Discover The Fairmount Commuter Rail Line May 8 through May 21

BOSTON – MassDOT, MBTA, and Keolis officials held an event today at South Station to announce two-weeks of free rides to customers from all Fairmount Commuter Rail Line stations. Customers will be able to board at station stops between Fairmount and South Stations free of charge Monday, May 8, until the end of day on Sunday, 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 thirty 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.”

“It’s exciting to showcase the transit solutions afforded by the Fairmount Line,” said Keolis General Manager and CEO 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.”

After the MBTA purchased much of the line in the late 1970s, the MBTA began operating what would later be known as the Fairmount Line between South Station and Fairmount in 1987. Later that year, Morton Street and Uphams Corner Stations were temporarily opened with the Fairmount Line extended to Readville Station. Improvements to the Line were agreed upon to assist with environmental air quality concerns in 2005. Fairmount Station was also reopened in 2005 after being completely renovated. Uphams Corner and Morton Street Stations were completely rebuilt and reopened in 2007 after a 2002 Feasibility Study that identified the need for infrastructure upgrades needed to maintain a State of Good Repair. In an effort to increase ridership and alleviate crowding on area buses, the 2002 Feasibility Study also recommended the opening of four new stations, the locations of which were chosen to provide a higher quality level of bus service and to provide an alternative mode of transportation to the community. As such, Talbot Avenue Station was added to the Line in 2012 with Newmarket and Four Corners/Geneva Avenue opening in 2013.

More recently, in January 2017, an executed contract was approved for the construction of the fourth station identified in the 2002 Feasibility Study (and the ninth station on the Fairmount Line) at Blue Hill Avenue. The Blue Hill Avenue station stop is anticipated to open for customers in 2019.

As the only Commuter Rail line that operates entirely within Boston, seven of the Fairmount Line’s stations are priced for a fare of Zone 1A, which is a $2.25 one-way fare. The Fairmount Line operates seven days per week. This sponsored two-week period comes with the hope of continuing to highlight the Fairmount Line as a convenient option for residents and employees of businesses.

For more information on the Fairmount Line, please visit mbta.com.