Love the concept of this God Mode sandbox for transportation! I might go into more detail on specific portions of this another time, but for now I’d like to sketch out a vision for completely re-imagining transportation in the Greater Boston area. I’m defining this as everything in the 128 belt. I’m throwing budget, politics, and feasibility out the window and focusing on what could have been, or what still could be. I’m a hardcore urbanist and this entire idea revolves around a few things like sustainability, community, public health, and combating climate change.
Today, I would say Boston’s transportation system has the following components: roads, transit, and protected facilities for active transportation like paths, protected bike lanes, and sidewalks. We have too many roads and highways, and not nearly enough transit.
For
freeways/expressways specifically, which are divided and limited access, we would have none of them within 128. This was the original vision for freeways, for them to connect cities but not run through them. This would solve lots of localized issues with freeways, like Charlestown being cut off from the surrounding towns. And the Corridor of Death in Somerville. And the shameful scar that splits the Fells in two. This complete lack of freeways in Greater Boston would require far more public transit than we have today. Which leads me to...
Public transit. The public transit system today we can split up into a few different components too:
- 1: Long-distance service: Amtrak for train, and mostly Flixbus otherwise.
- 2: Regional service: Commuter rail
- 3: Subway (heavy rail and light rail)
- 4: local bus
Boston’s transit network would focus on speed, frequency, and reliability. Here’s what I would do for all of these (plus one new transit mode I would add). Also, this plan assumes that a direct North-South Rail Link has been built.
Long-distance trains: There would be an extensive network for long-distance passenger rail, using a mix of maglev and traditional, electrified high-speed rail. Some of the more likely destinations available via direct service from Boston (from either North or South Station) include : Portland ME, Bangor ME, Portsmouth NH, Manchester NH, Montreal, Toronto, Worcester, Springfield, Detroit, Chicago, NYC, Philly, DC, Charlotte, Atlanta.
Regional trains: The TransitMatters playbook for the commuter rail system should be implemented, transforming it into a regional rail service. This means fully electrifying all lines, building full-length, high platforms at all stations, and adding infill stations where it makes sense. South Coast Full Build should be done. And many new lines would be added, like:
- North Station – South Station – Logan Airport (perhaps connecting to a new people mover)
- Providence – Worcester – Fitchburg
- Providence – Fall River – New Bedford – Bourne – Hyannis – Provincetown
- Portsmouth – Newburyport – Haverhill – Lawrence – Lowell – Fitchburg
- A new route in the 128 right-of-way. Perhaps use the space that’s being taken to add a lane, and remove an existing lane to make it work (the outer urban ring)
Subway: Urbanists used to chatter about extending the subway lines substantially, going all the way to 128 in all directions. I no longer think this is necessary, since electrified regional rail would be sufficient for getting the suburbanites in and out of the city. But there are certainly some new services that I would add:
- Extend the Blue Line on the west end to Charles/MGH, then continue on to Kendall.
- Extend the Blue Line on the east end to Lynn and Salem.
- Extend the Green Line from Union Square to Porter
- Probably need to add some brand-new, independent subway lines (whether light or heavy rail), to provide one-seat rides to downtown Boston from: Watertown Square, Seaport, Everett, Waltham, and Nubian.
- An inner urban ring, likely as a completely subterranean heavy rail line. Would need to be deep as heck but would be transformative.
Trams: This would be like a modern revival of the old streetcar system. They would use similar light rail vehicles as we see on the green line today, although perhaps with only one car at a time (especially if they ran every 3-5minutes). They would primarily operate in and around Greater Boston’s urban core: in Boston proper, Cambridge, Brookline, Quincy, etc. They would connect with subway and regional rail stations whenever possible. But perhaps the most innovative aspect of the new tram system would be that they would run completely at-grade.
How would this be possible? Because they would operate on a new type of street, which I call a tram street. These streets are like you see in many parts of Europe such as Switzerland. They are generally closed to private motor vehicle traffic, instead used by police and fire, delivery vehicles (which should only be big trucks when carrying something massive like i-beams for a high-rise anyway), and potentially abutters. So there would be no need for sidewalks, protected bike lanes, etc. Boston’s tram stops would cost a tiny fraction compared to subway stops – they would be like a simple bus stop. And the quality of life on these streets would be the envy of the world. People walking, cycling, chatting, playing. Far less noise and pollution since car traffic would be rare. And these streets would be far safer. A majority of the streets in Boston’s urban core should be tram streets.
Bus: Buses would still play an important role, as they are cheaper than other modes of public transit and they are flexible as their routes can be changed. Buses would no longer operate in the urban core of Boston, instead terminating at subway or tram stops. But bus routes would still serve quieter areas that are more suburban. And they would be more pleasant to ride as there would be plenty of physically-separated bus lanes on main corridors.
