Extending Boston's railroad network
As an ecologist and urbanist, I’m a big fan of public transit. Boston, my current home, is well endowed in that regard, and certainly has more miles of rails than most cities its size. I’ve been frustrated though how all the discussion about expanding the rail network in Boston is either about minor issues (like whether or not to build a tunnel to connect the two ends of the Silver line), or hopelessly quixotic (like how best to build a ring subway, which may be badly needed but would take billions to build).
I thought that I would put my $0.02 into the discussion, and point out some ways to expand the Boston rail network on the cheap. I do this humbly, for I’m not a mass transit engineer and I’m confident that everything I write has been considered by MBTA planners at some point. I hope to just point out some cheap ways to significantly increase service.
Below is a map of the current Boston subway and commuter rail system (click for a bigger picture). The white shaded areas are areas within 1km of a stop, about the maximum distance that people are willing to walk to a stop. The background image is population density, taken from the 2000 census. Population densities above 1,500 people per square kilometer are useful target areas for rail- any stops in areas of lower density are unlikely to be used much.
Click here for a high resolution picture
Now, certain areas stand out as not having access to a stop, yet being very close to an existing commuter rail line. If you feel like there’s already too many stops on some of the commuter lines, I’d argue it’s worthwhile to close one of the little-used stops in the far suburbs, and open some closer to the city that will be used more:
1. Between Hyde Park and Roslindale- a new stop on the Attleboro line would solve this problem.
2. Western Brighton and eastern Newton- new stops on Framingham line would solve the problem.
3. Union Square, Somerville- I know there’s talk of someday running the Green Line up this direction, but why not just add a stop off of the Fitchburg line.
4. Winter Hill, Somerville- Why not add a stop on the Lowell line near Broadway Street?
5. Tufts University, Medford- Add stop on Lowell line.
6. Hendersonville area of Everett: Add a stop on the Rockport line
7. Revere/Chelsea- Add a stop near where Rockport line crosses Chelsea River.
Also, at least two existing rail lines seem like fairly cheap ways to add to the rail network in the city:
1. Use the Saugus Industrial Track, which is already owned by the MBTA. This was originally planned to be part of the Orange line- see http://www.vanshnookenraggen.com/FutureT/Orange.html. It could be cheaply made into either a spur of the Orange line or a commuter line spur. Stops would serve Malden, Saugus, western Lynn. The line could terminate at Lynn Central Square.
2. Buy the Watertown Industrial Track from the B&M. As far as I can see, this line is little used by industry. It could be a spur of the Red Line, or a commuter line spur. Stops would serve the Mt. Auburn area of Cambridge, the Watertown Mall, Watertown center. The line could terminate at the current Waltham commuter rail station.
Here’s a map of what the new stops and lines that I propose could do to fill in the gaps in the Boston area rail network. I think all of these projects could be done relatively cheaply, especially relative to the $14 billion or so spent on the Big Dig!
