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MBTA will keep expanded service on the Fairmount Line

An MBTA commuter rail conductor watches as a passenger boards a train at the Talbot Avenue Commuter Rail Station. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
An MBTA commuter rail conductor watches as a passenger boards a train at the Talbot Avenue Commuter Rail Station. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

MBTA riders who rely on the Fairmount Line's additional service won’t have to change their routines any time soon.

The T on Tuesday announced it will make the expanded service permanent, keeping in place eight additional daily trips between Readville and South Station, providing service every 45 minutes on the line.

The program began in June 2020 to provide more service to a part of the city underserved by rail which includes Hyde Park, Mattapan, and Dorchester.

Stations on the line from Fairmount to South Station are considered Zone 1A, where riders pay the same fare as a subway ride and can use their CharlieCard to board. Riders can also transfer to subway, bus, or Silver Line service.

During a press conference to announce the Fairmount Line's new status, T general manager Steve Poftak said weekly ridership on the line is at about 70% of what it was before the pandemic.

“We believe that is an indication of, truly, the demand that there is for this service here,” said the general manager.

Felicia Richard, a board member for the Southwest Boston Community Development Corporation, lives along the Fairmount Line in Hyde Park. She said the line cut her commute to work by about half, from an hour and a half to a little more than 45 minutes.

“This line for me and my family and my neighbors is very important, very convenient,” Richard said. “It’s definitely a very great benefit to this community to be able to have access to this commuter rail line.”

The general manager also announced bikes will be allowed on Fairmount Line trains on May 23.

Related:

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Darryl C. Murphy Host
Darryl C. Murphy is the host of WBUR's daily news and culture podcast, "The Common."

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