Could Springfield become a western suburb one day?

Get every last dollar

I wasn't expecting them to stand up and say "Huh huh, trains suck, Beavis, heh heh."

Are they going to pass a resolution on ice cream and puppies next? Elect them again, you schmucks.

if I recall, MassDOT ownership ends in Worcester. Once you leave Union Station in Worcester and head toward Springfield, the tracks are owned by CSX. Since CSX doesn't care about passenger service, only freight service, passenger service always takes a back seat to any freight trains running.

High Speed Rail is a great idea of MassDOT owns the track to Springfield to prioritize passenger service over freight service. If we can't control the track, High Speed Rail is a pie in the sky dream.

There's a reason why it takes so long via Amtrak.... Amtrak is slow but not that slow. Blame CSX.

It all sounds very noble in theory, but in practice it would be near-impossible to implement high-speed rail to Springfield at costs which wouldn't make the Big Dig look like the bargain of the century.

A train to Springfield would likely have to share right-of-way with the MBTA Worcester Line; however, there are only two tracks on the line at present and limited or no potential for widening the right-of-way. So the Springfield trains at peak hours would be stuck behind MBTA commuter rail trains making stops. West of Worcester, CSX owns the tracks and right-of-way, and they're going to prioritize their freight traffic over passenger rail. And the route between Worcester and Springfield is single-track for a significant portion of the distance so that's an expensive project to double-track. Worse, due to terrain and the historical need to pass near or through town centers, the tracks between Worcester and Springfield are curvy so it's unlikely the train could go faster than 80 mph.

FWIW the schedule for the Lake Shore Limited has the train making the trip between Springfield and Boston in two-and-a-half hours, not three-and-a-half.

If they're really serious about connecting Springfield and Boston for a cost under ~$20 billion, the best solution would be to offer a subsidized bus connection between Boston and Springfield, while converting one lane in each direction on the Pike to HOV-only (and HEAVILY patrolled) from Framingham to 93. Want to do it in a revenue-neutral way? Make that lane HOT and charge $10 or $20 each way for cars with fewer than 2 or 3 passengers.

If this is about making affordable housing available, you could probably build close to 100,000 housing units within reasonable distance of the T or commuter rail for the cost of doing HSR to Springfield.

High-speed rail would of course be fantastic, but perhaps we can start with more incremental changes. Double track the sections that are currently single track between Springfield and Worcester (the whole thing actually was double track up until the 1980s, oops!) and then extend some of the Worcester Line runs out to Springfield so that there are multiple trains per day serving Springfield. I guarantee that people would ride this non-high speed train even just to avoid the Mass Pike traffic.

(Oh and also add a stop in Palmer where there used to be a station many years ago. People there have been clamoring for rail service to Boston!)

Sounds exciting at first, but then you start to think about it. How many people would live within walking distance of the Springfield train station (a low density area) and work within walking distance of Back Bay or South Station. If one needs to drive a car/take transit at the end of each line, even with a high speed train (that make stops along the way) the commuting time becomes ridiculous. It's about as sensible as commuting from Fitchburg or Worcester. And that’s before we even tackle the feasibility and cost issue of building high speed lines.

I am trying to picture Councilor Baker or mayor Walsh leaving their car in the driveway, walking to the Saving hill station, getting on the Red Line, waiting for the train, catching the train to Springfield, and then waiting for a city bus to their final destination. I find it intellectually challenging to put this picture together!

and roads to get to them so people can actually ride the trains.

Sitting in traffic to squeeze into a parking lot that fills up by 630AM is less tempting than sitting in traffic to get into the city at 8AM.

To the other...

A used, 55 passenger Chinook helicopter goes for approximately $3 million at a government auction and can get from Westover to Boston in 40 minutes. A new one is $39 million. The main problem would be finding a place to land in Boston so the heliport issue would have to be revisited or Massport could figure something out at Logan. Massport would probably have to run it via contractor, just as the MBTA does with the heavily subsidized ferry program.

I can't see more than a couple hundred people taking the proposed train which will take 20 years and cost billions before it's done. Three or four Chinooks could probably be bundled together for $10 million. Add another $10 or $20 million for retrofitting to passenger and you're still way ahead of the game. The Chinooks have proven their efficiency and reliability for 58 years.

The state could subsidize free Westover parking and a ten year copter pass for those willing to buy and renovate a rundown property in Springfield and commute to Boston. The local property tax boost and improved neighborhoods could only help the Springfield tax base, easing the need for state aid. Any unused seats could be sold for those taking a day trip.

This doesn't exactly peg the "bang for the buck" meter. It doesn't even budge it.

New stuff, like a rail line, is sexy. Maintenance is not sexy. But, how about taking some of that $20 billion and investing in the system we already have? How about making the T something people can count on and would want to use, instead of being forced to use it.

Springfield, really?

FWIW, I'm very familiar with the area. I used to live in Agawam, right next to Riverside Park, now Six Flags, and put up with the stock car races every Sat night. We often go out to the valley for fun, it's a great area. But this is a waste of money.