North-South Rail Link

[chmeeee]

Originally Posted by Jahvon09

Amtrak would have to buy new rolling stock for that. They are already planning to replace the now aging Acela trains with the new Alevia Liberty trains, & also bringing the new Viewliner II cars into service.

No, they got enough on their plate. The T has to pick up the tab on this one.

You replied to a 10-year old post...

[Jahvon09]

What do you mean, a 10-y-o post?

There is no ruling or law that prohibits members from replying to posts regardless of how old you think it may be. unless the post is deleted.

[Arlington]

Originally Posted by Jahvon09

What do you mean, a 10-y-o post?

There is no ruling or law that prohibits members from replying to posts regardless of how old you think it may be. unless the post is deleted.

True, there's no law, but we're appealing to common sense that a question from 10 years ago:
1) is probably not worth asking or answering anew
2) was probably answered in the pages that followed "back then" (old posts are saved for reading-reference, not response-reaction)
3) and is confusing to people who live their lives in sequential time.

Imagine what havoc I'd wreak if I started answering questions about Joe Biden's chances of winning the upcoming Democratic primaries against...Obama and Clinton (from Dec 2007)

[DominusNovus]

Originally Posted by Jahvon09

What do you mean, a 10-y-o post?

There is no ruling or law that prohibits members from replying to posts regardless of how old you think it may be. unless the post is deleted.

What we think doesn’t really enter into it. The post quoted was from 2007. It doesn’t really bother me one way or the other, buts is an objective fact that it was a very old post.

[Jahvon09]

Regardless, I've been following both co's.

And it is true that the T would be furnishing transportation between both the North & South Stations.

[bakgwailo]

Originally Posted by CSTH

Good grief we need a NSRL FAQ

100% agree.

[Balerion]

Originally Posted by CSTH

Good grief we need a NSRL FAQ

All of Metro Boston needs a NSRL FAQ, really.

And for that matter, the NSRL project really needs a new name that better communicates what it would do and why it is important.

[JeffDowntown]

Originally Posted by Balerion

All of Metro Boston needs a NSRL FAQ, really.

And for that matter, the NSRL project really needs a new name that better communicates what it would do and why it is important.

Somehow we need to provide a profile of how the S-Bahns in Germany or the RER in Paris work to provide much greater network connectivity and better transit options throughout the regions they serve.

[Rover]

Originally Posted by JeffDowntown

Somehow we need to provide a profile of how the S-Bahns in Germany or the RER in Paris work to provide much greater network connectivity and better transit options throughout the regions they serve.

Might be too wonky for the general public. I had asked this question sometime last year I believe, which was can someone succinctly tell me what the NSRL is supposed to do. I got a lot of different answers which says to me its benefits have not yet been defined and distilled to a simple summary.

I personally would make this argument. The two train stations (North and South stations) are way over capacity with no room to expand. Only way to relieve congestion is to connect them and since that's not possible above ground a new tunnel is needed deep under the city.

I'd skip all the blah blah blah about a one seat ride from Portland to NYC or even from Newburyport to South Station because anybody who doesn't make those trips is not going to be persuaded by that argument. Keep it simple. Congestion is causing delays + we have no more room to expand to accommodate a growing population = new tunnel.

[DominusNovus]

Originally Posted by Balerion

All of Metro Boston needs a NSRL FAQ, really.

And for that matter, the NSRL project really needs a new name that better communicates what it would do and why it is important.

What other name could be more descriptive?

[Shepard]

To pull from London, "Crossrail" would make a lot of sense - it communicates that it's not just about linking two stations, but enabling transit trips across town like never before.

For Boston, the word I like would be ThruRail. You live in Salem but work in Back Bay? You can commute thru in one go.

(There's another element this doesn't necessary communicate... which is that making the link could free up other transit corridors like the Grand Junction... therefore this is more than just for suburban commuters... but politically this will live or die based on the suburbs, I think)

[cbrett]

The way I've had the best results explaining it to people who are normally very anti-transit and/or fiscally conservative is this:

1. Train terminals take up a ton of space because they don't just spend 2 minutes picking up/dropping off passengers and leave, they have to wait around afterwards to be inspected and maintained

2. Our terminals are at or near capacity and land is way more expensive to purchase and build on in Boston than it is at the outer terminals

3. The subway system is overloaded with commuter rail riders who have to transfer to get to destinations within Boston which the NSRL would instead serve directly. (Back Bay, South Station, North Station, also could make arguments for other stops)

4. Yes, not many people will ride from the outer destinations to the other outer destinations, but we ALREADY run these reverse commute trains/deadheading to make room at the congested downtown terminals. At least with the link we'll be making extra money and potentially revitalizing gateway cities like Lowell and Worcester.

So basically, building the rail link lets us save BILLIONS by reducing the need for: layover facilities in prime downtown real estate, massive capacity increases to the downtown subway lines, running empty trains to make room for layovers/maintenance across the city.

[Java King]

It's WAY too wordy, and I'm surprised they published this, but here is a letter that I wrote to Banker and Tradesman last month. They published it in the December 18th paper:

With A Global View, Rail Link Is The Right Thing To Do

Former subscriber Richard W. Taylor laments that he could not read B&T’s recent editorial, but suspects the newspaper voiced “considerable support” for the project. Taylor is technical evangelist for Ideate Software, a provider of software solutions for architects, engineers and construction professionals. He has a master’s degree in architecture and has been a member of the local Scituate Planning Board for the past eight years. He has attended many Metropolitan Area Planning Council meetings and is the Scituate representative on the South Shore Coalition. An advocate for transportation oriented development, sustainable design and new-urbanistic principles, he writes:

I work out of my home in Scituate, but I travel the world extensively due to my job. Last year took me to Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore, Hong Kong, London and Munich, to name a few. All these cities have AMAZING regional rail systems that are expanding and greatly contributing to their local economy.

One city that was specifically fascinating was Melbourne, Australia. They are building a second rail tunnel under their main business district that seems extremely similar to the North-South Rail Link project in Boston.

While in Melbourne, we visited customers using their excellent regional rail system with both electric and diesel multiple units. The entire system of rail networks, stations and rolling stock make our own MBTA and the Commuter Rail seem like a third-world country.

Rather than bash the T, I want to work to improve service to the Greater Boston Regional Transportation System. The North-South Rail Link would allow seamless access to employment centers around South Station for people north of Boston, and access to employment centers around North Station for people south of Boston (like me).

It would allow people from Scituate to travel to Salem, Lowell or even Porter Square in Cambridge with ease. And although it is important, travel is not always about employment centers and jobs. A true regional transportation network allows more seamless travel throughout the day for non-work related activities. This increases tourist dollars, restaurant dollars and entertainment options throughout all of Greater Boston.

A link would become the backbone or “spine” of a regional transportation network.

I’m fortunate to have the finances and mobility to drive and park whenever I need. However, I’ve seen the benefits, ease and speed of other systems in Asia, Australia and Europe when I travel. I would choose rail over the car ANY day if there were MORE convenient options, faster service and ease to travel where I need to be.

I try to take the commuter rail into Boston from Scituate whenever I can, but it isn’t always convenient, fast or cost effective. (It’s $24 roundtrip with parking, even on the weekends. I can more easily drive to Boston and get discounted parking on the weekends to see a show or eat at a restaurant. However, if the train were faster and more convenient, it would change my mind.) As you can see, I TRY very hard to use public transportation options when they are available, and I know I’m not the only one who thinks this way.

Everybody loves to complain about the Big Dig, but that HUGE investment has made downtown Boston a thriving, energetic and beautiful place to be! The Seaport Innovation District and Kendall Square might not have the current booming economy without that type of public investment! Not to mention, the Boston Convention Center and tourist business. Logan Airport has increased the international destinations at an astounding rate. I don’t believe that would have been possible with the terrible connections to the airport that existing prior to the Big Dig. (I remember flying extensively in the ’80s and ’90s for work, and getting to Logan was NOT easy.)

Taking cars and congestion off the road is just the right thing to do. We aren’t building any new roads or lanes, so how do we combat increasing congestion? The North-South Rail Link would take cars off the road by providing a more convenient and faster way to travel to many destinations throughout Greater Boston.

In summary, public investment in infrastructure and transportation produces return on investment ten-fold! Just look to booming cities in Asia, Australia and Europe for their strong transportation networks and ease of mobility.

I always say that Boston will never have the weather of California or the sun-belt cities, but we do have incredible universities, amazing talent and dedicated and hard-working people. This area has the history of being a transportation leader and it has the basic network in place to be a transportation super-star. The North-South Rail Link is the backbone that knits the whole system together as a true regional transportation system for Greater Boston and all of New England.

We are producing cutting edge technology and talent in this region, and there is no reason why we shouldn’t have the best regional transportation system to match our amazing region! Thirty years ago, I could have gone anywhere after college. I chose Greater Boston, and I’ve never been sorry. I’ve traveled to every state in America and hundreds of countries, and I’m always thrilled and proud to come home to Massachusetts. I know we can make the right decision to move this project forward!

[cbrett]

Just saw this report from the Urban Land Institute on the potential impacts of NSRL, reading through it now and was curious if anyone had thoughts on it.


https://americas.uli.org/wp-content/...on2018_Flo.pdf

[Arlington]

If you want NSRL seriously studied, add your comment to the state rail plan. I don't have the comments email, but either I will update here when I do or some kind person will post it here.

[tysmith95]

Originally Posted by cbrett

Just saw this report from the Urban Land Institute on the potential impacts of NSRL, reading through it now and was curious if anyone had thoughts on it.


https://americas.uli.org/wp-content/...on2018_Flo.pdf

I didn't realize the income inequality of Boston households from page 12 (13 on pfd). Although I wonder if it has been normalized to not include college students or if college students with little to no income are included in the household numbers.

And also it's interesting that they only included Boston numbers but half of their dotted map includes locations outside of Boston. I'd say that income inequality is worse if you only look inside of Boston boarders then it would be if you included the inner suburbs. Boston itself includes both the richest (Beacon Hill, Back Bay) and the poorest (Roxbury, Mattapan, etc) parts of the region. It doesn't include places like Malden, Medford, Quincy, Watertown, etc that are mostly middle class.

[CSTH]

^ ...This stuff:





(Also wow look at Chinatown on the dot map...)

[tysmith95]

^You can definitively see the gentrification in South Boston judging by the mix of orange and blue dots.

[CSTH]

...and if you squint you can see Brophy Park on Jeffries Point in Eastie

[tysmith95]

Originally Posted by CSTH

...and if you squint you can see Brophy Park on Jeffries Point in Eastie

The Brookline Boston border is pretty well defined.