After 30 years of working with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to restore passenger rail service between Boston and the South Coast communities for the first time since the 1950s, VHB attended the official ribbon-cutting event for the $1 billion project on March 24, 2025.
Along with local elected officials and leadership from MBTA and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), Governor Maura Healey welcomed the first passengers to board the commuter trains Monday morning. In her ribbon-cutting speech, Governor Healey noted the increased accessibility to work, housing, and shorter commute times that the new service will provide.
From early project planning to serving in the Program Management leadership role to our role as Final Design Lead, VHB has navigated the project through more than three decades. Our team, led every step of the way by Project Manager Rick Carey, has supported environmental reviews, permitting, planning, preliminary and final design, and real estate acquisitions for the construction of 37 miles of track, six stations, two layover facilities, 14 bridges, 86 culverts, 27 grade crossings, a pedestrian bridge, a new signal and communications system, and environmental mitigations.
Throughout the project, VHB introduced many innovative strategies, including evaluations of commuter rail profitability and land-use planning for corridor communities. We also established a pioneering approach by forming a partnering working group with key regulatory authorities during the alternatives analysis and permitting phases, and a regional task force involving municipalities and stakeholders like business coalitions to help drive program development and capitalize on regional opportunities.
Attending the launch event from VHB were long-time South Coast Rail Project Manager and Director of Transit & Rail Rick Carey, along with President and CEO Michael Carragher, Chief Development Officer Michael McArdle, Chief Strategic Growth Officer Tom Jackmin, New England Regional Manager Meredith Avery, and several other local/regional VHB staff members who have helped deliver the project over its 30-year history.
“I was lucky to have begun my career working with VHB on South Coast Rail and am so happy to now see such an impactful project come to fruition,” said Rick. “It’s truly a game-changer for the Commonwealth’s South Coast communities of Southeastern Massachusetts.”
Learn more about VHB’s long-time support of the South Coast Rail project.
