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How much utility is there in having the inland route as a backup for the shoreline route, to ease issues with maintenance? For example, simply having the option to route a few trains per day along there, when work is to be done on the tracks?

Wish I had an idea what revamping looks like.

Allow me to phrase the question this way: Take your typical stretch of highway. Which is easier/cheaper, elevated or tunnels to smooth of the grade? Does the answer change if the highway is windy enough that track would have to cross over/under the road?

Why tunneling and not elevating?

Question: why does the rail have to follow the highway grade? It could go at a more gentle grade easily enough.

Its only a crisis if we think the transit agencies exist for their own sake. They exist either to get people from their homes to their jobs or to reduce road congestion. Either way, the goal has been achieved. This is a good thing. The agencies should take stock of the situation and revamp...

Amusingly enough, I specifically was inspired by the projected commute times for the SCR. Still, I think 60 min would probably be enough.

Is an “office car” a reasonable idea for the commuter rail? I’m thinking something with seats with desks, with partitions between them to offer a moderate amount of privacy, top tier wifi, and all the most common outlets (including usb and usb-c). It could even require a premium ticket...

Not to let the MBTA off the hook for shoddy station design, but there is (was?) and app that provides that info.

I’ve heard from people at a major back bay company that Boston is offering a tax credit to businesses to entice them to get people back into the office, instead of WFH. Anyone have any good info on that?

I think those tend to not exactly follow particularly level grades.

This is not actually crazy, but I don’t think we need a “reasonable highway pitch” thread. Extend the controlled access portion of Rte 44 so that it goes all the way to 495. As it is, you cram highway levels of traffic into a stretch of road that always seems congested, with long lines at every...

Yeah, I used PRC vs Taiwan as the easy example, but I also agree its not likely (and that it’d screw up things so badly globally that our subway will be the least of our worries). Even just a ratcheting up of the trade war, or some shenanigans in the oil market that messes up China, could tank...

I’m not talking about them backing out, I’m talking about the rest of the order being impossible to complete. The splashiest reason could be a mainland invasion of Taiwan, but any number of things could totally tank this.

Its a long thread, so please forgive me if this has already been brought up: does the T have a contingency plan for if things hit the fan regarding US-China relations badly enough to mean the deal is pretty much dead?

My apologies for not being clearer - I should have specified I wasn’t just referring to rapid transit in the city. Your idea is exactly what my premise was. Regional rail along the highways, particularly along routes that are not served/underserved by the Commuter Rail and/or Amtrak. 95/128...

Suppose the order came down on high that rail lines were going to be built along highway ROWs, so just make it work. Obviously, highway and rail ROWs are… mediocre fits for each other, so it would take some effort to make work. What, in general, would be the best way to get it done? Elevate the...

Acela pitch: how difficult would it be to run an Acela along the inland NEC route (Boston-Springfield-New Haven-New York)? Looks a little rugged between Worcester and Springfield, but that stretch along the Connecticut River looks reasonably straight. I’m sure, overall, it would be a longer...

And yet, the NSRL is still not going anywhere. You gotta start convincing people that aren’t on board, and griping that someone is “anti tax/pro privatization” isn’t going to accomplish that.

And yet, the project has been DoA for the lifetime of everyone on this forum. Maybe a different strategy is worth pursuing. The party that is “supposed” to support this sort of projects has had power plenty of times, and hasn’t done it. Can’t come from the politicians - the parties are...