Beginning in May, eight additional trains per day will roll along the Fairmount Line under a pilot program approved unanimously today by the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board (FCMB). The more robust service— scheduled to launch on May 18 could boost daily ridership by an estimated 400 daily trips and will give riders a new option to use their Charlie Cards to generate commuter rail tickets at platform kiosks.

The pilot program’s approval is a breakthrough that follows years of advocacy from lawmakers and transit activists, who have urged the T to transition the Fairmount Line to a more rapid transit node. The price-tag for the one-year pilot is estimated at $1.1 million, with an additional $100,000 set aside to promote the enhanced line.

Last year, State Sen. Nick Collins filed a Senate budget amendment calling for $2 million for the pilot program. The amendment stated that on-peak service along the line should be at least every 15 minutes. It also would fund pilots laid out in more detail in bills filed in the House and Senate.

On Monday, Collins called the MBTA board vote a "big step forward on transit equity, access & economic opportunity."

"This pilot will run more frequent service at lower prices, breaking down barriers to mobility and creating new pathways to economic opportunity," said Collins, who has pushed for the MBTA to fully electrify the line as a next-step in converting the Fairmount into a rapid-transit line akin to the Red or Orange lines.

State Rep. Dan Cullinane, who has been a voice calling for the enhancements, called the vote a “victory.”

“Last year, when we cut the ribbon to celebrate the opening of Blue Hill Avenue station, the final station to complete the line, we said we weren’t done,” said Cullinane. “Today’s announcement of much needed increases in ride frequency and, equally as important, that riders will no longer be forced to pay extra to have two different MBTA passes, a Charlie Card and a commuter rail pass, shows our collective commitment to continue investing in the success of the Fairmount Line.”

The plan approved on Monday will include the installation of “platform validators” that will allowing passengers to use Charlie Cards to generate a ticket for the commuter rail. The fares would be the same as the standard subway rate. People with M7 Passes, S-Cards, Youth Passes, and other discounted fare medium will also be able to use the kiosks.

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