Old Colony Lines

Old Colony Lines
An outbound Middleborough/Lakeville train arriving at Holbrook/Randolph in 2017
Overview
OwnerMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
LocaleSoutheastern Massachusetts
Termini
Stations4 (mainline)
6 (Middleborough/Lakeville)
7 (Kingston/Plymouth)
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemMBTA Commuter Rail
Train number(s)2–65 (weekday)
1002-1057 (Saturday)
2002-2057 (Sunday)
Operator(s)Keolis North America
Daily ridershipOctober 2022:[1]
Kingston: 4,171
Middleborough/Lakeville: 5,261
History
Opened1997 (reopened)
ClosedPrevious NYNH&H service ended on June 30, 1959
Technical
Line lengthMiddleborough/Lakeville: 35.6 miles (57.3 km)
Kingston/Plymouth: 35.1 miles (56.5 km)[2]
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Route map

0.0 mi
0 km
South Station
Silver Line (MBTA) Red Line (MBTA) MBTA Commuter Rail Amtrak
MBTA Commuter Rail lines via Back Bay
Broadway
Andrew
2.3 mi
3.7 km
JFK/UMass
Red Line (MBTA)
Savin Hill
North Quincy
Wollaston
7.9 mi
12.7 km
Quincy Center
Red Line (MBTA)
Quincy Adams
10.9 mi
17.5 km
Braintree
Kingston
15.8 mi
25.4 km
South Weymouth
19.4 mi
31.2 km
Abington
21.2 mi
34.1 km
Whitman
24.4 mi
39.3 km
Hanson
28.1 mi
45.2 km
Halifax
35.1 mi
56.5 km
Kingston
35.6 mi
57.3 km
Plymouth
temporarily
closed 2021
Middleborough/Lakeville
15.0 mi
24.1 km
Holbrook/​Randolph
18.6 mi
29.9 km
Montello
20.0 mi
32.2 km
Brockton
21.9 mi
35.2 km
Campello
27.7 mi
44.6 km
Bridgewater
34.5 mi
55.5 km
Pilgrim Junction
35.6 mi
57.3 km
Middleborough/​Lakeville

The Old Colony Lines are a pair of branches of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, connecting downtown Boston, Massachusetts with the South Shore and cranberry-farming country to the south and southeast. The two branches operate concurrently for 10 miles (16 km) via the Old Colony Mainline from South Station to Braintree station. The Middleborough/Lakeville Line then winds south through Holbrook, Brockton, Bridgewater, Middleborough, and Lakeville via the Middleborough Main Line and Cape Main Line. The Kingston Line heads southeast to serve Weymouth, Abington, Whitman, Hanson, Halifax, and Kingston by way of the Plymouth branch. Limited service to Plymouth was provided prior to April 2021 but was cut due to low ridership and budget constraints.[3][4] The Greenbush Line, which was also part of the Old Colony Division, was reactivated in 2007 as a separate project.

  1. ^ Poftak, Steve (October 27, 2022). "GM Report" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. p. 6.
  2. ^ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  3. ^ Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  4. ^ Smith, David R. (July 13, 2022). "MBTA commuter rail is not coming back to Plymouth. Here's what we know". Retrieved July 20, 2022.