Recent content by EastCambridgeDreamer

NEW ENGLAND INTERCITY RAIL NETWORK What if we expanded on the concept of shorter, state-sponsored Amtrak routes and had the MBTA run a series of intercity routes throughout New England? These routes would be served by vehicles closer to Amtrak trains than commuter trains, to provide comfort for...

This would be very nice! I already enjoy taking the train from Boston to Toronto, with an overnight in Albany. Being able to do it in one go would be very nice indeed. Also, if it took just 50mins to get from Worcester to Boston I would consider living in downtown Worcester without a car! That...

I am really glad to see Quincy posting such good numbers for new homes built. But I gotta ask, what in the name of all that is holy is going on with the QC train station property itself? Being right at the station, you would think this would be a higher priority for the city. And the vibe of the...

Yes, but "Chelsea 2nd St" is more in line with how train stations are named. See Philadelphia 30th St Station.

Montreal does something like this, and I find it helpful!

Love this! It would take a lot of cars off of the roads, honestly. Tangentially, I was reading about DC planning to automate their metro system. Folks on here pointed out that this would not work if applied to the T's rapid transit system as it stands today, because we have only 4 main transfer...

This would be amazing! Doubt we would see it done this way, but I like the way you're thinking. I do like that there's enough room for the current design to have a fully-protected intersection at least, but that's more of a silver lining imo.

Um, is this an April Fool's joke or something? Worcester has always been on the Lake Shore Limited line...

Got it! That's very cool. So using that Z routing, you give up the fairly marginal market of trips between Greenfield and Fitchburg and gain many more riders in Northampton, Holyoke, and Springfield. The Hoosac Tunnel remains a big challenge still, but for higher ridership the work on the tunnel...

I grew up in Weymouth, which is nice I guess, has great schools, lots of trees, etc. But it's dull af and I was happy to escape as an adult. And, of course, Weymouth doesn't really have a street grid at all. While it is very difficult to reconstitute or develop a street grid in a place like...

I agree that there are so many benefits of street grids, that it was a giant mistake for us to stop building them. I also want to +1 the principle that open space is crucial for human flourishing - which can take many forms, like 1) a street with a wide sidewalk, some shade and a few benches, 2)...

The Z-shaped option? Could you say more about what that routing would look like?

Idea: Leverage East-West Rail to enable same-day trips from Boston to Toronto, Montreal, and Burlington VT with a transfer at Albany Boston's options for direct or at least same-day trips to destinations to the W and N are limited. The Downeaster is a great service for reaching Portland, ME but...

The segment of McGrath that runs from Twin Cities Plaza to Lechmere Square (specifically, where it intersects with North First Street) feels way overbuilt. I never see it busy, and I feel like the space can be used much better. Has anyone thought about converting half of the road into a park...

I also think Cape Cod presents a lot of challenges for transit, and sadly it doesn't seem feasible to provide the kind of local service that's frequent enough, fast enough, and wide-spread enough to allow people to visit most parts of the cape without a car. So I would challenge folks here to...