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Following discussion in this thread, I added an addendum to my post, to describe the Medford Model and the Tremont Model. As part of the addendum, I did some research to find other "Tremont Models" in North America, and, unsurprisingly, there aren't very many: Pittsburgh and Los Angeles both...

When was the last time an extension was studied? It’s always looked tempting to me, but it turns into a pretty lengthy and roundabout journey to Boston. In theory, Milford ought to be the terminus of a commuter rail line that radiates out through Dover and Millis. In practice, those and the...

The Merrimack Corridor and its historical east-west ROWs always look super enticing for an unconventional rail proposal. And maybe in some relatively distant future, where Lawrence-Haverhill and Lowell are both bigger cities, there could be something. But as F-Line points out, the region just...

I understand why they are doing this, but it's definitely a tough situation. Those two are already each high-ridership stops, serving some of the highest density in Boston: Their combined ridership would (I think) put them near the top of the list in terms of Green Line surface branch ridership.

Can't turn 'em into YIMBYs without something to say yes to 🤷‍♂️ All kidding aside, yes this is a project that fails on the current-and-foreseeable political level, regardless of the physical considerations. And like I said: Exploring an idea on a web forum =/= endorsement. And besides --...

Which brings me to the part of this idea that delights me the most: imagining riding a trolley into the Needham Town Forest. The ROW runs along the Forest's southern border, with trails abutting at several points: (I do think service oriented toward the Forest would need to be more frequent...

Yeah, I agree that Medfield + Millis + Medway is a better fit for a commuter rail branch off of Walpole. That would also provide access to jobs in Norwood and Dedham, and, if timed right, could provide access to Patriot Place via transfer. Despite linking Boston and Providence, the Providence...

The other big benefit of trams/streetcars/light rail is that they can go into subways effectively, whereas buses can't. (The Silver Line Transitway and Seattle's formerly BRT subway are the exceptions that prove the rule, IMO.) This sounds like what you are arguing for in the first quote above...

I feel like I'm in a somewhat unusually argumentative mood today, so I will try to keep that in check as I reply. First, in general I do want to say that if the T started breaking ground on an Arborway re-extension tomorrow, I'd be thrilled. Like, it's not that I think it's a bad idea. I...

I feel pretty strongly that the 39 is a success story and should continue to exist in some form no matter what. Assuming no light rail extension beyond Hyde Square: maintain as is (with as many BRT enhancements as you can fit). Assuming surface light rail extension beyond Hyde Square: maintain...

Yes, this is mostly where I've landed as well; 3 stops at 2000' feet is doable, and could be fine if needed (see below). But I think there is a reasonable case for matching the current stop spacing (with Brigham Circle shifted slightly southwest to absorb Fenwood Road's walkshed. I still find...

I had never heard of this proposal until today, wow! I may need to map this out later. Another harbor tunnel would have been really interesting, and frankly seems like it would have had a high likelihood of surviving til today; the waters of the harbor (and the Mystic and Chelsea Creek) form a...

Yes, that is fair to point out that the truncated streetcar routes were not immediately converted to buses. That's why (for the most part) I've been talking about "surface routes", in an effort to be agnostic to whether we're talking about streetcars or buses (or trackless trolleys, as quite a...

Yeah, it's true that the overall shapes of networks are the same between Kenmore and Lechmere Models, but the key distinction I'm drawing is whether the through-running streetcars survived, or if they were replaced with truncated bustitutions with forced transfers. Not to be overly fussy about...

@F-Line to Dudley, I was doing some "ArchBoston spelunking" over the weekend and saw some very old comments of yours (12-15 years ago) where you referenced a study showing that a reactivated Millis Branch would actually have shockingly high ridership. The only one I could find is this one...

Tbh, it's not an unreasonable request. I wonder if there is politics between the T and Massport as to who can run buses on airport property.

Oh, to be clear, each "model" is only meant to refer to the setup of any given terminal/transfer hub/node. Yes, the two models have coexisted for over a century. It is also true that the Lechmere Model encompasses a few different varieties. And I agree that GLX actually doesn’t fit either model...

Broadly relevant to the Green Line Reconfiguration concept, I've done a brief formal write-up of "the Kenmore Model and the Lechmere Model". In the Kenmore Model, surface routes from beyond the Inner Belt (~2.5 miles from downtown) enter a subway to run express into the core. The Lechmere Model...

I wrote a bit about the Grand Junction Corridor a couple of months ago, and sketched out a somewhat similiar "minimum build", in response to the latest study. That study showed relatively low ridership for a West Station <> Eastern Route service. It also would have non-trivial disruption to ops...

I'm a little reticent to wade into this -- this particular corner of the Green Line Reconfiguration really just isn't that "fun" for me at this point, and I think it, more than perhaps any other component, will hinge on the outcomes of professional studies; I think there's a definite limit to...