MBTA Commuter Rail - Operational History

Operational History

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts's involvement with the operating facets of commuter rail began in 1967 when Boston & Maine petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission to discontinue all passenger services. All service north of the state line was discontinued, but service in Massachusetts was preserved through a contract between the Commonwealth and the B&M, at this time still an independent railroad company.

The Boston & Maine Railroad (B&M), operator of the North Station commuter lines since the first half of the 20th Century, filed for bankruptcy protection in 1970. All B&M railroad assets inside Massachusetts Route 128 with the exception of yard tracks and freight-only branches were sold to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1976. B&M was contracted to operate the service using its existing fleet of diesel railcars.

The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NYNH&H, or simply "New Haven"), the long time owner-operator of most South Station commuter trains, filed for bankruptcy for the last time in 1961. Just two years earlier in 1959, the New Haven had discontinued passenger service on the Old Colony division in southeastern Massachusetts. The New Haven was included in the Penn Central Transportation Company merger in 1968, which itself filed bankruptcy in 1970. During 1973-76, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts bought almost all track assets in Southeastern Massachusetts from the Penn Central's bankruptcy trustees.

The Worcester Line, historically part of the Boston & Albany Railroad (B&A), was merged into the New York Central System and its ownership subsequently passed to Penn Central in 1968. As part of the Massachusetts Turnpike Boston Extension's construction in the 1960s, the Worcester Line's right of way between Route 128 and Boston was sold to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, with the proviso that the control of the railroad remains with New York Central. Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail), Penn Central's successor, inherited the rail line which forms a vital freight artery between Boston's Beacon Yard and Conrail's Selkirk Yard. In September 2009, CSX Transportation and the commonwealth finalized a $100 million agreement to purchase CSX's Framingham to Worcester tracks, as well as some other track, to improve service on the Framingham/ Worcester Line. A liability issue that had held up the agreement was resolved.

The Northeast Rail Service Act of 1981 compelled Conrail to transfer operations of all passenger and commuter services to local transit authorities, resulting in Conrail ceasing all subsidized passenger rail services. The B&M won the contract for the South Side Lines also. 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 the newly formed Guilford Transportation Industries (GTI) bought it, in 1983. GTI let the contract expire in 1986.

From 1986 to 2003, Amtrak managed all of Boston's commuter rail. MBTA observers saw Amtrak as having been a reliable manager and operator, but Amtrak sometimes experienced strained relations with the MBTA. Quibbles centered on equipment failures, crewing issues about the number of conductors per train, and responsibility for late trains. Because of these issues, and Amtrak's repeated statements that the MBTA contract was unreasonable, few were surprised at Amtrak's decision not to bid again for the MBTA Commuter Rail contract at its 2003 renewal.

When the MBTA asked for tenders on the commuter rail operation contract, Amtrak did not bid. Two tenders were submitted, from Guilford Rail System and from the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR), the latter of which won, taking over the MBTA Commuter Rail operation from Amtrak in July 2003. The MBCR contract originally expired in July 2008 but had an additional five-year option; it was extended three years to July 2011 and then another two to July 2013. After concerns about on-time performance, the 2011 extension increased the fine for late trains from $100 to $300.

MBCR partners Bombardier Transportation and Alternate Concepts have other ties to the MBTA. Bombardier is the manufacturer of much of the rolling stock operated by the railroad, while Alternate Concepts is majority owner of Paul Revere Transportation, which operates some bus lines under contract from the MBTA.