Bostonians celebrate the first train to the South Coast

Michael Rodrigues finished his shift as an Amtrak train dispatcher early Monday morning in Boston. Normally, he’d take the Middleborough/Lakeville commuter rail line home to Brockton after his night shift, take a nap, and then Uber to his girlfriend’s house in Fall River. Rodrigues does this three or four times a week, spending around $40 each time.

This Monday morning, his plan was different — thanks to the newly opened South Coast Rail to Fall River/New Bedford. Rodrigues said he was excited to take his nap on the 6:45 a.m. train, which would bring him directly to Fall River, where his girlfriend lives.

The first train from New Bedford arrived in Boston’s South Station Monday at 6 a.m., and the first outbound train to the South Coast departed at 6:45 a.m. Commuters and train enthusiasts in South Station celebrated a day they thought might never come. 

New Bedford has been disconnected from Boston’s train services since 1958, and the city has been waiting for the new MBTA extension since the early 1990s. On one Boston-bound train Monday, a group of older train-goers joked that they were looking for cigarette girls and ashtrays — which would’ve been commonplace the last time a train ran between Boston and New Bedford.

Rodrigues said he’s excited about what the new train line means for the South Coast. 

“Boston’s getting really crowded,” Rodrigues said. He said he’s noticed rent rising in suburbs amid the state’s housing crisis. He hopes the new train line will spur investment in housing in New Bedford and Fall River. He’s thinking of buying a home on the South Coast himself.

Rodrigues said he’s heard people complain that the journey — which will take between 94 and 98 minutes — is too long. But that’s about how long it takes Rodrigues to take the train to Providence, then Uber to Fall River. And it’s cheaper. 

Rodrigues said the $40 journey he takes almost every other day adds up quickly. 

“That’s money I’m gonna save, money I can spend on dates,” Rodrigues said. “Or I’ll just save it.”

Fares will be free for passengers riding to and from South Coast stations through the end of March, and every weekend through the end of April. After that, the fare will be $12.25 one way — a third of what Rodrigues generally spent on a journey. 

Rodrigues was among many excited train-riders who took the first train from Boston on the Fall River/New Bedford line at 6:45 a.m. on Monday. Trains ran smoothly all morning, but commuters also expressed confusion about the new line. 

The new line extends the Middleborough/Lakeville line, which the MBTA renamed the Fall River/New Bedford line Monday. About 30% of commuters had questions about the 6:45 a.m. train with a name they didn’t recognize, according to Keolis Commuter Services employees.

Thanks to the new name and new train times, regulars kept asking where the Middleborough schedule was. Printed copies of the new line schedule — and Fall River/New Bedford Line pins — were flying off the table before the train departed, Keolis employees said. By the time the 8:37 a.m. outbound train left South Station, MBTA had run out of Fall River/New Bedford pins.

At 6 a.m. in South Station, commuters milled about amid train enthusiasts. While the enthusiasts anxiously awaited the train’s track number, eyes glued to the departure board, a few commuters ran to catch the 6:45 a.m. train at the last minute.

Newton teens Roshan Karim and Wes Halliwell were raring to ride the new line at 6:45 a.m., despite never normally going to New Bedford. Karim said he can see himself visiting the South Coast in the future. He hates driving long distances, especially with the cost of gas, but said he can see himself taking the train to New Bedford for the day trip. 

“I definitely choose my destinations almost exclusively based on how easy they are to get to,” Karim said. 

Karim and Halliwell got up at 4 a.m. so they could see the first train from the South Coast get into South Station. Halliwell said that when he told his dad their plan, he was surprised — he said he’s been waiting 20 years for that train.

Abigail Pritchard is a graduate student in journalism at Boston University, covering state government for The Light as part of the Boston University Statehouse Program.