Kingston Line

Kingston Line

Company type	Commuter rail service
Industry	Transportation
Predecessor	Old Colony Railroad
Founded	1845
Headquarters	Boston , United States
Area served	Southeastern Massachusetts
Products	Commuter rail transportation
Parent	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)

The Kingston Line serves as a commuter rail corridor within the MBTA Commuter Rail system in southeastern Massachusetts. It runs southeast from Boston to Kingston, stopping at eight stations along the way. The Plymouth station, which previously functioned as a secondary outer terminus, has been closed indefinitely since 2021.

Initially inaugurated in 1845 by the Old Colony Railroad, the route connected Boston to Plymouth and became the principal rail link for southeastern Massachusetts. The Old Colony Railroad expanded its network through various branches and acquisitions, experiencing multiple corporate changes: it merged into the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad in 1854, then the Old Colony and Newport Railway in 1863, before reverting to the Old Colony Railroad name in 1872. In 1893, control transferred under lease to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.

Commuter ridership peaked during the early twentieth century but began declining from the 1910s onward. Following attempts to terminate Old Colony Division services, operations ceased in 1959 under New Haven Railroad management. Restoration initiatives were launched by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the 1980s, culminating in construction starting in 1993 and service resuming by 1997.

Operations

The line’s northern portion traces the Middleborough Main Line heading south through Boston, Quincy, and Braintree, sharing this corridor with both the Fall River/New Bedford Line and the Greenbush Line. At Braintree, the route diverges onto the Plymouth Branch, proceeding southeast through communities including Weymouth, Abington, Whitman, Hanson, Halifax, and finally reaching Kingston. Major stops along this segment encompass , , , , , , and . At Kingston, a brief spur known as the Kingston Branch veers southward to serve Kingston station and the nearby Kingston Layover. Beyond this point, the Plymouth Branch extends further southeast to the presently inactive Plymouth station located in northern Plymouth. The Plymouth Branch consists primarily of a single track with designated passing sidings, whereas most of the Kingston Branch is double-tracked. The section of Middleborough Main Line utilized by this service includes both single- and double-track segments.

The Kingston Line employs diesel-powered push-pull trains capable of reaching speeds up to south of Braintree and up to north of that station. As of March 2025, weekday service includes 13 inbound and 12 outbound trips along with nine round trips on weekends. The majority of trains operate along the entire route stopping at every station, with typical travel times around one hour. The earliest inbound trip on weekdays and final trips in each direction are limited to running between Braintree and Kingston. All stations along the line feature full-length high-level platforms ensuring accessibility.

Old Colony Railroad

The Old Colony Railroad commenced service between and Plymouth on November 10, 1845. A brief extension reaching into downtown Boston was completed by March 1846. Positioned as the exclusive rail corridor east of the Blue Hills, it served as the key connection linking Boston with southeastern Massachusetts. The Old Colony either constructed or acquired multiple lines branching from its main track to reach Boston: these included the Fall River Railroad (1846), Milton Branch (1847), South Shore Line (1849), Dighton and Somerset Railroad (1866), and Granite Branch (1871), all connecting between and Boston. The Hanover Branch (1868) merged at , while the Bridgewater Branch (1847) linked at Whitman.

To accommodate increasing rail traffic, double tracking from Boston to South Braintree was finalized in 1848. By approximately 1860, commuter trains consistently extended service to Plymouth, although some routes terminated at Whitman thereafter. The Old Colony underwent several mergers: first integrating into the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad in 1854, then becoming part of the Old Colony and Newport Railway in 1863, before reclaiming the Old Colony Railroad name in 1872. Plans during the 1860s to extend beyond Plymouth toward Cape Cod materialized only as far as construction between and Woods Hole.

Significant accidents include major collisions at Wollaston in 1878 and Quincy in 1890. To alleviate congestion and accelerate operations, Old Colony implemented “flying switches,” a method where rear coaches were uncoupled at speed near junctions for branch line service; this technique was discontinued following a fatal accident at Neponset in 1883. After acquiring the Boston and Providence Railroad in 1888, some routes were diverted via the Stoughton Branch to reduce pressure on the mainline.

New Haven Railroad

In 1893, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad took over the Old Colony through a lease agreement. Passenger traffic reached its zenith between 1898 and 1914, with daily inbound trains to Boston including seven originating from Plymouth and five from Whitman, alongside through services from Bridgewater and Hanover branches. Six trains operated on the South Shore route between Plymouth and Kingston. Between South Boston and , the mainline was realigned during 1897–1898 to remove grade crossings ahead of South Station’s inauguration in 1899. Quadruple tracks were installed progressively from South Boston to (1901–02), Neponset (1911–12), and (1913), accompanied by further elimination of grade crossings. Additional double tracking occurred between Kingston and Plymouth in 1900 as well as South Braintree to Whitman in 1907.

During World War I, a branch line served the Victory Destroyer Plant, facilitating transportation of materials and personnel. Passenger numbers declined during wartime due to freight prioritization and continued to decrease afterward. By 1924, inbound services included six trains from Plymouth, three from Whitman, two from Bridgewater, and four from Hanover. Service on the Bridgewater Branch ceased in 1925. Portions of the Cambridge–Dorchester Line were constructed along the main line and the Shawmut Branch Railroad during the 1920s, resulting in termination of service to some inner stations. Despite these cutbacks, over one hundred trains operated daily on the mainline by 1935.

Abandonment

In 1935, the New Haven Railroad filed for bankruptcy, triggering a 12-year period of restructuring. The lease of the Old Colony was a considerable financial burden; although the lease was terminated in 1936, the railroad was compelled to continue operating that division. During the disputed 88 stations case, New Haven shut down 88 stations across Massachusetts on July 17, 1938, which included four stops on the Plymouth line: North Hanson, Burrage, , and Plympton. By May 1939, New Haven proposed discontinuing all passenger operations within the so-called "Boston Group," encompassing the Greenbush, Plymouth, Middleborough lines, and the shared mainline north of Braintree. Later that year, a revised proposal preserved service between Boston and Braintree along with limited commute-hour trips to Campello, , and Hingham.

A compromise timetable was implemented on March 31, 1940, reducing service by nearly 50% but preventing complete abandonment of the line. This arrangement operated on a single track with passing sidings between South Braintree and Plymouth; over the following two years, the second track was removed. On February 18, 1941, the Interstate Commerce Commission rejected abandonment petitions for the Boston Group lines, mandating continued operations on the Old Colony routes. Although World War II temporarily increased ridership and revenue, financial losses resumed after the war ended. Service on the Hanover Branch ceased in 1948. Severe reductions in March 1949 curtailed off-peak trips, leaving only three daily round trips on the Plymouth line. During the early 1950s, the northern mainline was downgraded to two tracks.

Under President Frederic C. Dumaine Jr. (1951–1954), New Haven enhanced passenger service by introducing new Budd Rail Diesel Cars aimed at reducing expenses. By April 1954, seven inbound trains from Plymouth ran daily alongside fifteen from South Braintree supplementing mainline operations. However, when Patrick B. McGinnis assumed presidency in 1954, maintenance was deferred and expansion plans were abandoned. Once again, New Haven sought to discontinue all Old Colony services; a temporary state subsidy in 1958 prolonged Greenbush, Plymouth, Middleborough, and Cape Cod services for an additional year during construction of the Southeast Expressway. Service terminated on June 30, 1959, as subsidies lapsed; meanwhile, bus operators such as Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway and Plymouth and Brockton Street Railway expanded commuter routes along the South Shore.

1960s and 1970s

Between July 22 and 23, 1960, wooden trestles supporting the Old Colony main line drawbridge over the Neponset River connecting Boston and Quincy were destroyed by fire. The New Haven Railroad received insurance compensation but opted not to rebuild the structure, rerouting freight traffic through Middleborough instead. Established in August 1964, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) aimed to extend transit into suburban areas, subsidize commuter rail services, and replace much existing service with rapid transit expansions.

The MBTA’s initial undertaking was constructing a Red Line branch along the Old Colony route to Braintree. Earlier regional proposals for this extension had been presented in 1926 and 1945 but failed voter approval. Only after Old Colony rail service ceased did this plan proceed. In November 1965, MBTA acquired ownership of the Old Colony main line segment between Boston and South Braintree from New Haven. The Red Line reached Quincy Center station by September 1971 and was further extended to Braintree station in March 1980. Within Boston, a single freight track ran alongside the new rapid transit tracks with right-of-way preserved for future freight operations.

At the end of 1968, New Haven Railroad merged into Penn Central. In 1970, Massachusetts Governor Francis Sargent instituted a halt on new highway projects inside Route 128, canceling plans for the Southwest Expressway and leaving congestion on the Southeast Expressway as Boston’s only southern highway access point. By January 1973, MBTA had acquired most of Penn Central’s suburban rail lines around Boston—including the Plymouth line—while freight traffic continued on these routes; however, by the late 1970s service between North Plymouth and Plymouth had been discontinued.

Restoration

A 1984 MBTA analysis determined that reinstating commuter rail operations on the former Old Colony routes was practical. The 1990 Draft Environmental Impact Statement recommended a terminal near Cordage Park in North Plymouth, positioning the Kingston/Route 3 station alongside the expressway and situating a layover yard at Cordage Park. Following a 1991 agreement addressing emissions from the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, the state pledged to complete the "Old Colony Commuter Rail Line Extension" by 1996.

Resistance emerged locally: proprietors of the proposed Plymouth and Kingston sites opposed station development due to their own real estate plans, while Cordage Park stakeholders objected to the layover yard but favored locating the station there. Consequently, in April 1991, the MBTA adjusted its proposal, relocating the Kingston station and layover yard to a redeveloped industrial site formerly used for sand and gravel extraction, with Plymouth station placed at Cordage Park offering limited service.

These modifications were incorporated into the 1992 Final Environmental Impact Statement, which also moved Abington station closer to the town center. Construction of this $560 million initiative commenced in 1993, aiming for service commencement by late 1996. Disputes over stops along the shared mainline resulted in adding Quincy Center and subsequently JFK/UMass stations alongside Braintree.

On September 29, 1997, limited weekday service began with four daily round trips on both Middleborough/Lakeville and Plymouth/Kingston lines. Full service including Plymouth started November 30, 1997, featuring fifteen weekday and eight weekend round trips on the Kingston Line. Starting April 2001, weekend and select weekday trains began servicing JFK/UMass station.

Service since 1997

By 2007, concrete ties on the Old Colony Lines started exhibiting failures attributed to manufacturing flaws. These defects worsened during subsequent winters, causing operational disruptions and necessitating speed restrictions. In response, the MBTA initiated a $91.5 million project in 2010 to replace approximately 150,000 defective ties from a flawed batch produced in the 1990s with wooden alternatives. Replacement activities occurred in Bridgewater and Middleborough during 2010, accompanied by midday weekday bus substitutions on the Plymouth/Kingston Line from May through September 2011 and weekend service replacements from April to December 2011.

On July 7, 2012, weekend service was discontinued on the Plymouth/Kingston Line as well as on the Needham and Greenbush Lines due to fare increases and service cuts aimed at addressing budget deficits. Although special weekend tourist trains briefly operated to Plymouth during this period, full weekend service on these lines resumed December 27, 2014. Operational complexities stemming from the Kingston/Plymouth Line’s terminal branching persisted; by 2015, MBTA planned timetable revisions to enhance operational efficiency.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered significant reductions in Commuter Rail schedules between March and June 2020. In November of that year, MBTA proposed shuttering Plymouth along with five other stations experiencing low ridership; by December, Plymouth and four others were indefinitely closed amid further service reductions. Reduced temporary schedules were reinstated December 14, 2020, with weekend service suspended on seven lines including Kingston/Plymouth starting January 23, 2021.

Plymouth station officially closed April 5, 2021, coinciding with renaming the route as the Kingston Line. The April schedule introduced regional rail-style midday frequency enhancements. Weekend operations resumed July 3, 2021. While MBTA announced intentions to reopen Plymouth station in July 2022, reopening was postponed without a new timeline provided. By October 2022, ridership on the Kingston Line had recovered to approximately 69% of pre-pandemic levels. Effective July 21, 2025, off-peak and weekend stops at JFK/UMass were eliminated; only peak-hour peak-direction stops remain.

Stations

Fare zone	Location	Distance (km)	Station	Connections and remarks
1A	Boston	0.0 (0.0)	Disabled access REDIRECT Template:Boston transportation system	Template:Ric: Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl, Template:Lnl Template:Ric: Fall River/New Bedford Line, Fairmount Line, Framingham/Worcester Line, Franklin/Foxboro Line, Greenbush Line, Needham Line, Providence/Stoughton Line, CapeFlyer (seasonal) Template:Ric: Template:Ric; Template:Ric (Template:MBTABus) Template:Ric: Template:MBTA bus links Template:Bus icon Intercity bus services available at South Station Bus Terminal
		2.3 (3.7)	Disabled access REDIRECT Template:Boston transportation system	Template:Ric: Fall River/New Bedford Line, Greenbush Line Template:Ric: Template:Ric Template:Ric: Template:MBTA bus links Template:Bus icon Additional MBTA bus routes at Template:MBTA other buses
1	Quincy	7.9 (12.7)	Disabled access REDIRECT Template:Boston transportation system	Template:Ric: Fall River/New Bedford Line, Greenbush Line Template:Ric: Template:Ric Template:Ric: Template:MBTA bus links
2	"Braintree, Massachusetts"	"10.9 (17.5)"	"Disabled access REDIRECT Template:Boston transportation system "	"Template:Ric: Fall River/New Bedford Line, CapeFlyer (seasonal) Template:Ric: Template:Ric Template:Ric: Template:MBTA bus links"

External links

• MBTA – Kingston Line