MBTA Commuter Rail

MBTA Commuter Rail
An outbound Lowell Line train at Anderson/Woburn in 2023
Overview
Owner	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
Locale	Eastern Massachusetts and central Rhode Island
Transit type	Commuter rail
Number of lines	12
Number of stations	137 active; 6 currently closed
Daily ridership	107,500 (weekdays, Q2 2024)[1]
Annual ridership	26,190,500 (2023)[2]
Website	mbta.com/schedules/commuter-rail
Operation
Began operation	1834 (first lines open) 1965 (beginning of MBTA subsidies) 1973 and 1976 (MBTA asset purchases) 1977 (full consolidation)
Operator(s)	Keolis Commuter Services
Reporting marks	MBTX
Number of vehicles	110 diesel locomotives, 475 coaches
Technical
System length	394 mi (634 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Top speed	79 mph (127 km/h)
MBTA Commuter Rail system maps

The MBTA Commuter Rail (reporting mark MBTX) system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA's) transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. Trains run over 394 mi (634 km) of track to 135 stations. It is operated under contract by Keolis, which took over operations on July 1, 2014, from the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR).

In 2023, the system had a ridership of 26,190,500, or about 107,500 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024, making it the fifth-busiest commuter rail system in the U.S., behind the three New York-area systems and the Chicago-area system. The line's characteristic purple-trimmed coaches operate as far south as North Kingstown, Rhode Island, and as far north as Newburyport and as far west as Fitchburg, both in Massachusetts.

Trains originate at two major terminals in Boston – South Station and North Station. The only connection between the two halves of the system is the non-revenue Grand Junction Branch. The North–South Rail Link is a proposed tunnel between North Station and South Station to allow through-running service.