We’re hearing a lot of calls for the MBTA to pare back its expansion plans, and concentrate on maintenance.
Put this together with the common awareness that concerns of regional equity — what’s in it for me? — are a stumbling block to spending anything like what’s necessary, even for upkeep, on the T.
Do you see a problem here? The only way we’re going to move forward on this issue is to include transit expansion into areas currently underserved, and invest in maintenance of the current resources. Why should New Bedford (eg) give up the economic lifeline of South Coast rail so that Cambridge can get to Kendall Square, or so that Lowell residents can get to Boston more easily? And why should I in Arlington expect the same rotten, unreliable service so that Worcester can have more trains?
The only way the politics works is to make the pie higher, to cut everyone into the deal. Cutting off one part of our state or the other is not going to work.
Luckily … the T is really a fantastic asset — when it works. And even in areas thought to be too far removed from Greater Boston to be supportive of the T, rail expansion is really, really popular:
- It’s popular in Lynn.
- Popular in New Bedford and Fall River — and they really need it there.
- Popular in Somerville, natch. And the Green Line expansion is going to happen anyway – funding’s there.
- Popular in Worcester — they got more trains a few years ago, and now they want MOAR MOAR MOAR
- Though it’s Amtrak, even rail expansion in Springfield is popular.
- And then there’s late-night service, an expansion of time, not area. And it’s very popular! People want those trains.
That’s a lot of the state. If this MBTA food is lousy, people sure do seem to want larger portions.
I spend a fair amount of time on MBTA buses and trains, and for a while in I-93 traffic during rush hour. (Not much anymore, I’m happy to say.) One sees countless New Hampshire license plates in the bumper-to-bumper snarl that often began at exit 36 (Stoneham) and continued … alllll the way to the tunnel. And then those folks have to find parking — good luck, my friends.
It always occured to me: Why don’t you people park somewhere and take the commuter rail? Don’t you know it’s more comfortable? You don’t have to park? You can nap or do work? Better for the climate? Really, it’s pretty nice. Why do you choose to do this? Because man, when the commuter rail is running properly, it’s pretty damn good. (I appreciate that not everyone would prefer to be in a fairly crowded train as opposed to their own cars, but considering the stress, strain, pollution and expense of bumper-to-bumper traffic, for me that’s an easy call. A lot of people would prefer not to drive.)
But the T, especially the commuter rail, gave lots of people a reason to avoid it. The inability of our commuter rail system to withstand even normal winter (and summer) weather was utterly baffling, well before February 2015. I know I’ve said this before: It’s Boston. It gets cold. It snows. The “switch failures”, “equipment failures”, “signal failures” — and the shameful lack of timely communication to passengers — was well known to commuter rail travelers for years. The extraordinary weather turned a grating frustration into complete collapse. Keolis is shouldering the blame, but Keolis wouldn’t even have that contract if not for the failures of its predecessor, the late Mass. Bay Commuter Rail company, in providing reliable service.
And it’s devastating, because the way commuter rail schedules work (not especially frequent), they must be reliable if people are to build their lives around them. For the Pioneer Institute to note that commuter rail ridership went down even while expanding … this is not a surprise. You can’t take the train if you don’t know if you can take the train.
But to pit expansion vs. reliability is begging the question. Trains are a great economic investment, and if you had the resources, you could do both. That simply takes political commitment — which requires a broad public awareness of all that we have to gain from an expanded, thriving, decently-funded MBTA. We should — we must — commit to a major transit restoration and upgrade as a signature goal of our state. Expansion-plus-maintenance is only impossible if you take “no new taxes” as your primary commitment.
Why is expansion wildly, madly popular? It’s fantastic for local economies. Ask Davis Square and Alewife. Worcester got some new service a few years back, and it wants more. As noted, Lynn is desperate for the Blue Line expansion. Public transit returns $4 for every $1 spent — and everyone wants a piece! And the way to get support for the T from outside the 128 belt is to expand. New Bedford has 10.4% unemployment; Fall River is at 9.3%. Can you imagine why South Coast Rail is important to them? And do you think Springfield could use more transit options to a now-thriving Worcester and Boston? It’s happened in Providence and Worcester, where Boston-area jobs become available to residents there. And cheap real estate becomes available to folks who work farther in.
I will commit to taking the idea of a link between the South Coast and Boston from a theory to a reality. The South Coast Rail project is still several years and $2 billion away from providing commuter rail service to the South Coast. If there are ways to achieve the objectives of South Coast Rail sooner and more efficiently, I will aggressively pursue them. I also believe a commuter train alone is not the key to bringing economic success to the region. In addition to pursuing a rail connection between the South Coast and Boston, I will work with the region to create an economic development plan which leverages the region’s strengths to create jobs for the people of the South Coast.
Hey, I like how this guy thinks.
And needless to say, the MBTA is critical to the low carbon economic of the future — actually, of right now. If you want to fight climate change, fight for the T. We need to build up low-carbon transport now. I strongly suspect there’s an awareness of that which is driving young people towards the cities, and into so-called “alternate” modes of transport: mass transit and bikes, supplemented by car-sharing services and Uber. It saves money, too — critical for the generation that has been hit hardest by the Great Recession.
But again, it must be reliable. You cannot look at subway cars that are 30-40 years old, run on DC, and tell me “reform before revenue.” That’s driving around a ’78 Chevette and telling me to fix it instead of getting a new Civic. People gain and lose jobs based on if their transportation is reliable. If you can’t get to work on time, you don’t keep your job. It’s the people who are at the bottom of the economic ladder — young people just getting into their first jobs, folks in entry-level jobs — who need to prove their personal reliability to employers to move up the ladder. When it works — which has been most of the time — the train is more reliable than driving.
We gotta do it all. All jump together.
stomv says
1. The Lynn expansion is a home run, with at least two ducks on the pond. Unlike Red, Orange, and Green, the Blue Line has capacity. That is, it isn’t jammed full during rush hour. That means that we can get more ridership without decreasing quality of service for current riders. I’d love to see it come with MBTA service expanded to Winthrop and with mixed use development and upzoning at Suffolk Downs and throughout nearby stations in Eastie and Revere, so that folks in Lynn could seek work between Lynn and downtown and so that more folks could connect from home to work between Eastie/Revere and downtown. It would result in more people being moved on existing infrastructure, increasing fare revenue without increasing operating costs, and serve as economic development, reduction in social service need, and new tax base.
2. South Coast Rail? You bet. New Bedford and Fall River could really benefit from the results. You’d get middle class folks willing to move in the area so that the family could afford a bigger/nicer home and a parent could take the train into Boston each day. You’d get young people living in NB and FR and taking the train in as a way to start their careers while paying off crushing student loans. In both cases, you’ve got residents who are good for those cities (and, yes, a little gentrification). Would it be good for businesses in NB and FR? I really don’t have any idea, truth be told. Similar to Lynn (and anywhere else with expansion), I think that the MBTA, the lege, and others should work with the communities to get upzoning mixed use near the stations (without high parking space requirements), to allow for folks to rely on the T and own fewer autos.
3. Charley is exactly right. The more folks who ride the MBTA each day from a larger span of legislative districts, the more political pressure there will be to properly fund and operate the T.
4. Public transit isn’t designed to make money — just like roads, schools, police departments, and all kinds of other public infrastructure. Let’s not limit the ability of public transit to help more people with an arbitrary “reform before revenue” and “improve before expand” mentalities.
whoaitsjoe says
I took the commuter rail from Abington to south station, and then the red line from south station to kendall MIT every day for a like 6 months. It ended up taking around an hour to an hour mins total commuting time each way. The monthly pass for the commuter rail is INSANELY expensive, and if you miss your train because the T is delayed, you sit around for an hour waiting for the next one.
I really, honestly, deep down in my heart do not think that commuter rail extension to FR and NB will spur people to move down there for better real estate and take the train to Boston daily for work. GOD FORBID they work on the green line which you can walk faster.
whoaitsjoe says
If it was a dedicated line – 2 stops in FR or NB and then a straight shot in, it might work.
HR's Kevin says
New Bedford is farther than Providence. There is no way there is going to be an express to Boston.
I believe the plan is to extend the existing Stoughton line through Easton and Taunton. It will definitely take at least an hour.
It will also probably be either Zone 9 or 10, so a monthly pass will cost on the order of $350+.
stomv says
* $350/month is well less than the cost of driving and parking to Boston
* Sure to get a seat
* Plenty of time to read the paper or a book, physical or e-
* With wifi, plenty of time to process emails and do other electronic tasks
It’s no 268 mph maglev, capable of a silky smooth trip in 20 minutes. But the question is: is it better than the current options for enough people to make the investment worthwhile?
Also, I have no idea what the current demand is on the Stoughton Line but, if there’s enough additional ridership due to NB and FR during peak, it’s possible that the MBTA will add additional runs each day to deal with the increased demand. That’s good for all riders on that line, because then all riders will get more scheduling flexibility.
HR's Kevin says
All of that is true. I am not saying it is a bad idea. But it probably won’t be cheap enough or fast enough to entice a huge ridership or entice a significant number of Boston commuters to move to New Bedford. However, I am sure anyone who already does this commute would seriously consider taking a train if it was an option. It also would benefit FR and NB by providing a rail link to tourists who otherwise would not consider visiting.
Of course, we *really* need more platforms at South Station or there won’t be room to handle any additional trains!
stomv says
I have this idea that New Bedford could be hip. That a bunch of college grads could live near the Hillman Street bridge or nearer Union Street, and that there’d be enough to foster cheap eats, robust nightlife, a hip coffee shop, and an organic grocer (or whatever it is kids these days like). I could imagine 5,000 under-35ers living in decent apartments and either commuting in every day or a few days a week to graduate school, due to telecommuting, etc. 5,000 young people with almost no kids in the schools and plenty of disposable income would do wonders for New Bedford’s local economy and tax base. Heck, it would even improve tourism a smidge.
This transition would be benefited by savvy zoning, marketing, and yadda yadda, and given the pace of development and change, New Bedford would do well to start that process sooner rather than later.
P.S. Agreed on the platforms, and hence the need for South Station Expansion.
SomervilleTom says
My foodie children have educated me on this.
What’s hip these days is locally-grown organic everything. A year-round indoor farmer’s market sounds about right to me. During winter, you get mostly root vegetables and things that like cold weather.
Somerville favorites are hip and locally-produced craft beers, locally-made upscale bagels, donuts, and similar food items, and a variety of asian-themed offerings (like house-made ramen with fresh house-made pasta).
SomervilleTom says
The entire region desperately needs live music venues, especially 18+ so that kids have someplace to go.
stomv says
Two bus lines, bus plus subway, commuter rail plus subway — always a time suck.
But for those from FR and NB, it makes a massive difference in travel time and timing if they work a walk from South Station, especially if they’re also only a few minutes from the train station back home. I don’t know, maybe that’s too narrow a set of circumstances to make the rail make sense.
merrimackguy says
like the airports that have actual train stations under the airport.
I’m thinking Schiphol in Amsterdam. Buy your ticket in the airport and walk downstairs and you’re on your way to downtown Amsterdam. Contrast that with our “go outside to the shuttle bus and take it to the to the T stop where you wait”
It also seems that in Europe (as well as in many US cities) the commuter rail lets you out in a more central location. S Station not too bad, but N Station is not really near all that much.
whoaitsjoe says
It’s near a destination that people travel into the city specifically for, by the thousands.
merrimackguy says
who take the commuter rail into North Station for events is very low.
Minus the playoffs it’s only 41 homes games each. Some of those are on the weekends when the schedule is very limited.
Full attendance is 17, 565.
Many people are in the city already and go after work.
Many don’t live North.
The parking nearby is always full.
Lots of people use the T.
On the Haverhill line you’d have to leave Andover at 4:49 PM (seems impractical). If you left Andover on the 6:44 you wouldn’t make the start of a 7:30 Celtics game.
If you’re on the Haverhill line you better hope the game doesn’t go long because if you don’t make the 10:35 PM (or the 10:40 to Lowell), you’re getting on the 12:10 AM. If you do make it on the 10:35, you’re getting to the Lowell or Haverhill station (not home) about 11:30, which is pretty late when the game could have ended at 9:30 (using Celtics numbers here).
Granted there are things like the circus or ice shows, but when you’ve got a carload of kids you’re less like to hop on the commuter rail.
But keep using that talking point for why North Station is a great location for the Commuter Rail.
whoaitsjoe says
Even if I didn’t say it’s a “great location”, I certainly implied it with a exhaustive list of reasons why.
Charley on the MTA says
I’ve often seen folks in Bruins and Celtics shirts going inbound on the Lowell line in the evening. I’m sure someone’s done some market research on that.
Agreed that otherwise there aren’t that many great attractions *right* around N. Station, though the North End is a pretty easy walk.
The major “attractions” of N. Station are the nearby workplaces: Gov’t Center, City Hall, MGH/MEEI … and the State House.
SomervilleTom says
The Boston Garden (or whatever we call it now) is, like Fenway Park, primarily an obstacle and an inconvenience for most people who work nearby, regardless of how they get to work.
On a “game day” at either venue, public transportation sucks for workers, parking lots are full, evening traffic is abysmal, and smart workers at enlightened companies find a way to work from home.
chris-rich says
Then you only pay interzone rail fare AND you are at the terminal stop of the Red Line for an easy seat selection and a straight shot at Porter.
You’re welcome.
massmarrier says
Good stuff. We need to be firm with the automat-style naysayers. They want to think they should and can pay only for what they want most.
Mass transit pays back big. Transit-oriented development really works, bringing employment, quality-of-life upgrades (including lower pollution, noise and traffic), and a big boost to the tax base. The inverse, bad attitude typically is “I only drive and I pay gas taxes, so I’m square. Stuff trains and such.” We all lose that way.
Christopher says
Rail lines that don’t terminate in Boston.
Bus routes that don’t terminate in local hubs.
stomv says
If there is a “not-Boston-A” to a “not-Boston-B” with significant demand, it should be served. But remember, going to hubs allows multiple lines to connect with multiple other lines. If you have 5 lines in a hub, that’s 5×4=20 different two-line combos. That hub could be North Station (and is), but it could also be Alewife (and is).
A not-very-high-density-A connecting directly with a not-very-high-density-B, and not on a line that connects two hubs is simply not very efficient. It would have very low ridership, which makes it a taxi service, not mass transit.
SomervilleTom says
If the right-of-way was in place, it can be an interurban using DMU technology. The form factor of a smallish bus, the energy efficiency and comfort of rail, and well-suited for this application.
We do have a chicken-and-egg dynamic here, though. The best way to make these happen is to build and operate them. The traffic will come as the communities they serve realize that they (a) work and (b) are reliable enough to depend on.
abs0628 says
So sick of the false argument about reform/maintenance vs. expansion — I thought we were a WORLD CLASS CITY? Well if we are we can aim higher, people — come on! 😉
The other thing about making the pie bigger isn’t just about growing the constituency of MBTA supporters. It’s also about, frankly, making sure no one in the Leg gets left out. Because you know that’s how it works. If it takes spending a bit more on X project for X district so we can have adequate public transit throughout the state, I say so be it. It’s a small price to pay. This is how federal transportation bills used to get a majority vote. No it wasn’t pretty. But the bills passed without much fanfare because it was a win/win for everyone. Especially with our regional parochialism here in MA, I think it’s the only way we get adequate transit funding for metro Boston.
davesoko says
I think it’s abundantly clear to anyone with a modicum of sense at this point that enormous investment is needed to both modernize and expand the MBTA. In my view, the only questions we face are “how?”
-How, specifically, are we going to raise the money – meaning what tax/revenue mechanism?
-How are we going to get a solution through the legislature (and the governor, but let’s start with the legislature)?
Honestly, until we have answers for those questions, talk of who wants/should get the next T line extension or what upgrades should happen first will remain just that – talk.
Charley on the MTA says
One is to realize large-scale public demand for action.
Two is to figure out how to do it.
There are a zillion ways to raise the money. The money will be raised if it is deemed *necessary to raise it* by electeds. Sure, there are better and worse ways to do it, some more electorally palatable than others. stomv has outlined one.
“Just talk” — that’s what politics is, until the Governor’s pen hits legislation. We’re unfortunately earlier on in this than you might think.
davesoko says
From what I’ve seen from the DeLeo/Mariano regime over the years that they’ve been in power, I’m not particularly optimistic that any amount of public pressure would force them to take action on this. Honestly, from being very closely involved with the organizing and lobbying campaign for marriage equality leading up to that final ConCon in the summer of 2007, my experience suggests that these particular folks will respond only to demonstrations of raw political power. I strongly suggest we recruit and support primary challengers to both DeLeo and Mariano who run strongly to their left flank – only the threat (real or perceived) of losing their seats will get them to change positions on this critical issue.
SomervilleTom says
As was observed earlier, it looks as though Charlie Baker may be positioning himself and/or the MA GOP to run strongly at Mr. DeLeo and Mr. Mariano from their left flank.
Nature abhors a vacuum — if progressive Democrats don’t go after these guys from the left, somebody else will.
Christopher says
…before I was old enough to vote and sorting out where I stood politically that I leaned Democrat for national purposes, but considered myself more open to the GOP for state purposes:)