Then they should just think about putting non-articulating Silverline buses through there, or otherwise keep it closed & do a study on it to see just what might work best.
They would need need to buy said buses, pave over the rails, probably fix the bridges, redo the loop, etc. And no - lets not just 'keep it closed' - I like getting to and from work everyday.
Besides, they need new vehicles that are ADA-accessible. Which the present ones don't provide!
??? The line is currently fully ADA compliant as-is, excluding Valley Road, which has an exception as it would be too costly to make an ADA compatible way of actually getting to the station itself.
I don't think a well executed BRT system would provide service that is worse then the current streetcars. The current street cars are unreliable and a huge cost burden on the T. I'd say the same thing if they were using old streetcars on a route to Belmont. It's a waste of money to keep rebuilding the old cars using stuff that has to be specially ordered or made cause no one makes the parts anymore.
I think buses/BRT is a huge step down on pretty much every level. Again, do you have a link showing the costs of the HSL vs others to prove that it is a 'huge cost burden'? Why not support a rebuild to a PCC-II like solution where everything is modernized like other agencies have done? The only viable options on the corridor are PCC-IIs, getting Type-7s/mode modern rolling stock on there, or a full red line conversion.
And true, I shouldn't have said the hood. The Milton and Central Ave stops serve nice neighborhoods. Still they serve neighborhoods and residential areas, they aren't anywhere near the freedom trail or the eyes of tourists.
As do the Butler, Cedar Grove and Valley St stops, and a lot of higher density TOD infill is popping up all along the route.
And a green line light rail would be nice too. I was just pointing out the BRT cause it was done for much cheaper (in Cheslea) then light rail extensions in somewhere like Somerville. I know for the green line trains they would need to replace the tracks and many of the bridges, so it wouldn't be cheap or easy.
Both of which are not comparable to the HSL in anyway - the HSL already has full working rail on it.
I definitively think it's vital for low income neighborhoods to get rapid transit. However I don't think that the old trolleys are the best option for the neighborhood. And I do find it bad that so many dense neighborhoods in Dorchester/Roxbury/Mattapan have to rely almost entirely on bus service (except for the red line in Dot and orange in Roxbury Crossing). Lynn is another dense area that should have had rapid transit a long time ago.
I mean - I can probably agree that the PCCs aren't the long term future, but, neither is ripping out the rails for buses, which seems to be pretty well echoed across all the neighborhoods (wealthy and low-income) currently serviced by the line.
