New South Coast Commuter Rail Deals With Cancellations, Delays

When the MBTA's new South Coast Rail service launched March 24, officials praised the accomplishment for its ability to bring commuter rail service from New Bedford to Fall River for the first time in decades.

More than three weeks later, some weekend riders are running into service cancellations and delays.

Boston 25 News reported trips canceled during the weekend of April 5 to 6 due to problems with equipment availability.

Providence's NBC 10 News WJAR also reported that hundreds of passengers who used the South Coast Rail service on Sunday evening, April 13, found their direct lines out of Boston were canceled due to crew shortages. More than five hours of service from New Bedford to Fall River came to a halt. 

One rider who planned to take the 4:40 p.m. train to Fall River told NBC 10 News, "They told me there was going to be a bus. So, we pulled the kids out. The bus never came, and then the 5:59 got canceled, so we just took a train to Providence and had my husband pick us up."

Hour after hour, new cancellation announcements cancelled service to New Bedford and Fall River.

"Some trains on the Fall River/New Bedford and Kingston Lines were cancelled yesterday due to crew availability issues. Passengers were accommodated by later trains or shuttle buses. For up-to-date information on delays and cancellations, passengers should subscribe to MBTA alerts or follow @MBTA_CR_Alerts on X," Jake O'Neill, a spokesperson for Keolis, said in an email Monday to NBC 10 News.

Keolis manages the Commuter Rail system for the MBTA.

Commuters said that the situation has left them doubting whether they would use the train service moving forward. Passengers said that, more than anything, the lack of communication left them feeling disappointed and frustrated.