Commuter rail returns to Lynn ahead of schedule

Commuter rail service is scheduled to return to Lynn Monday after more than a year of disruptions.

MBTA officials said an interim platform will open nine months ahead of schedule, with the first train expected to arrive around 5:30 a.m. before carrying onto North Station, according to a train schedule. The resumption of service was first announced in October.

“By ensuring Lynn is connected to Boston and other major cities, it increases job opportunities, access to essential services, and the vibrancy of its downtown area. Through the acceleration of bringing service back to Lynn, we are reconnecting communities and the public we serve,” MBTA General Manager

Phillip Eng said in a Friday statement.

Lynn Station closed in October 2022 after the MBTA said they wanted to address deterioration issues as part of a $72.5 million renovation project. Bus service shuttled passengers from Lynn Station to nearby Swampscott Station.

The temporary platform stands only blocks away from the original station.

“The work on this project shows the MBTA can deliver quality work for residents in ‘gateway cities,’ can get work done ahead of schedule, and continue to make investments which will give thousands of more people easy access (to) the MBTA system,” Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt said in a statement.

Trains are expected to run between Lynn’s interim platform and Boston’s North Station every 30 minutes during the week and hourly on the weekend, the MBTA said in a statement. The parking garage at Lynn Station will still be available when the temporary platform opens.

MBTA officials said they were able to speed up work on the interim platform when “an alternative platform design was provided along with a modified construction plan that shortened procurement and installation timelines.”

The MBTA said that Keolis Commuter Services, which runs commuter rail, “was able to mobilize their skilled workforce to quickly complete the early stages of construction, preparing the foundations of the new platform, and building out the electrical and other base infrastructure.”