The administration of Governor Deval Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray is undertaking the South Coast Rail project to improve transportation between downtown Boston and the cities of Fall River and New Bedford. The Governor released the Economic Development and Land Use Corridor Plan in August 2009, a blueprint for economic and residential development, job creation and environmental preservation as the communities welcome and shape new growth.  The report is available on this site.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, MassDOT, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, MBTA, completed Phase 1 of the project in April 2008.  With significant public input, MassDOT generated a list of 65 alternatives that were analyzed, screened and narrowed to a list of five alternatives with mode options.  These alternatives entered Phase 2, a combined state and federal environmental review that is taking place over a two-year period.  The state and federal documents that kicked off the formal review process – the Environmental Notification Form/ENF and the federal Notice of Intent/NOI – were filed in November 2008.  The Commonwealth issued a scope of work including alternatives to be studied in April 2009.  

MassDOT has completed its environmental and operational analyses and submitted technical reports to the Army Corps of Engineers, which is preparing the federal Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS); the state Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) will also be based on this data.  The Army Corps of Engineers has indicated that it will take about seven months to complete the document, which will likely mean a late spring 2010 release for public review, although this schedule is subject to change by the Corps.

To further this effort, MassDOT and the MBTA have launched the most comprehensive and transparent planning process to date to evaluate transportation alternatives for the South Coast region.  We hope you will join us in this process.  While the DEIS and DEIR are being prepared, MassDOT is working with communities to plan for potential new stations and lay the groundwork for smart growth with technical assistance for South Coast communities. Please visit this website for project updates, documents and fact sheets.  You can also comment on the project or ask questions at SHARE YOUR OPINIONS.