MBTA

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) manages the provision of commuter rail services in the Boston region. The MBTA Commuter Rail system has two major termini: Boston North Station and Boston South Station. Eight of MBTA’s twelve Commuter Rail lines utilize some portion the NEC Main Line to provide service to and from Boston South Station, including the Fairmount, Fall River/New Bedford, Framingham/Worcester, Franklin/Foxboro, Greenbush, Kingston, Needham, and Providence/Stoughton lines. The MBTA provides commuter rail service, under contract with Rhode Island DOT, to communities along the NEC Main Line between Providence and Wickford Junction, RI.

MBTA Commuter Rail System-Wide

143

STATIONS

12
LINES
29M

ANNUAL TRIPS

63%of all MBTA trains use the NEC
62%of all MBTA trips are on the NEC

Trips and Scheduled Trains on the NEC

MBTA trips on the NEC are only an estimate due to limited data availability.

FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25
MBTA weekday trips on the NEC 34,000 50,000 61,000 63,000
MBTA weekday scheduled trains on the NEC 313 315 329 329

 

Train Operations & Performance

FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25
Percentage of scheduled MBTA trains late, annulled, or terminated on the NEC 6.4% 6.4% 8.1% 10.1%

For more information on MBTA and train performance on the NEC, please read the NEC Annual Report.

 

Information last updated April 2026.