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None of those are likely to see substantial demand unless frequency is massively increased. For service to downtown Providence, Cranston and Olneyville stations will be outcompeted by RIPTA buses like the R-Line (10 minutes much of the day), 20 (15 minutes) and 1 (20 minutes) unless rail is...

There's a few reasons why we don't have a connector under Washington: Unlike the Orange and Green, the Red and Blue aren't that close. The former are approximately 625 feet apart at Winter; the latter are about 1,450 at Washington. Winter Street is short enough to beat all but a perfectly-timed...

This isn't some far-flung suburban extension. This is increased frequency on existing corridors - which have some of the highest ridership recovery - in one of the two worst gaps in the subway network.

This is the key to this whole discussion. Within the next few years, all of the Green Line except maybe the quarter-mile of South Huntington will be on dedicated ROW. That is the only way to have trains operate reliably; without reliable surface operations, any subway will operate well below...

Very little, as is common for railroads that never got built. A B&M statement opposing the line is available, and the City of Boston Archives has plans (not digitized).

Some other services did run directly into BERy rapid transit stations, but generally heavy commuter routes. The Lexington and Boston ran into Sullivan from 1903 to 1912, then Harvard until 1924. The Eastern Mass ran its Lowell and Lawrence intercity lines into Sullivan Square until 1931, and...

Several other factors also resulted in streetcar systems using buses beginning in the early 1920s. (The BERy's first bus route was on North Beacon in 1922.) While jitneys had been around (and eating into profits) since circa 1914, it wasn't until the early 1920s that the technology was really...

Can anyone identify this brick building on Beacon Street next to the Pike? I always assumed it was a Green Line vent shaft, but now I'm not sure. It was built between 1985 and 1995, which seems like an odd time for a Green Line structure, and there's no MBTA signage to be found. The building to...

A realization from a discussion on TransitMatters - just how ridiculous it is that Hynes station isn't yet accessible. Within 6 months, it will have more ridership than all the non-accessible commuter rail stops put together. FY 2019 ridership at Hynes was 7,041. 2018 ridership for the 31...

2007: 2024:

Within BERY territory, there are: Streetcar loop at Maverick station Pre-1971 platform at Haymarket Substations at Coolidge Corner, Arlington, Spring Hill, Egleston, and Roslindale The former Central Power Station, and one on Freeport Street. There's also the former Lincoln Wharf power station...

Well, I spent my evening cataloging every grade crossing on the system. As I suspected, the Old Colony has the highest rate of grade crossings on the system, though the northside (B&M) lines aren't great either. The Old Colony Division definitely has fewer grade-separated crossings as well due...

The Old Colony Division was always the New Haven's red-headed stepchild - they leased it for control of the Boston & Providence and the Old Colony's Boston rail yards, and didn't care much for the rest. Their grade crossing eliminations on the Old Colony were very targeted. They finished the...

I'll say Savin Hill.

For the northern half from Brooks Road to North Border Road, the line was on a fully private ROW (some single track, some double) which is intact as trails except for where I-93 crosses. The southern half was fully double-track along the side of Fellsway. Some is completely obliterated by 93...

No, the only timed commitment was 40 mph with no speed restrictions. The work for 50 mph was only described as "lay[ing] the groundwork". https://www.mbta.com/news/2024-07-18/major-red-line-braintree-branch-improvement-work-take-place-september-6-29-mbta

Yes, exactly. While the alignment itself is designed for 50 mph speeds, it has not been treated as such for decades. Signals will need to be adjusted to account for longer braking distances, tracks and equipment maintained to a higher degree, traction power equipment adjusted or replaced...

That's quite jarring to realize that there's no good transfer between the 39 and 1.

Yep, that was the Boston and Worcester Street Railway. It used WCSR tracks and crews from downtown Worcester to just east of Lake Quinsigamond. It was the only streetcar line entering Worcester that didn't become part of the WCSR.

Permit me a little bit of bragging: after 6 months of research and writing, I've finally finished my article on the Worcester Consolidated Street Railway. It's probably the longest thing I've ever written aside from my thesis. It has 445 sources and 42 images. (Despite that, several major...