List of MBTA Commuter Rail stations

A geographic map of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with purple lines showing the MBTA Commuter Rail system
A stylized map of the MBTA Commuter Rail system
Geographic and stylized maps of the MBTA Commuter Rail system

MBTA Commuter Rail is the commuter rail system for the Greater Boston metropolitan area of Massachusetts. It is owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and operated under contract by Keolis. In 2022, it was the fifth-busiest commuter rail system in the United States with an average weekday ridership of 78,800.[1] The system's routes span 394 miles (630 km) and cover roughly the eastern third of Massachusetts plus central Rhode Island.[2][3] They stretch from Newburyport in the north to North Kingstown, Rhode Island, in the south, and reach as far west as Worcester and Fitchburg. The system is split into two parts, with lines north of Boston having a terminus at North Station and lines south of Boston having a terminus at South Station.

As of May 2024, there are 136 active stations on twelve lines, two of which have branches. 110 active stations are accessible; 26 are not. Six additional stations (Prides Crossing, Mishawum, Hastings, Silver Hill, Plimptonville, and Plymouth) are indefinitely closed due to service cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic. One station (Winchester Center) is temporarily closed due to structural deterioration. Six additional stations are under construction as part of the South Coast Rail project; several other stations are planned.

The MBTA was formed in 1964 to subsidize suburban commuter rail service operated by the Boston and Maine Railroad, New York Central Railroad, and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Subsidies began in stages from 1965 to 1973; a number of stations closed in 1965–1967 before service to them was subsidized, of which 26 have not reopened. Contraction continued into the early 1980s; 42 additional stations closed between 1967 and 1981 have not reopened. Expansion of the system began in the late 1970s, including extensions of existing lines and the reopening of several lines discontinued before the MBTA era. Three additional low-ridership stations have closed since 1981, while several others have been relocated.

  1. ^ "Transit Ridership Report: Fourth Quarter 2022" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 1, 2023. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  2. ^ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  3. ^ "Commuter Rail Safety and Resiliency Program". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022.