Red Line Extension to Arlington Heights

[schlichtman]

Yes. In the '70s-era plan for the RLX, the tunnel through Arlington was planned to surface behind Arlington High School next to the football field.

Wrong. Check out the final Environmental Impact Statements that show plans to run the Red Line underground all the way to Arlington Heights. Remember that the plans c alled for retention of freight rail service in the corridor, which is no longer a necessity. It's time to dust off the plans, make some minor revisions, and start the relatively easy cut-and-cover construction through Arlington.

Resources – Extend the Red Line

extendtheredline.org

 

[schlichtman]

Time to get on board!

 

[kdmc]

This is awesome @schlichtman , thank you for sharing, I'll certainly keep an eye on this and get involved where I can.

From the site:

> Getting started with that study now helps prepare us for when the MBTA’s situation changes. Phillip Eng, the new General Manager of the MBTA, has made great progress in actually fixing the T’s backlog of needed maintenance. The MBTA’s priorities could look very different in 5 or 10 years, especially with the possibility of federal funding for infrastructure that can address climate change.

100% agreed

> Among Boston-area cities and towns that do not have rapid transit stations, Arlington has by far the highest population density.

I think this is a bit off. Arlington is 8k/mi^2, but Everett is 14k. Even if you eliminate Everett due to the pending SL3 extension, you have Watertown at 7k, which is behind but not "far" behind. Maybe it's better to highlight East Arlington which on its own is 15k/mi^2.

All that said, I fully support the extension.