South Coast Rail will give the communities of Taunton, Freetown, New Bedford, Middleboro and Fall River, Mass., passenger rail service for the first time in 65 years.

Once open, South Coast Rail will extend Boston commuter rail from its current terminus in Middleborough to New Bedford and Fall River, fulfilling a decades-old promise by state officials.

The MBTA said trains will begin carrying passengers from Fall River and New Bedford to Boston on March 24, pending final approval by the Federal Railroad Administration.

With South Coast Rail service only six weeks away, the public is invited to hear directly from officials about the final steps. What's left to decide?

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will launch South Coast Rail operations — serving a group of southeastern Massachusetts communities that have been without passenger rail for 65 years — on March 24,

The South Coast Rail, a project aimed at delivering commuter rail service between southeastern Massachusetts and Boston, is coming earlier than expected, according to media reports. The project was originally slated to begin in May,

The long-awaited South Coast Rail service — which will connect Fall River, Freetown, New Bedford, Middleboro and Taunton to Boston — is slated to begin this spring.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said Friday that commuter trains to the South Coast will begin running on March 24.