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These maps are all beautiful! I really appreciate the use of a new style of maps. I think that will certainly be the way to go soon as, the way I look at it, the current map is kinda maxed out. I know these maps were intended to really show off the green line reconfiguration proposals, which I...

I think I see what you’re talking about. That’s the Kennedy presidential library at umass

Reverse branching some trains from a Nubian subway to the seaport would make sense, as it’d be analogous to an SL4/SL5 combo (plus a good alternative to silver line phase 3). If you have a Washington streetcar it could get dicey tho as that one would probably only be able to go towards Park st...

How crazy a transit pitch would it be to reactivate the Eastern route from North Berwick to South Portland and upgrade it to 110mph?

I agree that the Urban Ring will certainly be built in segments. I think we’ll see some form of an Urban Ring much sooner than the NSRL, but a full on loop including TWT bore (+ other rail southeast quadrant fantasies) is something I don’t see happening for a long time. I think there would be...

I read today in the press herald that the parking garage expansion was 10 years out. That seems like quite a while though. Why would they not instead build a 1-2 story garage now with provisions for expanding vertically? They could minimize the footprint of this parking lot for interim capacity...

Great to hear the West Falmouth infill station is getting another look!

Anecdotally of course, but per my experience this week the bus lanes have been filled with general traffic. The bus I was on this morning mostly drove in the left lane, and traffic was heavy. Not sure if the program has begun in practice or there isn’t any enforcement so the bus drivers simply...

As @Koopzilla24 mentioned above, I think the issue with bendy buses is road geometry for a lot of routes. I would imagine all the City Point routes would struggle with some of the narrow roads in Southie that need to be travelled over. That being said, I’m in favor of increased frequency over...

A bit of a sidestep, but tangentially related to this conversation: what if Auburndale station wasn’t replaced and instead an urban rail branch terminated at Riverside? I know in the Regional Rail thread the pros and cons of a branch terminating at riverside was discussed recently. In place of...

The Northeast Regional will eventually use the new Siemens Airo trainset, which will have a diesel locomotive with a car capable of picking up overheard wires when under them. The trainset will be identical to the one the Downeaster and many other Amtrak trains will use. This will make the...

Double tracking will shorten it as you eliminate the time padding in place for train meets. The other improvements would allow hourly arrivals/departures. There are a few other speed enhancements needed in addition to reach 2 hrs but I don’t know them off the top of my head

The Downeaster would be even more popular (and probably reach peak ridership) if the travel time between Portland-Boston is under 2 hours and trains run hourly (2 hrs off-peak). The NSRL would be an additional benefit to DE’s as it allows trains to terminate at South Station under for easier...

Adding onto this, perhaps Massport could team up with Delta to provide a post-security connection between Terminal A and E, since they would have the most to gain from the connection. Whether it be an APM or moving walkway, that would really speed up the connection.

Where did you hear the APM was up for another study? Not saying it doesn’t deserve it but I haven’t seen any indication that Massport is looking into it again. They’re definitely looking into BEB upgrades for their shuttle buses tho. Here’s the link to their 5 year Capital Investment Plan...

They are always designed with drains and sub drains (at least it would be crazy not to). The problem is often the drainage path. Long-term concrete deflections can sometimes counteract that path, leading to ponding. This can of course be prevented with meticulous design and construction...

As a structural engineer, there’s nothing I hate more than planters on concrete! They always hold water and often it has nowhere to go but through the concrete, leading to expensive repairs over time.

Copying Riverside’s post from Green Line Reconfiguration, who drew the southie urban ring idea up nicely

I recall some sketches being posted previously in this board of an alternate urban ring route that would loop over to Broadway from Albany St/Mass Pike. The route could utilize the old trolley tunnel, then somehow hop over to the Bypass route into Seaport. This routing would make a lot of sense...

Perhaps Hanscom could serve as a reliever airport? With a potential red line connection some distance into the future, it doesn’t seem like the worst idea. Plus it’s owned by Massport