Kingston Line

Kingston Line
An outbound train at South Weymouth station in 2013
Overview
OwnerMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
LocaleSoutheastern Massachusetts
Termini
Stations10 current
1 indefinitely closed
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemMBTA Commuter Rail
Train number(s)1002–1047 (weekdays)
6004–6047 (weekends)
Operator(s)Keolis North America
Daily ridership4,171 (October 2022)
History
OpenedSeptember 29, 1997
Technical
Line length35.1 miles (56.5 km)
Number of tracks1–2
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Operating speed79 miles per hour (127 km/h)
Route map
0
South Station
lines via Back Bay
2.3 mi
3.7 km
JFK/UMass
7.9 mi
12.7 km
Quincy Center
10.9 mi
17.5 km
Braintree
15.8 mi
25.4 km
South Weymouth
19.4 mi
31.2 km
Abington
21.2 mi
34.1 km
Whitman
24.4 mi
39.3 km
Hanson
28.1 mi
45.2 km
Halifax
35.1 mi
56.5 km
Kingston
35.6 mi
57.3 km
Plymouth
indefinitely
closed 2021

The Kingston Line is a commuter rail line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system in southeastern Massachusetts, United States. It runs 35.1 miles (56.5 km) southeast from Boston to Kingston with eight intermediate stops. Plymouth station, which served as a second outer terminal, has been indefinitely closed since 2021.

The line originated as the Old Colony Railroad, which opened between Boston and Plymouth in 1845. It became the primary rail route between Boston and southeastern Massachusetts, serving a number of branches that the Old Colony built and acquired. The Old Colony merged in 1854 to become the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad, in 1863 to become the Old Colony and Newport Railway, and in 1872 to become the Old Colony Railroad. It was leased by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1893.

Commuter service peaked in the early 20th century and began to decline in the 1910s. After two decades of attempts to end Old Colony Division service, the New Haven terminated it in 1959. Planning for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to restore service on the Plymouth line began in the 1980s. Construction began in 1993 and service began in 1997.