| A new projection of what it would take to build an underground rail link between North and South stations bolsters the argument against the project, according to Rep. William Straus, House chairman of the Transportation Committee.
The Mattapoisett Democrat said that given the $12.3 billion to $21.5 billion cost estimates, transportation officials should turn their attention to the “less sexy, but useful work” of expanding South Station, a sometimes congested train service hub.
“Today’s release by the state with updated projections for construction and equipment for the proposed North Sail Rail Link should finally end any lingering questions about how expensive and unnecessary the project really is,” Straus said in a statement. “The advocates for this project have no financing plan for state monies to support the North South Rail Link; and there is absolutely no prospect of the Federal government today coming in to build another tunnel under Boston.”
Boston has two rail terminals. North Station serves northern suburbs and Amtrak stations in New Hampshire and Maine. South Station serves western and southern suburbs, and parts of Rhode Island, as well as linking Boston to Amtrak’s national rail system via the Northeast Corridor.
As a new estimate has put their infrastructure goal a little farther out of reach, supporters of the North-South Rail Link prevailed on MBTA officials not to abandon the project.
“The North-South Rail Link is one of those visionary, logical expansion projects,” said Clint Richmond, who is co-chair of the Sierra Club’s Transportation Committee and the Massachusetts representative for the Rail Passengers Association.
John Businger, a former state rep and ally of former Gov. Michael Dukakis, said the rail link would address a problem for the national rail network.
“The gap between North and South station is not an MBTA expansion. It’s not an MBTA fix-it. It’s Northeast corridor,” Businger told the control board. “It’s fixing the gap.”
MBTA General Manager Luis Ramirez and Fiscal and Management Control Board Chairman Joe Aiello both reserved judgement on the massive tunnel-boring project that would connect the rail networks north and south of the city.
There are three main paths that could bring a rail tunnel deep beneath Boston, including one that would also bury rail lines from the Widett Circle area. Aiello recommended officials seek consensus on a route.
“I think to the extent that you could figure how to draw up a consensus around an alignment that makes more sense to most people and work persistently to protect that alignment would be a valuable public service,” Aiello suggested.
Consideration of the rail link should also be included in an ongoing study of the commuter rail, Aiello said.
Aiello said T officials remain focused on bringing the transit system into a state of good repair and modernizing it.
“All I can tell you is the state of good repair and modernization continues to be our focus,” Aiello told reporters. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
