The Railroad Before the Bikepath: The Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad (Lecture, Smith Museum, 7 Jason St, Arlington, MA.): 06-07-2017 07:00 PM - 08:30 PM

[tysmith95]

The bikeway is nice but I wish this was the Red Line.

[Charlie_mta]

Even a one track commuter rail starting at Alewife Station would be good. Maybe the NIMBYs could live with that.

[Digital_Islandboy]

Originally Posted by tysmith95

The bikeway is nice but I wish this was the Red Line.

It could still be done. Because of the 'third rail' the red line cannot cross streets so it would need to be underground below the bike trail much like it is underground below the bike trail between Alewife and Davis Sq. however given there's not really any heavy structures above, construction should be easier than the Big Dig. Stations could be done similarly to the SouthWest Expressway in some regards. However Red Line is said to be at capacity starting at Alewife so either there will need to be another line (circumferentially to take some pressure off persons needing to head towards Boston to Commute or some other kind of solution.

[realmaven]

Sounds great!
thank you

[Arlington]

The bike path (or a doubled-width bike path) would be a great right of way for the current generation of self-driving electric shuttles (operating at 10 mph...about as fast as a bike). Quiet. Low ROW costs, low operating costs. Most places they're being deployed, they mix with bike/ped traffic along waterfronts and other continuous-but-not-trafficked rights of way. They move slow enough that they can stop essentially when hailed/stopped at the gate to an abutter's back yard.

But they are also safe, all-weather, all-hours "last 3 miles" transportation.

[odurandina]

Since when do nimby assholes have any right whatsoever to stop an existing rail right of way just because the line shuttered for a few years?

What kind of insanity supplants lawful transport row's and general common sense? Bring dmu's from Medfield and Lexington already.

Jesus.