South Coast Rail Fare Discounts Moving Forward for Bridgewater Students

BOSTON (WBSM) — Students at Bridgewater State University who utilize South Coast Rail to get to and from campus could now be eligible for significant savings on their fares.

Pilot Program Targets South Coast Rail Commuters

Senator Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford) announced today that his legislation is moving a pilot program forward that would allow BSU students from towns along the MBTA’s Fall River/New Bedford Commuter Rail line to access “deeply discounted” fares.

How the Discount Program Would Work

According to Montigny’s legislation, the reduced fares would be available to students who “reside within a municipality that abuts the South Coast Rail corridor, including, but not limited to, the cities of New Bedford, Fall River and Taunton and the towns of Acushnet, Berkley, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, Lakeville, Mattapoisett, Middleborough, Rochester, Somerset and Westport.”

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Student Trustee Helped Launch the Proposal

The pilot program legislation began when Bridgewater Student Trustee Emily Rose contacted Montigny, who had long championed the creation of South Coast Rail, in late 2024 to come up with a way to make the impending rail service more affordable to students. South Coast Rail launched in March 2025 with a stop in the heart of the BSU campus.

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“Bridgewater has been doing a tremendous job providing a high quality, affordable education to residents throughout Greater New Bedford, especially as deep concerns persist about the general lack of affordability across higher education and transportation,” Montigny said. “It was an absolute no-brainer when Rose approached me about assisting students who need significant assistance securing transportation to and from campus, and I truly enjoyed working with a student trustee as that is the same role from which I began my leadership in the region.”

Budget Funding Clears the Way

A standard, one-way fare from New Bedford to Bridgewater costs around $7 and a monthly pass costs $120. Montigny secured $50,000 in the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget to provide a 50 percent fare reduction for the eligible students, but said it “hit a snag” in the fall “due to ‘considerable uncertainty’ in the state’s fiscal outlook,” according to a release.

“Pushback from legislative leaders and testimony from fiscal experts helped reverse this decision, setting the stage for the Bridgewater program to move forward,” the release stated. “Bridgewater State University has now launched the program, providing subsidized commuter rail rates to students.”

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Montigny: Reduced Fares Make College More Affordable

“Opening greater access to South Coast Rail integrates seamlessly with our ongoing efforts to make state college and community college tuition much more affordable for my constituents,” Montigny said. “I want to thank Emily Rose, Senator Mike Rodrigues, President Fred Clark, and Vinnie DeMacedo for their steadfast support of students from our region and for this project.”