The only interesting thing MBTA Commuter Rail will do in the near future is open service to New Bedford and Fall River.
This is continuously delayed, but it may happen by end of 2030.
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Caltrain electrification happened as a result of California high-speed rail, which paid for a large part of it. Even with the Amtrak upgrades there isn’t really an equivalent project on the East Coast, unfortunately.
Coincidentally Boston’s busiest line (Providence) was electrified similarly to Caltrain 25 years ago, but Boston continues to run diesel trains on it because the MBTA hates nice things.
New Haven-New London rail sector, which was electrified in 2000 at the same time as the Boston-Providence sector, received electric regional-rail service (Shore Line East) only in 2022. It would be nice if that equipment continued on to Wickford Junction to allow one to take regional rail trains between Boston and NY.
Seems this will open much sooner than I expected.
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