The narrow gauge Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad (BRB&L) opened in 1875, competing with the inner portion of the Eastern Railroad. : 8 Mergers prior to the 1880s were primarily acquisitions of branch lines and consolidations with connecting lines: the B&A merged with the Western Railroad in 1874 to become the Boston and Albany Railroad (B&A), the Fall River Railroad and several other lines merged into the Old Colony Railroad, and the Norfolk County Railroad eventually became part of the New York and New England Railroad (NY&NE). Commuter rail service allowing suburban residents to work in Boston began with the B&W in 1834 by the 1860s, commuting was possible on the eight mainlines and a number of branch lines. No lines feed into both North and South Stations.Įight intercity mainlines radiating from Boston opened between 18: the Boston and Worcester Railroad (B&W) in 1834–35, Boston and Providence Railroad (B&P) in 1834–35, Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L) in 1835, Eastern Railroad in 1838–1840, Fitchburg Railroad in 1843–45, Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) in 1845, Old Colony Railroad and Fall River Railroad in 1845–46, and Norfolk County Railroad in 1849–55. The lines terminating at South Station were once part of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and New York Central Railroad, while the lines terminating at North Station were once part of the Boston and Maine Railroad. The northside and southside lines are a legacy of their roots in separate railroads. The following lines terminate at North Station (listed from west to northeast): Franklin Line (renamed Franklin/Foxboro Line).Middleborough/Lakeville Line (the CapeFLYER operates over this line Memorial Day–Labor Day using MBTA equipment).The following lines terminate at South Station (listed from southeast to west): Currently the only rail infrastructure directly connecting them is a single track that is only used to move equipment however, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has studied the possibility of an underground tunnel to unite the two halves, the North-South Rail Link. Trains originate at two major terminals in Boston- South Station and North Station-with both transportation hubs offering connections to Amtrak, local bus, intercity bus via South Station Bus Terminal, and subway lines.

The line's characteristic purple-trimmed coaches operate as far south as North Kingstown, Rhode Island, and as far north as Newburyport and as far west as Fitchburg, both in Massachusetts. In 2021, the system had a ridership of 8,877,600, or about 61,900 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2022, making it the sixth-busiest commuter rail system in the U.S., behind the three New York-area systems, the Chicago-area system, and the Philadelphia-area system. It is operated under contract by Keolis, which took over operations on July 1, 2014, from the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR). Trains run over 398 mi (641 km) of track to 141 different stations, with 58 stations on the north side and 83 stations on the south. Check the list of public holidays below to see which weekend timetables will be observed on those days.The MBTA Commuter Rail ( reporting mark MBTX) system serves as the commuter rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's transportation coverage of Greater Boston in the United States. On public holidays bus and ferry services run to weekend timetables.

Winchester bus timetable 3