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State and local leaders have long promised that the billion-dollar South Coast Rail project would boost the local economy.

“The start of rail service will give people more options for how to get around, where to live and where to work,” Gov. Maura Healey said at a March 24 kickoff event. “And it will bring more customers to local businesses and cultural attractions in southeastern Mass.”

Are we there yet?

As 2026 approaches, the MBTA’s Fall River/New Bedford Line is about to enter its 10th month of service. The extension has brought more visitors to the region, and it seems to be one factor attracting more developers to build here, observers say. But it’s still too early to tell if the train is boosting businesses or helping more South Coast residents connect to jobs.

At the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Boston-area specific ticket sales are up 30% compared to last year. President and CEO Amanda McMullen says the train is the only explanation for the sudden spike.

“It’s been truly nothing but a good thing,” she said.

The extra admission revenue is helping to fund museum initiatives that are hard to find grants for, McMullen said, including upgrades to the ticket system and computer servers that support the museum’s digital catalog. It’s also softening the blow of higher costs for basics like utilities and employee health insurance.

Tourism leaders take advantage

The Whaling Museum has stepped up its advertising, using geographically targeted social media posts and video ad buys in Boston’s South Station, the northernmost point on the Fall River/New Bedford Line.

McMullen is optimistic that the increased traffic is a new baseline, not a short-term blip. She sees South Coast Rail as one way New Bedford is evolving into a more attractive destination, the kind of place where a traveler could spend a few days instead of a few hours. The museum is in the midst of a major expansion expected to complete next year.

Ashley Payne, the city’s director of tourism and marketing, said the city is also using social media ads to target likely train riders, even running ads specifically geared toward people physically in or near train stations.

“Marketing can be a little creepy when you really dig down into data,” she joked.

The tourism office plans to double down on data this upcoming year to better understand who is coming to the South Coast, how they’re getting here, and where they’re going, Payne said.

The city also plans to address New Bedford Station’s awkward location on the east side of Route 18, she said. It’s a 15-minute walk down narrow sidewalks in an industrial area just to get to the bottom of Union Street. Payne said the city is “actively trying to work on solutions,” such as a shuttle bus that could bring visitors downtown and to other locations around the city. 

Business community is optimistic

Derek Santos, executive director of the New Bedford Economic Development Council, said he’s waiting to see how the train’s economic impacts look on the extension’s first anniversary in March. But he said the train is undoubtedly a great asset.

“We promote the hell out of it,” he said.

The city’s new “transit-oriented development” zoning districts around the train station have been a draw for developers, Santos said.

A hotel to be built near New Bedford Station was approved by the Planning Board in May. Santos said other potential developments within the districts are in the works, but they aren’t far enough along to be publicly announced.

“As important as commuter rail service is, it’s part of a much broader tapestry of assets that you need to pull together,” he said.

Mike O’Sullivan, CEO of the One Southcoast Chamber, said the business community is excited about the train. But so far, he’s seeing bigger impacts on housing than businesses. Developers are more interested in building badly needed housing here because of the train, he said.

A cluster of new restaurant openings are early signs that increased travel is stimulating the local economies of New Bedford and Fall River, O’Sullivan said. In just the past year, Servedwell Hospitality has opened two restaurants in walking distance of New Bedford Station — Candela Cucina and the National Club.

“It’s starting to do what it said it would do,” O’Sullivan said of the extension. “It’s changing the economy all for the better.”

A lack of data makes it hard to tell whether South Coast Rail is making good on promises to connect residents to better jobs. A spokesperson for the state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development said the office didn’t have research that would show whether there are now more South Coast residents employed elsewhere in the state. 

Still, commuting workers, rather than leisure travelers, appear to make up most of the increased ridership. On average, riders are taking 2,000 more trips each day on the MBTA’s Fall River/New Bedford line than they did last year, when the route was the Middleborough/Lakeville line. Weekday ridership increased by 36%, while weekend ridership increased by 13%.

The MBTA runs 32 daily weekday trips between Boston and the South Coast on the new line. Direct rides from downtown New Bedford to Boston’s South Station take about 94 to 98 minutes; some trips that require a transfer in East Taunton take about two hours. The standard one-way fare is $12.25. An unlimited weekend pass is $10. Reduced and free fares are available for certain groups.

Email Grace Ferguson at gferguson@newbedfordlight.org

3 replies on “Signs suggest South Coast Rail is boosting tourism, development”

    1. Should it be shut down?

      “At the New Bedford Whaling Museum, ticket sales are up 30% compared to last year,” – fluff?

      “Mike O’Sullivan, CEO of the One Southcoast Chamber, said the business community is excited about the train. But so far, he’s seeing bigger impacts on housing than businesses. Developers are more interested in building badly needed housing here because of the train, he said.” – more fluff?

      “Still, commuting workers, rather than leisure travelers, appear to make up most of the increased ridership. On average, riders are taking 2,000 more trips each day on the MBTA’s Fall River/New Bedford line than they did last year, when the route was the Middleborough/Lakeville line. Weekday ridership increased by 36%, while weekend ridership increased by 13%.” – Super Fluff.

  2. I live up the line and I’ve gone down to NB a few times to grab pizza and walk around. It’s pretty nice you can get to downtown and the walk is nice except for the bit after the bridge and before that large road where the crossing signals are hopefully fixed new. In FR there’s some nice diners near the station but not as much to walk to due to all the construction.

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