Commuter Rail

The drive between Boston and Cape Cod can be 60-plus miles of nightmare, depending on the time of day and road conditions, as surprised commuters discovered on Mother's Day, when construction allowed only limited access to the Sagamore Bridge. That work should wind down by the end of the month, but seasonal slowdowns await. So it's disappointing that a plan to extend weekend service on the MBTA's Middleboro commuter rail line to Hyannis this summer has been shelved for now. The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority's decision to wait until next year seems reasonable, based on the need to make...

The drive between Boston and Cape Cod can be 60-plus miles of nightmare, depending on the time of day and road conditions, as surprised commuters discovered on Mother's Day, when construction allowed only limited access to the Sagamore Bridge. That work should wind down by the end of the month, but seasonal slowdowns await. So it's disappointing that a plan to extend weekend service on the MBTA's Middleboro commuter rail line to Hyannis this summer has been shelved for now. The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority's decision to wait until next year seems reasonable, based on the need to make...

MBTA officials are asking the public to help them decide on the look of the authority’s new trains. Beginning today, visitors to the T’s website will be invited to vote on their favorite design scheme for 20 new commuter rail locomotives to be manufactured by MotivePower Inc. “We’re just trying to find more ways to get customers involved,’’ Richard A. Davey, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, said...

An Amtrak Acela train from Washington to Boston struck and killed a person on the tracks about 10 miles from Route 128 in the Sharon area late this afternoon, causing lengthy delays in the evening commute. The accident occurred at approximately 4:45 p.m., Amtrak spokeswoman Danelle Hunter said. She said 192 passengers were aboard Train 2160. Commuter rail service on the Providence/Stoughton line, which uses the same tracks as Amtrak from Providence to Boston, was backed up significantly due to the incident, according to an MBTA service update.

After a summer of schedule changes and delays on the MBTA's commuter-rail line, the expected completion of a rail-improvement project means the restoration of normal service this week, officials said. MBTA trains on the Needham branch use tracks owned by Amtrak, which has been replacing ties on a shared portion of the Northeast Corridor Main Line between Back Bay Station and Forest Hills. Beginning tomorrow, all weekday trains will run on their regular schedules. For more information on the adjusted commuter rail schedule, including continuing modifications on the Providence/Stoughton line, visit...

Acton's MinuteVan Rail Shuttle has new rates and parking options for commuters this year. In addition to providing a shuttle from an off-site parking lot behind the West Acton Fire Station to the commuter rail station, the service will now take passengers to and from a parking lot at Mount Calvary Church on Massachusetts Avenue. The second lot will have 21 spaces. The cost of an annual parking sticker-bus pass combination is $250 for all commuters, including nonresidents. The rate for a monthly parking spot, including shuttle access, has been reduced from $50 per month to $40 per month.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - The Tappan Zee Bridge has to be replaced, but doing it right would mean including a commuter rail line and spending about $16 billion, state planners said. Instead, they recommended a cheaper alternative yesterday: Building a new bridge with an express bus system and a superstructure strong enough to carry trains across the Hudson River sometime in the future. That would cost $9.3 billion, still a large sum to seek in the midst of a national economic crisis, officials acknowledged.

A person died after being struck by a commuter rail train near the South Bay shopping center in Dorchester early Wednesday evening, said a spokesman for Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail. The 75 passengers on the commuter rail train were transferred to another train, said Scott Farmelant. He said the victim was trespassing on the tracks. No additional details were available Wednesday night.

Residents of Plaistow, a town near the Massachusetts border, have voted down a commuter rail project, but town officials are still looking into the idea. The chairman of the Board of Selectmen, Daniel Poliquin, said only 20 percent of the registered voters in town voted for a petition that opposed the proposed train layover station. He said a number of residents asked for more information. The Eagle-Tribune reported that the board is working to bring a Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority train to town, with the layover station proposed near the Atkinson line.

Commuter rail riders will be able to purchase and display tickets on their smartphones later this year, instead of fumbling with cash or fishing for prepaid paper tickets and passes, under an agreement signed Friday by the MBTA. With an estimated two-thirds of riders carrying smartphones, the application could also make fare collection more efficient on crowded trains and reduce on-board cash transactions for the MBTA, which runs the nation's fifth-busiest commuter rail network.

Police are investigating the death of a 28-year-old Lynn man who was struck and killed by a commuter rail train in Salem Sunday morning, officials said. An inbound train from Rockport exited a tunnel near the intersection of Margin and Mill streets and hit the man around 7:45 a.m., said Salem Police Lieutenant Matthew Desmond. MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo identified the man as Kyle Ramsey. He died at the scene, Deputy Fire Chief James Lynch said. Salem Police, MBTA Transit Police, and State Police are investigating the incident.

A person died after being struck by a commuter rail train near the South Bay shopping center in Dorchester early Wednesday evening, said a spokesman for Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail. The 75 passengers on the commuter rail train were transferred to another train, said Scott Farmelant. He said the victim was trespassing on the tracks. No additional details were available Wednesday night.

THE REASON I MOVED to one of those snobby Cape Ann towns — the kind of place where people dress as if they might need to go sailing at a moment's notice — is because I couldn't afford to live in Cambridge, the kind of place where people dress as if they might need to carry something on a bike. My wife and I didn't want to move. And I'm still not convinced we actually live in a town called Manchester-by-the-Sea. That's where Singing Beach is, right? But what I really have a hard time getting straight is the reason we moved, which was that it offers more for our...

If it's not rush hour and you're waiting for the Green Line, get ready to come up front: All four branches of the trolley line will soon keep rear doors closed at most above-ground stops, cutting down on free rides as part of a broader effort to discourage fare evasion across the MBTA. The T began opening only front doors for E Line boarding in mid-January, extending it to the C Line in February, and the D Line two weeks ago. The B Line - the busiest branch of the Green Line - will follow in mid-May, spurred by the pilot program's success so far, the MBTA's top...

If it's not rush hour and you're waiting for the Green Line, get ready to come up front: All four branches of the trolley line will soon keep rear doors closed at most above-ground stops, cutting down on free rides as part of a broader effort to discourage fare evasion across the MBTA. The T began opening only front doors for E Line boarding in mid-January, extending it to the C Line in February, and the D Line two weeks ago. The B Line - the busiest branch of the Green Line - will follow in mid-May, spurred by the pilot program's success so far, the MBTA's top transportation...

The head of the U.S. Department of Transportation will be on hand to mark the expansion of commuter rail service to North Kingstown. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (CHAY'-fee) and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed plan to celebrate the opening of the new Wickford Junction commuter rail station on Monday. Trains will run Monday through Friday from Wickford north to Warwick, Providence and Boston on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Providence-Stoughton line.

Commuter rail riders will be able to purchase and display tickets on their smartphones later this year, instead of fumbling with cash or fishing for prepaid paper tickets and passes, under an agreement signed Friday by the MBTA. With an estimated two-thirds of riders carrying smartphones, the application could also make fare collection more efficient on crowded trains and reduce on-board cash transactions for the MBTA, which runs the nation's fifth-busiest commuter rail network.

Commuter rail riders will be able to purchase and display tickets on their smartphones later this year, instead of fumbling with cash or fishing for prepaid paper tickets and passes, under an agreement signed Friday by the MBTA. With an estimated two-thirds of riders carrying smartphones, the application could also make fare collection more efficient on crowded trains and reduce on-board cash transactions for the MBTA, which runs the nation's fifth-busiest commuter rail network.