The link between transportation and economic growth was a big emphasis when the South Coast Rail service in southeastern Massachusetts opened this spring. For the first time in 65 years, the cities of Fall River, New Bedford, and Taunton were connected to Boston by commuter rail, and officials on both ends predicted benefits in tourism, jobs, and business.

On Wednesday, Boston Fed President and CEO Susan M. Collins and First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Karen Pennell took that train to Fall River, where Collins gave her perspectives on the economy. She also discussed the connection between transportation and economic vitality.

Collins later got a look at another type of transit – planes – during a visit to Plymouth. There, a community college preps students to work in aviation maintenance. In between, Collins met with local leaders to discuss the economic climate on the South Coast and Cape Cod. The following are photo galleries and summaries of each stop:

MBTA official: Pandemic was opportunity to rethink approach

It took more than three decades for the South Coast Rail extension to move from concept to reality. Now, it takes about 90 minutes to travel by train between Fall River and Boston. Collins and Pennell were joined on the new line Wednesday by Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials, including Chief Railroad Officer Mike Rooks. 

Rooks said the South Coast line is an example of how the MBTA has worked to reinvent itself after travel patterns changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, they shifted to an “all-day service pattern” to accommodate hybrid workers and more leisure travel.

“This is the perfect time to try something bold and try something different, and that’s really paid off for us,” he said.

Communities in Southeastern Mass. prep for growth, face persistent housing woes

Excitement about the new rail line was evident during roundtable discussions Collins attended with business leaders in New Bedford and later in Barnstable, on Cape Cod. Liz Berube, executive director of Citizens for Citizens, which works to alleviate poverty in the Fall River area, said she was “thrilled” when the South Coast Rail began operating.

“I never thought that would happen,” she said.

Charlie Fellows of Lafrance Hospitality said his company is building a hotel next to the New Bedford rail stop. He thinks that city is “eventually going to be like a Portland, Maine” because it will draw the arts community.

At both discussions, Collins heard concerns about a lack of affordable housing that are echoed around New England. Mike Goodman, a professor of public policy at UMass Dartmouth, said the region needs to "get out of our own way" and make it easier to create new housing.

“Even with the progress that we’ve made in recent years, we’re barely keeping pace with current population growth, let alone eroding that deficit,” said Goodman, a member of the advisory board for the Boston Fed’s New England Public Policy Center, which researches regional and economic policy issues.

Close look at aviation program shows students in high demand in critical field

In Plymouth, Collins and Pennell got an up-close look at the work being done by students in Cape Cod Community College’s Aviation Maintenance Technology program. They sat in the cockpits of a plane and helicopter and also learned how the college got the program off the ground.

Program officials said graduates can make $80,000 out of school and hit six figures with 5-10 years of experience. Cape Air Chief Operating Officer Andrew Bonney said his company loves that the students work on the same kinds of aircraft Cape Air uses.

“Aviation maintenance is an incredibly safety sensitive field – the rigor of this program helps keep Cape Air and the traveling public safe,” he said.

Collins said she was inspired by all the partnerships that go into the program, and she emphasized how important their work is.

“Transportation is critical to an economy that works for everyone,” she said.