Editing MBTA Commuter Rail (section)

===Operations===
The MBTA Commuter Rail system is operated by Keolis Commuter Services – a subsidiary of French company [[Keolis]] – under contract to the MBTA.<ref>{{cite news |title=Keolis, MBTA Commuter Rail Operator, What We Do And Do Not Do |url=https://www.keoliscs.com/keolis-mbta-commuter-rail-operator-what-we-do-and-do-not-do/ |newspaper=Keolis Commuter Services |date=February 22, 2017 |archive-date=December 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203011337/https://www.keoliscs.com/keolis-mbta-commuter-rail-operator-what-we-do-and-do-not-do/}}</ref> The MBTA owns all passenger equipment and most stations.<ref name=roster /> Most trackage is also owned by the MBTA. The [[Massachusetts Department of Transportation]] (parent agency of the MBTA) owns several portions of the Framingham/Worcester Line as well as the [[Grand Junction Branch]], which is used for non-revenue equipment moves between the northside and southside lines. [[Pan Am Southern]] owns the section of the Fitchburg Line between {{bts|Fitchburg}} and Wachusett, while Amtrak owns the section of the [[Northeast Corridor]] (used by the Providence/Stoughton Line) in Rhode Island.<ref name=2018railplan />{{rp|21}}

Most lines operate on [[Clock-face scheduling|regular headways]], though some have additional service at peak hours. Service levels vary by lines: the Greenbush and Kingston lines have 13 round trips on weekdays, while the Providence/Stoughton Line has 37.<ref name=schedules /> Running times vary from 30 minutes on the Fairmount Line to nearly 120 minutes for some Providence/Stoughton Line trips, with 60–75 minutes typical.<ref name=schedules /> Most trains stop at all stations on the line; some stations have limited service, and peak-hour express trains operate on several lines. Several lines additionally have some [[short turn]] service.<ref name=schedules /> The [[CapeFlyer]], a seasonal weekend-only service to [[Cape Cod]], operates using MBTA equipment over the Middleborough/Lakeville Line plus the Cape Main Line (which is not otherwise used by the MBTA). Special express service to Foxboro station is operated during [[New England Patriots]] home games and some other events at [[Gillette Stadium]]. It runs from South Station via the Franklin/Foxboro Line, and from Providence via the Providence/Stoughton Line. During the winter, one "ski train" round trip of the Fitchburg Line operates with a bicycle car on weekends and Wednesday evenings, with a shuttle bus to [[Wachusett Mountain (ski area)|Wachusett Mountain]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://massbytrain.com/special-service/ |title=Special Service |work=Mass by Train |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907203744/https://massbytrain.com/special-service/ |archive-date=September 7, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2022-11-28/updated-schedule-released-fitchburg-line-ski-train-returns-the-season |title=Updated Schedule Released for Fitchburg Line: "Ski Train" Returns for the Season |date=November 28, 2022 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref>

All MBTA commuter rail service is provided by [[push-pull train]]s powered by [[diesel locomotive]]s (see {{section link||Rolling stock}}). Maximum speed for trains is {{convert|79|mph}}, though some lines have lower limits.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Luttrell |first1=Aviva |title=Electrified, faster and more trains; 7 ways TransitMatters says the MBTA's Commuter Rail Service could be a lot better |url=https://www.masslive.com/worcester/2019/09/electrified-faster-and-more-trains-7-ways-the-mbtas-commuter-rail-service-could-be-a-lot-better.html|newspaper=MassLive |date=September 18, 2019 |access-date=November 8, 2022}}</ref> The entire system is [[railway signalling|signalled]] and operates with [[Positive Train Control]] using the [[Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System]]. All lines have [[cab signal]]s for [[automatic train control]].<ref name=mbtaptc /><ref name=ptc2025>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2025-01-28/mbta-successfully-completes-installation-positive-train-control-automatic-train |title=MBTA Successfully Completes Installation of Positive Train Control / Automatic Train Control on All Commuter Rail Lines |date=January 28, 2025 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> The MBTA is a member of the [[Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Committee]] (NORAC) and uses its operating rules. Most portions of the system operate under NORAC rules 261 and 562, which allow bidirectional train movements on every track (such as an express train passing a local train in the same direction).<!--PTC seems to have eliminated Western Route and Eastern Route, leaving just Fitchburg--><ref name=ptcplan /> Most lines are either [[double track]], or single track with passing sidings; portions of the Northeast Corridor have three or four tracks.<ref name=trackchart />

==== Freight service ====
[[File:CSX L010 at Framingham station 1.jpg|thumb|left|A CSX freight train at Framingham station]]
Freight service is operated over most of the MBTA Commuter Rail system by several private railroads. [[CSX Transportation]] operates freight on most southside lines, of which the outer portion of the Worcester Line has the most freight traffic. [[Massachusetts Coastal Railroad]] operates south of Middleborough on the Fall River/New Bedford Line. The [[Fore River Railroad]] operates between Braintree Yard and East Braintree on the Old Colony mainline and the Greenbush Line. The [[Providence and Worcester Railroad]] shares tracks with Providence/Stoughton Line trains between Providence and Wickford Junction; it uses a freight-only track between Providence and Central Falls.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Hartley |first=Scott A. |date=April 2016 |title=The key to Providence & Worcester's success: Reinvention |magazine=[[Trains Magazine]] |pages=50–57}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rhode Island Department of Administration |date=March 13, 2014 |title=Rhode Island State Rail Plan 2014 |url=https://planning.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur826/files/documents/trans/Rail/RI_State_Rail_Plan_2014.pdf |access-date=October 18, 2022 |pages=74–75}}</ref> No freight operates on the Needham Line, the Northeast Corridor between Readville and Back Bay, the Old Colony mainline between Boston and the Greenbush Line junction in Braintree, the Kingston Line, and most of the Greenbush Line.<ref name=2018railplan>{{cite web |url=https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2018/01/26/2018PubComm_1.pdf |pages=31–43 |title=Massachusetts State Rail Plan |date=January 2018 |publisher=Massachusetts Department of Transportation}}</ref>

CSX also operates on most northside lines; prior to its 2022 purchase by CSX, [[Pan Am Railways]] operated over these lines. The [[Berkshire and Eastern Railroad]] (formerly [[Pan Am Southern]]) operates over the Fitchburg Line west of Ayer. Their combined Freight Main Line between [[Mechanicville, New York]], and [[Mattawamkeag, Maine]], shares tracks with sections of the Fitchburg, Lowell, and Haverhill lines. No freight service is operated over the Newburyport/Rockport Line north of {{bts|Salem}}.<ref name=2018railplan />

Weight limits and [[loading gauge]] vary across the system. The full Framingham/Worcester line is rated for car weights of {{convert|315000|lb}}, sections of lines that are part of the Freight Main Line for {{convert|286000|lb}}, and other lines for lower weights. The western portion of the Framingham/Worcester Line and the southern section of the Providence/Stoughton line can accommodate cars up to {{convert|20|ft|8|in}} ([[Loading gauge#North America|AAR Plate H or Plate K]]). The Fitchburg Line west of Ayer can accommodate cars up to {{convert|19|ft|0|in}} (AAR Plate J), while most of the other northside lines can accommodate up to {{convert|17|ft|0|in}} (AAR Plate F). The inner Fitchburg and Newburyport/Rockport Lines, and the southside except for the outer Framingham/Worcester Line, have height restrictions smaller than Plate F.<ref name=2018railplan />
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