How Likely?

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mass88

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I recently discovered the site, futurembta.com and there is a lot of great stuff on the site. I especially enjoy the future maps section and my personal favorite is map #7.

My question is, aside from the extension of the green line into Medford, how likely would any of the suggestions of this map be to actually happening?

Map #7 has a lot of great suggestions but why use indigo as a color? Why not brown or purple?
 
Indigo is the combination of red + purple, as in red line commuter rail
 
It's funny that in all of the maps the Blue Line is extended to Lynn (and beyond in later maps) yet the descriptions don't mention that this is a proposal that hasn't yet occurred and may not.
 
I think I can field these questions.

I chose Indigo because that was what another organization (http://www.geocities.com/indigoline/) was calling it when I was first researching the extensions. I think Indigo is a good choice because it reflects the fact that it is essentially a commuter rail line, though it acts like a rapid transit line.

About the Blue Line to Lynn, that is just me being lazy and forgetting to add the description. I've been busy as hell lately and haven't had a chance to do a goo edit of the site. Also I made these maps like 4 years ago so the Blue Line to West Medford, for example, isn't going to happen but was based on different ideas at the time.

How likely are any of these to happening? Depends on the political will. They are all buildable, it just depends on how you want to spend your money.
 
^I forgot you were responsible for these; I don't know how, but I did. I figured something along those lines was the case. Thanks for clarifying for us. You've done a great job with the maps and I hope progress continues to be made on the expansion of Boston's rapid transit.
 
I've always enjoyed that site. In fact, it's how I found this forum, so blame Van if you think my comments are dumb!

The thing I really like about his extensions is that they are based in history, what has already been proposed, and feasibility. They aren't like the Boston Bypass or some other nut job proposal.

That being said, how likely are they to get built? Right now, pretty unlikely. Just look at the excrutiating pace of development and construction on the Silver Line, Indigo Line, Green Line Extension, Red-Blue Connector, Arborway Restoration, and Urban Ring. These are just the projects that the T has committed to, not including the ones that have been proposed or otherwise studied. But what happens as gas gets more expensive and the suburbs begin to fill up? I haven't run the senarios so I don't have any numbers to offer, but it's intersting to think about and may not be as far into the future as some think. If there are suddenly a couple more thousand car-less residents in the city, the political will could change rapidly.
 
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The main obstacle to these things getting built is a mayor who hates rail transit, and really seems to want everyone to either bike or drive a car wherever they want to go. We've lost the A and half the E line, and endured the Silver Line debacle on his watch.
 
I think the potential for some of these projects will increase as the number of years since the completion of the Big Dig grow. I know that that project was heavily federally subsidized, but all of the setbacks and problems have really shed a negative light on the state's ability to complete major projects.

Furthermore, many of the other projects in the state that had taken a back seat to the Big Dig are now being completed (i.e. the bridge in Fall River that's been U/C for about 9 years now and is still about 1/3 complete). Other commuter rail expansions (Greenbush and SC Rail) have taken and still take priority (whether it's right or wrong is a separate debate) in recent years and will most likely continue to for close to the next 10 years.

After the back burner projects during the Big Dig, and the current Commuter Rail expansions are complete (and yes, when Mumbles is out of office), I think these rapid transit proposals will come to the surface again. Hopefully sooner than that if gas issues continue to worsen.
 
It's not my worry that people will start to look at rapid transit again, it is my worry that the plans I based these extensions on were done 10 - 20 years ago and many things have changed. My worry is that if federal monies start sniffing around our neck of the woods again, we will be hindered in the fact that the plans we have on the books will be out dated; resulting in a loss of time and opportunity.

What I think is actually needed is for someone to sit down and work on a plan that is relevant to the state of affairs (development patters, economic factors, etc) and looks at the changes that are being predicted for the short and long terms to see what types of expansions are needed.
 
The glacial pace of transit expansion isn't just a Boston problem; look at how comically slow the 7 line extension and the Second Ave. subway have moved in New York. Virtually any city in North America with an established transit system has not expanded it substantially in decades.

The notable exception might be Toronto, where the Shepherd Avenue line was effectively built to spur high density development. This could have been done in Boston if the Silver Line were a real subway, but alas. It does give an indication of how these projects could become less expensive (and more feasible), though. The Shepherd Line in Toronto "pays for itself" in comparison to the Green Line extension to Medford, which will largely serve existing development in neighborhoods that will be resistant to increased density.
 
For all the bitching about the T here in Boston (myself included: 24 service damnit!!) I've come to realize that in this country, Boston is second to only a few cities in pub transportation. My sister has lived in San Fran or a few years and previously 5+ in LA, she routinely complains about SF: its too expensive. There's no monthly passes for their form of commuter rail?... WHAT? There's different systems.. BART is seperate. I, personally don't know, never been to the city, but I respect her opinion and she knows both probably very well, so I guess what I'm saying is I'm glad we have what we have, especially as cheap as it is. $3.40 a day round trip, 12 miles outside the city, is pretty damn cheap. Love the fact that the charlie pass negates the paper tickets for transfers that no one ever used and basically makes it cheaper and the bus stops right at my doorstep. 12 miles (conservatively but factually) from Boston. SF, doesn't have that apparently.
 
San Francisco Bay Area public transit is incredibly fragmented:

Muni for streetcars, streetcar-subway, cable cars, electric buses, and diesel buses within The City only
BART for longer-distance electric rapid transit (most notably, across the Bay)
Caltrain for one commuter rail line, Amtrak for at least one other
SamTrans for San Mateo county buses
AC Transit for Alameda county buses (especially Oakland and Berkeley)
Golden Gate Transit for Marin county buses and ferries
some other agency for Santa Clara county light rail and buses

and I've probably forgotten a few. All with different fare systems.
 
I actually think Boston has come a long way with the MBTA. When I was up in April I was actually impressed with how the system has cleaned itself up. I was staying with my friend in JP so I was dreading taking the Orange Line but I was really shocked to hear the announcements for when the next train is arriving. Also the stations seemed cleaner (except for a the Green Line stations that were under construction.) The Charlie Card system, now that it is in place at EVERY station, works really well, maybe even better than the MetroCard in NYC.

Can there be more done? Of course, but I want to acknowledge the gains that the T has made in just a few years.
 
I had very similar thoughts the other day. Graubauskas hasn't been able to fix everything, but the improvements he has spearheaded have made quite a difference. Mainly, as you also noted, the CharlieCard system, and basic station improvements, including more thorough cleaning, lighting improvements, new clearer announcements, etc. It makes riding the T that much nicer. I've also noticed that both the subway and buses are more on-time now than before. Most of the buses I've waited for lately have been within 5-10 minutes of their scheduled time (pretty impressive!).
 
I'd be happy with the MBTA if they could fix two things.

1) free rides by Green Line riders, above ground, because of long lines, and drivers waving people on, and/or people jumping on-board toward the back, and ignoring demands of drivers to come up front to pay;

2) Silver Line

a) trip to Airport is grueling in its glacial speed;
b) trip from Dudley takes too long, and should be light rail, and/or should extend all the way to South Station (phase III).
 
I wonder how popular an express bus from Dudley to DTX would be. Maybe if it was extended to Mattapan, stopping once or twice.
 
I know I'd love an express #39.

As for the Silver Line, I'm sure one change they could make now would be to end that ridiculous circle to the Ted Williams Tunnel that seems to serve no purpose. Better yet, send them along the special emergency tunnel that has an entrance closer to Silver Line Way.
 
How likely would it be for the T to fix the leaks at the various stations, especially South Station (Red Line) and Park Street (Green Line). Those leaks are nasty especially when you see what the floor and ceiling looks like after a while.
 
Waldorf said:
How likely would it be for the T to fix the leaks at the various stations, especially South Station (Red Line) and Park Street (Green Line). Those leaks are nasty especially when you see what the floor and ceiling looks like after a while.
Click to expand...

There are actually stalagtites and stalagmites at the New England Medical Center station -- that is how bad the nasty leaks are!
 
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