MBTA Completes 28-Mile Rail Replacement Project Ahead of Battery-Electric Trains
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
MBTA Commuter Train
MBTA
BOSTON - MBTA and Keolis Commuter Services have finished a rail replacement project on the Fairmount Line.
The MBTA says the project sought to replace 28 miles of rail and prepares the line for the upcoming introduction of battery-electric trains. This project has reportedly replaced more rail than what is typically replaced in a year for the Commuter Rail network. With the completion of this project, the line will return to its normal operating schedule on December 1.
In July 2024, the MBTA Board of Directors approved a proposal from Keolis to electrify the line with the rail replacement project acting as the first step in the project. According to Keolis, electrifying the Fairmount Line will allow new trains that provide more reliable, quieter, and faster service. Those trains use hybrid power with an onboard battery “that charges when overhead catenary wires are available.” The project, totaling $12 million, began in June 2025. During construction, crews replaced 158,000 feet of rail, setting a “record pace” to finish the work on time. At the same time, crews also power washed stations and platforms, improving drainage, cleaning trash from the line, and brush clearing.
“Battery-electric trains and the infrastructure supporting them will deliver a quieter, cleaner, and more reliable ride for our passengers. I’m thankful to our riders that use the Fairmount Line for their patience as we accelerated significant track renewal work critical towards bringing battery-electric trains for our riders and neighbors along this corridor. Under the leadership of the Healey-Driscoll Administration we are committed to delivering safe, reliable and sustainable service that the public deserve,” said Interim Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng. “We thank our operating partner, Keolis, for their efforts to accomplish this work in an accelerated schedule.”
“I want to thank our Keolis crews who delivered in record time the largest rail replacement project we have ever done in one construction season,” said John Killeen General Manager and CEO of Keolis Commuter Services. “Crews replaced an average of a quarter of a mile a day, and on some days as much as a half a mile, so that we could quickly update Fairmount Line infrastructure for the new Battery Electric trains and return the tracks to full service for passengers. I also want to thank Fairmont line passengers and community members for their support throughout this project.”
“The Maintenance of Way employees of Keolis are some of the best in the industry, with this project being a prime example of what their hard work and dedication can accomplish,” said David Ostrum, Vice Chairman of the Alliance System Federation, the union representing maintenance of way employees.
