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@ Brattle, you're trying to make an intellectual argument that will resonate with 50 trainspotters and not with the 7m other people in the state. All voters will hear is "we're spending money to give NH train service". Nothing will break through after that. Feel free to try but it's a one way...

I'm always amused by how these transit discussions spend zero time factoring in political reality. On what astral plane are Massachusetts voters going to happily go along with spending their money to run train service to another state? Any elected officials promoting this idea will get...

I think the discussion of paying for other state's transit extensions because it would be a net positive for Mass belongs more in the Crazy Transit Pitches thread and not this one. ;). However if anyone would like to do so perhaps a GoFundMe can be set up for with NH as the beneficiary?

Gotta respectfully disagree here which is why I brought it up in the first place. Mass taxpayers should not pay for NH transit. That's their problem. We should be funding Mass based projects of which we have plenty to choose from. Putting aside the political realities for a second, why...

Service to Nashua and Manchester is New Hampshire's problem so let them pony up. As a Mass taxpayer I'm much happier to see the MBTA prioritize extensions to my fellow Bay State citizens.

No offense but your predictions haven't been too accurate lately. Have any of the projects that you said were dead and buried actually halted work since the pandemic began?

Stop injecting logic into this thread in the place of speculation or suffer the consequences! ;)

You must be a lot of fun at parties! We might want to gather a little more evidence before we declare victory or defeat on the ballpark.

If the army corps is as villainous as portrayed in this thread, I think bridge usage is a pretty major kink to work out. Again though, it sounds like the Cape and the South Coast should work as one to get Phase II built for both of their benefits. Regarding Baker, I'm guessing this all plays...

@ Brattle, I'm enjoying the discussion but can you maybe try to keep it to a short story next time instead of a novel? ;) But I'll try to pick out the relevant stuff. You're stuck on the idea that there's not unlimited transit dollars and that's a reason to oppose the project because there...

@ Brattle Loop, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be conceding here as I've repeatedly said that this project is a win-win. Boston area needs workers, South Coast needs access to better paying jobs. It's not about equity or owing anybody anything. It's that the largest population in Eastern...

Regarding construction in the swamp, I'm speculating that the old embankment has deteriorated to the point of needing a complete rebuild which is why it wasn't an option (the previously mentioned Corps concern about heavy equipment). No idea about one track vs two on a trestle. From what I've...

I appreciate the wudda cudda shoulda on the Army Corps study, but I keep coming back to this. People seem extremely confident that a new assessment would yield a significant reduction in costs. As best I can tell this is based on F-Line's opinion. I appreciate his technical knowledge as much...

You're throwing out speculation as fact. You have no idea what ridership will be but would rather embark on a decades long re-review instead with no promise or even better odds that the Corps will reach a different conclusion! Okay for you, but not so much for the people needing the service...

So again the opposition to this project continues to revolve around fantasyland alternative proposals or assumptions with no basis in reality. Let's tackle the new Army Corps proposal first. I have no reason to doubt F-Line's take about the original ruling being tainted by corruption. Or...

I've never understood why this thread always goes off into weird ass tangents that have nothing to do with the actual project! In no particular order: 1) Wouldn't it be better to run rail to Providence instead? Sure, aside from the fact that the railroad bridge over the Taunton River has been...

Good Time Charlie Baker for the win! I wouldn't worry about an alternative plan being submitted anytime soon. All NIMBY'S know how to do is oppose things. Good luck getting them to come up with a viable plan. Also really happy Janey lost after her low rent stunt trying to cancel this project.

Probably the cost of the rehab dissuaded them from taking on the project. I like the idea of the state taking it over in theory but I'm not sure the political will is there after the Schilling/Pawsox debacles.

Do you have any basis for this statement? No offense but for years you stated as fact that the garage was losing money. Now the latest from you is that it's about to fall down which is something I haven't seen reported anywhere.

First of all I'll point out that Boston has had a remarkable run of development since the great recession. It might take a little while to absorb all the space which isn't necessary a bad thing. Second, the city isn't nearly as built out as people think sometimes. There's still a lot of the...