BOSTON – Mass. Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen last week announced several plans slated to be executed during the second phase of the South Coast Rail Project.

The plans will affect transportation across southeastern Massachusetts. Cohen said the project will include: a commuter rail line to South Station via the Attleboro Bypass, using diesel or electric power; commuter rail to South Station via the Middleborough Line, with and without Old Colony Main Line improvements; and an express bus in the dedicated lane to South Station, via Routes 24 and 128 and the Southeast Expressway high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane.

The South Coast Rail Project, announced last year as a way to restore passenger rail service along the Bay State’s south coast, is hoped by Gov. Deval L. Patrick’s administration to be a means of boosting the region’s economy. The plans announced by Cohen last week will include an in-depth state and federal environmental review. •

Additional information is available from the Mass. Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works at www.mass.gov and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority at www.mbta.com.