CapeFlyer

CapeFlyer
A CapeFlyer train crossing the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge
Overview
Service typeRegional rail
StatusSeasonal (Memorial Day–Labor Day)
LocaleSoutheast Massachusetts
Predecessor
  • The Cranberry
  • The Sand Dune
  • The Buttermilk Bay
First serviceMay 24, 2013
Current operator(s)CCRTA using MBTA trains
Ridership
  • 16,586 (2013)[1]
  • 12,625 (2014)[2]
  • 13,278 (2015)[3]
  • 13,663 (2016)[4]
  • 13,781 (2018)[5]
  • 14,568 (2019)[5]
  • 2,453 (2020)[6]
  • 7,037 (2021)[6]

9,473 (2022)[7]

12,825 (2023)[8]
Route
TerminiSouth Station
Hyannis Transportation Center
Stops8
Distance travelled78 miles (126 kilometres)
Average journey time2 hours, 19 minutes
Service frequencyFriday, Saturday, and Sundays
Line(s) usedMiddleborough Main Line
Cape Main Line
On-board services
Disabled accessYes
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Track owner(s)MBTA, MassDOT
Route map
Legend
0 mi
0 km
 South Station
Amtrak
11 mi
18 km
 Braintree
20 mi
32 km
 Brockton
36 mi
58 km
Middleborough/
Lakeville
49 mi
79 km
 Wareham Village
55 mi
89 km
 Buzzards Bay
Cape Cod Canal
Railroad Bridge
56 mi
90 km
 Bourne
79 mi
127 km
 Hyannis
This diagram:

The CapeFlyer (stylized CapeFLYER) is a passenger rail service in Massachusetts between Boston and Cape Cod that began in 2013. It is operated by the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) in collaboration with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The service runs on the weekends, beginning Friday evenings and including holidays, between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend.

During 2013, its first season, the CapeFLYER carried a total of 16,586 passengers, with service extended from Labor Day to Columbus Day weekend due to its early success.[1] In October 2013, MassDOT announced the service would return in 2014 and become a permanent seasonal service. Year-round weekend service over the route and full MBTA Commuter Rail service as far as Buzzards Bay are under consideration.[9][10]

It is the first scheduled passenger train to Cape Cod since Amtrak's Cape Codder ceased operation in 1996, and the first direct service between South Station in Boston and Cape Cod since 1961.[11] The Cape Cod & Hyannis Railroad operated scheduled service between Braintree station, south of Boston (the southern terminus of the MBTA's Red Line), and the Cape from 1984 until 1988, but did not extend that service to Boston proper.

  1. ^ a b "Governor Patrick Announces Permanent Seasonal Service for Cape Flyer, New Science Building for Cape Cod Community College". The Official Website of the Governor of Massachusetts. 29 October 2012. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  2. ^ Enwemeka, Zeninjor (May 21, 2015). "Boston-To-Cape Train Returns Friday With Additional Service". WBUR.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2015ridership was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2016ridership was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b "CCRTA Bourne Town Report" (PDF). CCRTA. September 30, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "CCRTA Barnstable Town Report" (PDF). Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority. September 30, 2021.
  7. ^ "CCRTA Bourne Town Report October 3 2022". CCRTA. October 3, 2022.
  8. ^ "CCRTA Bourne Town Report September 25 2023" (PDF). CCRTA. September 25, 2023.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference permanent was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference possibility was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Belcher, Jonathan (23 March 2013). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 11 July 2013.