
dollars and modernize and improve our system. And that includes
looking at commuter rail as we go to regional rail.
(11:26):
That includes working with our partners at mass DOT regarding
West East Rail. You know. So from a larger piece
is how do we start to improve service nominally the
way it is today, but as we have longer trips,
how do I give local service but also give robust
(11:47):
express service? Right because I think the other piece is
not just having access to rail, but what's the duration
of those trips and the frequency of those trips. So
we're focused on a new rolling stock. We have a
contract that is giving us the bi level coaches that
we need because as ridership continues to return, we want
(12:09):
to have more robust train, but we also want to
ensure that people can get on the trains. We're looking at.
I mentioned earlier the battery electric because we're focused on
decombinizing and battery electric locomotives or units would accelerate and
allow us to run better service than our diesel service.
(12:30):
But what I need to do then is really take
a look holistically at where our trains run today, how
we make service today, and how do we improve it
going forward. So a lot of tough decisions that we're
going to need to make. But my goal and my
intent is to make those decisions that we could deliver
results sooner, things that people have been long looking for us,
(12:52):
for instance, whether it's the South Coast rail. You know,
thirty years plus is a long time to be talking
about things. Yeah, I'm looking to see how I can
deliver more of these things sooner with the dollars we
have and make sure that when we do set timelines
and goals that we're maximizing the dollars that we have
(13:14):
too and that we're not wasting them and that we're
using them in the most efficient manner. And that's where
you know, as a public agency, we have obligation to
make sure that our investments are good, sound investments that
result in what the public has been asking for and
waiting for.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
All Right, Well, GMing, I really appreciate your time. I
know it's been a busy time for you, so thank
you for the time talking with me about this.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
Thank you, Nicole, have.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
A safe and healthy weekend. Please join me again next
week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole Davis
from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
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