Commuter Rail services return to city of Lynn, Mass., nine months ahead of schedule

On Dec. 18, Commuter Rail services returned to the city of Lynn, Mass., after the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), in partnership with Commuter Rail operator Keolis Commuter Services (Keolis), accelerated construction of the Lynn Commuter Rail Station on the Newburyport/Rockport Line temporary platform to finish the project nine months ahead of schedule. 

Service will run between Lynn Station and Boston’s North Station approximately every 30 minutes during the week and hourly on weekends.  

“Congratulations to the MBTA team for starting this project and finishing it so quickly and efficiently,” said Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “The work on this project shows the MBTA can deliver quality work for residents in ‘gateway cities,’ can get work done ahead of schedule and continue to make investments, which will give thousands of more people easy access the MBTA system.” 

“We are pleased to open the Lynn Interim Station on Dec. 18. The MBTA is proud to be a vital partner to Lynn’s bright economic future and the community’s local businesses and residents,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “By ensuring Lynn is connected to Boston and other major cities, it increases job opportunities, access to essential services and the vibrancy of its downtown area. Through the acceleration of bringing service back to Lynn, we are reconnecting communities and the public we serve and I thank the MBTA team, contractor crews and our partners at Keolis for their hard work.”   

Lynn Station was closed on Oct. 1, 2022, due to safety concerns. Replacement bus service connected passengers to nearby Swampscott Station during construction. The delivery of the interim platform is intended to minimize disruption to service while the Lynn Commuter Rail Station Improvements Project advances, to ultimately deliver full accessibility, improved functionality and enhanced system safety features in the new station. The MBTA’s Lynn Parking Garage will continue to be available when the temporary platform opens. There will be no changes to current parking availability at the garage. 

The MBTA was able to accelerate work on the temporary platform by leveraging their strong partnership with Keolis. At the direction of General Manager Eng and the MBTA, an alternative platform design was provided along with a modified construction plan that shortened procurement and installation timelines. Keolis was able to mobilize their skilled workforce to quickly complete the early stages of construction, preparing the foundations of the new platform and building out the electrical and other base infrastructure. Work is being performed by Keolis working hand in hand with MBTA Capital Delivery through all construction phases to deliver the completed temporary platform. 

“Restoring Commuter Rail service to the Lynn Community will reconnect residents to the places they need to go and we are so proud that through our partnership with the MBTA we could deliver the temporary platforms before the end of this year,” said Abdellah Chajai, CEO of Keolis Commuter Services. “I want to thank the Keolis team for their creativity and hard work in designing and building the Lynn interim platform at the request of our partners at the MBTA with the understanding of the importance of this transit connection to our passengers traveling from the city of Lynn.”