MBTA commuter rail ridership 2025 tops 29 million trips

MBTA commuter rail ridership 2025 has already surpassed 29 million trips as of Dec. 4.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

This figure comes from Keolis Commuter Services, the operating and maintenance partner for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s commuter-rail system, and is cited in a report from Progressive Railroading.

TRACKed campaign highlights emissions savings

Keolis is presenting this MBTA commuter rail ridership 2025 milestone through its second annual TRACKed campaign, which takes its cue from Spotify Wrapped and its popular year-in-review format.

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In this framework, the operator uses data-driven stories to show how MBTA commuter rail serves local communities, from everyday travel needs to the broader benefits of reliable passenger rail — an approach also noted by Railway Age.

The company estimates that every trip taken on commuter rail instead of a motor vehicle trip avoids an average of 14 pounds of carbon emissions. Over the course of 2025, MBTA commuter-rail trains traveled more than 5 million miles, and Keolis calculates that this prevented roughly 406 million pounds of carbon emissions compared with motor vehicle travel. In its TRACKed materials, the operator also underscores that time on board can be used for reading, relaxing or talking with fellow passengers, rather than focusing on driving.

New South Coast line boosts ridership

Another factor behind this year’s ridership growth is the launch of the Fall River and New Bedford line in 2025. The new service connects Boston with both South Coast cities and splits at East Taunton, extending direct commuter-rail access to additional communities. According to Keolis, the line includes six new stations and a total of 37 new miles of track, with nearly 900,000 trips already recorded to and from these stations — consistent with how the South Coast Rail project is described by Railway Supply.

“The TRACKed campaign exemplifies the many reasons that traveling on transit is the premier choice for the public, and I’m proud to see our operating partners at Keolis focus on our passengers so prominently,” said Interim Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng.

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