Transportation advocates and leaders gathered in numbers at the Morton Street station in Mattapan to celebrate a major win Tuesday — the successful pilot proposal to electrify the Fairmount line of the Commuter Rail by 2028.

“We’re here today because we have a goal and a vision, and that is to operate 100% electric Commuter Rail system,” said Gov. Maura Healey, noting the importance to residents, climate goals, environmental justice and transportation equity.

“Our vision and our values come together today, and we’re proud to say that the Fairmount line from South Station to Dorchester to Mattapan to Hyde Park will be the first Commuter Rail line in Massachusetts to provide 100% electric change service,” she continued.

The MBTA Board voted to approve a proposal by Keolis Commuter Services, operator of the Commuter Rail, to introduce battery electric multiple unit (BEMUs) trains onto the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line as a pilot program. The trains are anticipated to begin running by “early 2028,” T officials said.

Healey celebrated the win with representatives from communities along the line, MBTA and Keolis officials, and many thrilled transportation advocates at a press event at the Morton Street station Tuesday morning.

MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng highlighted the key benefits of the project again Tuesday, noting the pilot is estimated to cut fuel use by 1.6 million gallons annually and decrease nearly 18,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

The electric trains are also expected to be run quicker, quieter and more reliably, Eng said. Service will be cut from running every 30 minutes to every 20 minutes.

“While this is the major step, it’s just the beginning of the MBTA environmental justice, sustainability and greenhouse gas mitigation efforts,” Eng said. “Implementation of BEMUs on a Fairmont line will serve as a model for future electrification efforts across our network, paving the way for more environmentally friendly and efficient transit system.”

Mayor Michelle Wu noted the line has been a “critical” transportation corridor for many communities and ridership recover 130% from pre-COVID by last summer and is now up about 160%. TransitMatters has stated the line is the “fastest-growing Commuter Rail line,” and the MBTA estimates it carries approximately 3,200 passengers per day as of April 2024.

Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt called the proposal approval a “long-time coming,” a sentiment echoed by many transit and community advocates.

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Advocates also noted the importance of the electrification to historically marginalized communities along the line, which suffer high rates of asthma and respiratory illness connected to diesel emissions.

Mela Miles, a long time transit advocate and director with Alternatives for Community and Environment, detailed the history of transit advocacy in the community, from lowering fares to getting weekend service to simply getting the line to install stops in Black and brown communities at all.

“This is how we were able to be here today to see the culmination of this, and in four years, in my lifetime, I hope to see those battery electric trains,” Miles said. “I’m going to cry, I’m so excited that we’ll be able to see this happen.”