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Transit advocacy group Transit Matters offered a detailed proposal Thursday for how the MBTA could improve service on the commuter rail system without having to invest $3 billion expanding South Station.
The mostly-volunteer group issued a broad-strokes proposal last year for how the Boston area could leverage its extensive commuter rail network to create a modern, electrified and frequent regional rail system that could help fix the state’s crushing congestion and guide future development.
The group’s new report questions the wisdom of the long-planned South Station Expansion, characterizing the project as wasteful with little transportation value. The report also calls into question the MBTA’s reliance on 2-story coaches to expand the system’s capacity.
The report instead calls for operational changes first: regular “clockface scheduling,” quicker train turnaround times and dedicated tracks, all of which it says also add to the passenger experience and can increase capacity at North and South stations to handle growth, with MBTA data showing commuter rail ridership is up 20 percent over the last six years.
“We believe that Regional Rail has the potential to solve many of the commonwealth’s biggest challenges- congestion, inequality, Gateway Cities reaching their full potential, housing availability and climate change. We have to make smart decisions about what projects not to do and start taking steps towards achieving the service improvements necessary to respond to our economy and to rider needs”, Jarred Johnson, COO of TransitMatters, said in a statement. “Today, we found an extra $3 billion for the commonwealth to spend on making commuter service across Eastern Massachusetts better.
The group plans more detailed reports on each commuter rail line, plus a detailed study of how the MBTA could electrify its commuter rail system in the most efficient way.
