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The MBTA Commuter Rail is the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The line's characteristic purple-trimmed coaches run as far south as Providence, Rhode Island and as far north as Newburyport. Due to this coloring, locals occasionally call it the Purple Line to match the colored subway lines. The trains have two terminal stops in Boston, South Station and North Station. Both of these stations link with Amtrak and the local bus and subway lines. (See Boston transportation). The MBTA currently contracts operation of the commuter rail system to a private company known as the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company.
Current lines The seven lines of the Commuter Rail leaving from South Station are, from southeast to west: The four lines of the Commuter Rail leaving from North Station are, from west to northeast: MBTA commuter rail service from both stations is provided by push-pull trains powered by diesel locomotives. (This is true even though some of the lines run on the electrified Northeast Corridor.) EMD F40PH locomotives and double-level passenger cars are typically used for trains that originate from South Station with EMD GP40MC locomotives and single-level passenger cars used from North Station. No direct connection exists between the two stations and there are no current plans to remedy this deficit; passengers wishing to travel from one station to the other must use the MBTA subways and change subway trains at either Park Street or Downtown Crossing stations. A North-South Rail Link is proposed to unify the two halves of the Commuter Rail system. Currently train cars are transferred via the Grand Junction Railroad, which is not used for passenger service. Expansion Several extensions of the MBTA commuter rail network are either on-going or currently being debated: As of 2004, the Greenbush Line is being restored and a service extension of the Lowell Line to Nashua, New Hampshire is being considered. An extension of the Stoughton Line is proposed to Fall River, Massachusetts and New Bedford, Massachusetts, and the Providence Line is planned for extension to T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island. There is a proposal to extend the Worcester/Framingham Line to Springfield, Massachusetts, though a more pressing need for an increased number of trains on the route will likely be addressed first. There is a proposal to build a South Salem commuter rail station in Salem, Massachusetts to improve access to Salem State College, as well as extend commuter rail to Peabody, Massachusetts and Danvers, Massachusetts. Operational history In 1973, the MBTA bought various commuter rail lines from private owners. The Boston and Maine Railroad was contracted to run service on the Lowell Line (which it had formerly owned. After bankruptcy, the B&M continued to run and fulfill its contract under the protection of the Federal Bankruptcy Court, in the hopes that a reorganization could make it profitable again. It emerged from the court's protection when newly-formed Guilford Transportation Industries (GTI) bought it in 1983. GTI let the contract expire in 1986. From 1986 until 2003, Amtrak managed the entirety of Boston's commuter rail. It did decently, though at times had strained relations with the MBTA. Quibbles centered on equipment failures, numbers of conductors per train, and who takes responsibility when trains are late. Because of these bad relations and Amtrak's repeated announcements that the contract was unreasonable, few people were surprised at Amtrak's decision not to bid again for the Commuter Rail contract when it came up for renewal in 2003. When the MBTA asked for new bids on the Commuter Rail operation contract, Amtrak did not bid but Guilford and the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company did. The MBCR ended up getting the contract. When the MBCR began operating the Commuter Rail in July of 2003,* nothing changed for the commuters as it is the MBTA that owns the trains, tracks, and sets the schedules. The MBCR is a joint venture of Veolia Transportation North America (formerly Connex), Bombardier Transportation (which has manufactured some of the vehicles in the MBTA fleet), and Alternate Concepts, Inc.,* majority owner of Paul Revere Transportation (which operates some bus lines under contract from the MBTA).* See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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