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Feds could cut funding for Silver Line tunnel
By adamg on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 8:57am
Because they don't think the in-debt-to-its-eyeballs T can come up with its 40% share of the $1.5-billion bus tunnel, the Globe reports.
The Outraged Liberal can't wait, says this might finally be the kick in the teeth the state needs to come up with an actual, serious plan for dealing with all of the region's transportation issues:
... But then again, this is Massachusetts. If we could tax words, we would be swimming in cash.
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Comments
Re: Feds could cut funding for Sliver Line tunnel
This sordid amalgam of the Titanic & the Hindenburg that passes for a rapid transit system around here shouldn't even be **thinking** of constructing billion dollar + tunnels.
Before proceeding with any of these grandiose projects, The T needs to fix it's massive day-to-day operational problems.
~Hakim~
infrastructure and nationwide economic stimulus
I dunno anything about the transportation value of this project but isn't this exactly the kind of infrastructure project the president-elect wants to fund with the nationwide economic stimulus package?
No, the Silver Line is a joke
It's not a "good" transit plan by any stretch of the imagination. People want transit, but they don't want this failed plan that costs more than the preferred alternative.
The biggest joke of this Silver Line boondoggle is...
...that there is already a perfectly good tunnel that can be used. It runs from Boylston Station under Tremont St through the Theatre District and ends under that round church in Elliot Norton Park. I'd bet $1.2 billion (give or take a few hundred million) that they could lay tracks from Dudley Sq, down Washington St and into a restored portal as a branch of the Green Line for a fraction of the cost of the current proposal.
Narrow roads? Sort of
I think part of the reason that they are hesitant to add rail services is that few roads in southie are wide enough to accommodate separated right of way for the LRVs short of closing the desired roadway. In-road running isn't particularly desirable.
And adding service to Washington St, which is pretty narrow from Herald St to E. Berkeley and Washington St would probably have to become one lane in each direction on either side of the tracks.
Why not close Washington Street to car traffic?
Dedicate it to the Green Line, and move the car traffic over to parallel streets (Albany, Harrison, Shawmut).
I've Got An Idea!
Let's build an ELEVATED line on Washington Street! That way, there can be both rapid transit and vehicular traffic!
Damn, I'm a genius! Sometimes the simplest solutions...
Why nobody has ever thought of this before is beyond me.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
How would the businesses on Washington cope?
Especially businesses that get a lot of their foot traffic from people who drive?
I used to valet at Toro on Washington a rather signifcant majority of the people who went there drove. I have a hard time believing that those same people would instead just take the T there.. even if it does drop them off at the front door. But then again, I suppose the increased accessibility to Washington st, very well may make up for it.
Close Washington St. to traffic -- are you NUTS??
Hey Ron -- you clearly do not live on Washington St. For years, neighborhood groups have worked hard to revitalize the commercial district on Washington St. Closing streets to traffic or making them one way is a sure death for any cmmercial district. What planet are you from? Or are you only an angry ex-Scientologist for a living?
I meant south end, not southie.
*turns in his masshole card*
Not that narrow...
The section between Herald and East Berkeley isn't too narrow for light rail at all, not to mention, it's probably the least busy stretch of Washington St. Also, it's one way to general traffic there. The rest of Washington St is plenty wide enough to support two way traffic and light rail. Those buses are way too small (with a very bad seat layout) for the passenger loads on that line and the frequency is way too unreliable. I don't think I've ever ridden it and not had to trip over or squeeze by other passengers, etc. The Silver Line on Washington Street is a perfect example of what not to do in urban transportation planning. It just was so poorly planned, built and executed.
The ridiculous thing about the Silver Line
OK, another ridiculous thing about the Silver Line is that the T randomly deploys 40' buses in place of the articulated 60' models. The 60' buses are usually overwhelmed as it is (who would have thought replacing a heavy rail line with a bus would lead to capacity issues) but the 40' runs get swamped by the second stop. Often leaving Boylston packed to the front door.
I've heard - but not directly from the T - that this is due to "less demand" on the weekends. Something I've never actually seen evidence of.
The T apologizes when it sends a single car train out on the Green Line during all but the most off-peak of off-peak hours. A 60' bus holds fewer than a single GL train, and a 40' bus holds even fewer still. The T's attempts to convince the public that BRT customers get the same amount of respect as rail riders falls flat for many reasons, but this is one of the most notable.
The 60' to 40' switch that leads to overcrowding is practiced on the #39 as well. Rail riders are ensured a level of service that will not change unless they ride at 7 AM on a Sunday. Bus riders can expect the 60' buses to be put to bed before 9 PM.
Yep
The majority of the SL III costs involve creating a massive tunnel loop around Bay Village to bring the buses a few feet to the west of the current sealed portal.
It's been said that when New England Medical Station was built in the late 1960s (sealed and mothballed until 1987) it was designed in a way to allow Green Line connections at some point in the future if the abandoned tunnels were ever reactivated (hence its massive waiting areas). I'm not sure if that would really be doable, but it's an interesting thought.
The Silver Line Washington Street...
...also operates under the bus fare structure. From that POV, Silver Line Washington Street customers are getting a bargain: rapid transit service at local bus fare.
Besides, I maintain that the Silver Line Washington Street is no worse than the Green Line's B, C, and E branches, and those branches still charge the rapid transit fare.