February 26, 2026 |MBTA, News, State of MA, Transportation

MBTA Developing Rail Modernization Plan to Provide More Frequent, Reliable, Accessible Regional Rail Service

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From the MBTA: MBTA seeks to engage residents, riders, employers, and all stakeholders as we plan to transform our legacy Commuter Rail system into a modern Regional Rail system.

The MBTA today announced that it is developing an updated regional rail strategy to transform its rail system known as the Rail Modernization Plan. Identifying near-term investments and long-term needs, the Rail Modernization Plan will consider how the MBTA can enhance frequency, reliability, and accessibility across the communities served by rail while advancing decarbonization strategies. 

“Transportation has no boundaries – as MassDOT Secretary and MBTA General Manager, I know how important it is that we create a robust and complete transportation network across the Commonwealth that facilitates access to jobs, homes, economic opportunities, and more,” said Interim MassDOT Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng. “Working with the highway system, municipal roadways, and regional transit authorities, rail modernization – bidirectional travel, shorter trips, and tackling congestion through mode shift – is a key piece in making all movement both viable and appealing. None of this would be possible without the leadership of the Healey-Driscoll Administration and support of the Legislature, and I thank the entire MBTA team for their dedicated work in continuing to move this forward and make the Rail Modernization Plan a reality.” 

Supporting many of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s objectives for regional mobility and connectivity, enhancements to the rail network will ultimately increase service to the public while supporting the Commonwealth in achieving its broader housing, climate, mobility, and economic development goals. The upcoming Rail Modernization Plan will focus on how to better serve passengers from across our service area by emphasizing investments in more frequent, more reliable, and more accessible service while we move to decarbonize the system. 

Almost three quarters of Massachusetts residents live within the MBTA service area, and more frequent and reliable Regional Rail service will have major benefits for the residents and businesses of Massachusetts – as well as those of surrounding states. In fact, 64% of Commonwealth residents and 39% of Rhode Island residents live with three miles of an MBTA station. Not only can reliable train service address travel time challenges today, a more robust network enhances the Commonwealth’s goals for commercially viable developments near transit stations spurring future housing production.  

The MBTA will need to make investments in the coming years to: 

• Improve Frequency, such as through the elimination of legacy bottlenecks in our single-track, at-grade system;  
• Increase Reliability, by investing in new locomotives for our passengers while also modernizing our layover and maintenance facilities for current and future fleets; 
• Enhance Accessibility, by introducing level-boarding at inaccessible stations throughout the system; and 
• Pursue Decarbonization, by developing an electrification plan and through the strategic installation of discontinuous overhead catenary wire, charging, and transmission infrastructure.   

The MBTA invites the public to engage with the T during this planning process, to help determine both the vision for future service and to help prioritize investments as funding becomes available. The MBTA will launch a series of public meetings, tabling events, targeted conversations with stakeholders, and virtual engagement strategies. More information can be found at MBTA.com/RailModernization.