FALL RIVER, Mass. — It was just March 24th, when Governor Maura Healey and other state officials took the inaugural ride on the South Coast rail, bringing commuter rail service to New Bedford and Fall River for the first time in decades.
“Welcome to Taunton,” the Governor said to riders in March. “This is going to be a huge deal, huge economic development boon for the region. It’s going to ease congestion and traffic on the roads.”
Fast forward three weeks and some weekend riders are already facing canceled trips and delays.
“I mean when you have a 3-year-old, a 4-year-old, and a 7-year-old in South Station, saying like don’t touch anything it’s crazy,” Amy Boyle told Providence television affiliate, WJAR.
Boyle and Elise Monteiro say their families were heading back, from a day at the aquarium. But for several families across the South Coast, the commuter rail line that brought them there wasn’t taking them home Sunday night.
“They told me there was going to be a bus- so we pulled the kids out, the bus never came and then 5:59 got cancelled, so we just took a train to Providence and had my husband pick us up,” Monteiro said.
The MBTA website said the Fall River train was canceled due to crew availability.
The previous weekend, Boston 25 News spotted trips canceled due to equipment availability issues.
“Finally ride the train for the first time today, and it’s like wow what are we going to do now? After all this time, cancelled,” another rider told WJAR.
The MBTA offered shuttles busses to some passengers. Others were left looking for their own alternative.
“They did not give us any information regarding finding any alternative way to get back. We just figured it out on our own by looking where we live, where the other trains were going” another rider said.
Boston 25 News reached out to the Governor’s office, the MBTA and Keolis, which operates the commuter rail, about the canceled trips.
The Governor’s office referred us to the MBTA.
In a written statement, a spokesperson for the MBTA said, “The MBTA is excited that thousands of riders have taken Fall River/ New Bedford Line since it opened, and that 98 percent of trips have operated as intended. We recognize the frustration caused by any cancelled trip, and we apologize to impacted riders for the inconvenience. We will continue to monitor service and make any necessary changes to ensure we are delivering the best service possible.”
The MBTA says with the launch of service to Fall River and New Bedford, Keolis is regularly training and adding additional qualified crews to support the service on this new line. If a crew member calls out sick or misses their shift, it can cause trains to be cancelled if a qualified person cannot be found to replace them.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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