Trains powered by electricity rather than diesel fuel are not scheduled to begin rolling on the Fairmount Line for years, but public officials are so excited about the now-concrete plans for more frequent service with less pollution that they gathered in the hot sun Tuesday morning to celebrate an achievement that likely won\u2019t be attained until 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The MBTA voted July 25 to approve a $54 million contract with Keolis, the company that operates commuter rail for the MBTA, to bring battery electric service to the Fairmount Line that runs from South Station through Dorchester, Mattapan and Hyde Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just can\u2019t wait \u2019til it\u2019s done,\u201d Marilyn Forman, a co-chair of the Fairmount Indigo Transit Coalition who works on housing production at the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, said at a press conference at Morton Street Station in Mattapan on Tuesday. \u201cBut we still have so much more to do, and maybe, just maybe, because we work with some amazing people, it will happen before 2028.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gov. Maura Healey, who has myriad priorities hung up in the Legislature, promised the state\u2019s approach to the project would be \u201cpedal to the metal on all of this.\u201d The idea has been \u201ctalked about for years,\u201d the governor said, \u201cbut we\u2019re doing it, we\u2019re finally doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The nine-station Fairmount Line runs through areas that suffer from higher rates of air pollution, and ridership on it has more than doubled compared to pre-pandemic counts, according to Keolis. The line\u2019s popularity, its relatively short length and its proximity to electric infrastructure helped make it a good fit for battery-electric service, Keolis said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe chose to submit an innovation proposal because we have the skills and we have the knowledge to deliver this project quickly and efficiently,\u201d John Killeen, vice president of asset management at Keolis, said. \u201cKeolis will manage this project including the procurement of financing, the choosing of the rolling stock, and the upgrade of engineering facilities, infrastructure and maintenance facilities. We will bring our international skills and expertise to ensure that this project is a success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fairmount Line trains currently run on 30-minute intervals, MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said, and plans call for arrivals on a 20-minute frequency once the line is electrified. He said transportation accounts for 38 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts and the T accounts for 1 percent of those emissions. The project, he said, will cut fuel use by 1.6 million gallons per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Areas along the T\u2019s Providence Line have electrification potential, Eng said, and electrification is being examined in an environmental justice corridor on the Newburyport-Rockport line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is just the beginning. This is a peek into the future, but we\u2019re bringing it within our lifetimes,\u201d Eng said. He added, \u201cTechnology is getting better, so we know that this technology works in other parts of the world. The key is how do we make it work here for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Fairmount is poised to become the first commuter rail line in Massachusetts to become fully electrified, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the project would electrify \u201cone of the last remaining diesel commuter rail lines in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just about saying the words to be a green community,\u201d Wu said. \u201cThis is about tangible benefits that our residents who live here, that workers who are getting to their jobs, that visitors and tourists and everyone we welcome in our community will be able to feel every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Liz Miranda said she was encouraged by the promise of more frequent service on the \u201cPurple Line,\u201d as she said it\u2019s called in areas it serves. She said every state resident deserves access to safe, reliable transit and recalled years earlier in her life when she didn\u2019t want to ride on the Fairmount Line because it was \u201cscary, it took too long, it was dirty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGrowing up, I\u2019d rather take two buses and a train, at the speed that the Fairmount Line, the Purple Line, used to take and now we don\u2019t have to wait for two buses and a train anymore,\u201d Miranda said. \u201cWe can actually take the commuter rail, and the Fairmount Line, all the way to downtown, not only waiting only 20 minutes but to make sure that it gets to downtown quicker, so that we can get to work or get to school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n