South Coast Rail has received the final approval it needs to begin service on Monday.
An official at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority tells CAI the Federal Railroad Administration gave the OK today.
The MBTA has been waiting for the feds to greenlight a plan for speed limits along the new commuter rail route, which goes from Middleborough to New Bedford and Fall River.
Trains from both cities start in the predawn hours Monday morning.
State officials will begin celebrations in both cities at 10 a.m.
Phil Eng, general manager of the MBTA, says the state is making an important investment in mass transportation.
“[I’ve] had the pleasure of working on a whole host of different things,” he said at a public meeting in Freetown last month. “But projects like South Coast Rail are truly, truly game changing for communities and the people that we serve.”
Eng and Gov. Maura Healey are planning to ride the train from Fall River at 10:38 a.m.
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and the state transportation secretary, Monica Tibbits-Nutt, plan to ride the 10:43 out of New Bedford.
They’ll disembark at the East Taunton station and hold a press conference scheduled for 11:30 a.m.
