New England Revolution Stadium | 173 Alford Street | Boston-Everett

Now that the tank farm and the power plants are being sold, one could easily imagine a Silver Line extension that would start at the existing Chelsea Station, run westward towards a new 2nd Street station, and then turn towards the southwest along a Robin Street right of way, cross Alford Street to a new Encore/Stadium Station, and then run across a new BRT-only bridge to the Sullivan Square station. New stations could gradually be infilled along this route as new transit-oriented development is constructed between Robin Street and Broadway, as well as in the location of the decommissioned tank farm.
MBTA Silver Line to Sullivan.jpg
 
Thinking ahead here. Any thoughts and/or predictions on the naming rights?

Sam Adams Field

Revolutionary Clinics Palace (The “R”)

Shields MRI Arena
 
a_tortoise said:
Now that the tank farm and the power plants are being sold, one could easily imagine a Silver Line extension that would start at the existing Chelsea Station, run westward towards a new 2nd Street station, and then turn towards the southwest along a Robin Street right of way, cross Alford Street to a new Encore/Stadium Station, and then run across a new BRT-only bridge to the Sullivan Square station. New stations could gradually be infilled along this route as new transit-oriented development is constructed between Robin Street and Broadway, as well as in the location of the decommissioned tank farm.View attachment 26503
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Man seeing this thing surrounded by green is such a tease - that's gonna be a sea of asphalt fo sho
 
If a BRT bridge actually happens, it would be pretty crazy to mind my mind. I mean it essentially recreates the ROW the old orange lines uses. To someone from the 1970s, it could be mistaken as a continuity but we seem to barely remember it existed (especially compared to how much we do remember the old El).

It would also be (kinda) funny that both ends of the old Orange Line ROW becomes Silver Line busses.
 
king_vibe said:
Can you name me a single example of BRT existing in the history of Massachusetts?
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The Silver Line to Chelsea is a successful BRT. I know about the technical definition that has been discussed on Ab, but in my opinion it is a highly functional BRT line. The most successful ones are on a separate ROW, completely out of traffic. The failures are the ones like the Silver Line on Washington Street to the South End/Roxbury, which is curbside and dysfunctional. Would I rather have LRV than busses? Sure, but with the fiscal constraints and NIMBYs, often times BRT is doable whereas LRV would take several decades to implement. Transit to Everett is needed sooner than later, and BRT is the only option for the near term given the political condition of the country.
 
Charlie_mta said:
The Silver Line to Chelsea is a successful BRT. I know about the technical definition that has been discussed on Ab, but in my opinion it is a highly functional BRT line. The most successful ones are on a separate ROW, completely out of traffic. The failures are the ones like the Silver Line on Washington Street to the South End/Roxbury, which is curbside and dysfunctional. Would I rather have LRV than busses? Sure, but with the fiscal constraints and NIMBYs, often times BRT is doable whereas LRV would take several decades to implement. Transit to Everett is needed sooner than later, and BRT is the only option for the near term given the political condition of the country.
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Silver Line to Chelsea is not BRT. It's just a bus line.
 
king_vibe said:
Silver Line to Chelsea is not BRT. It's just a bus line.
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Terminology comes into play here. Whatever anyone calls it, I believe it's a good transit investment for access to Chelsea. Same with dedicated bus lanes from Sullivan Station to Everett. GLX took 70 years to happen, and even that was in a more favorable fiscal environment than what we have now. Unless somehow the political and public dynamics change in this country, I don't see a lot of new rail transit happening around Boston except for the high profile ones already well along in the planning stage.
 
goody said:
If they are smart they will locate the stadium inland and develop the waterfront with hotels, housing, and shops.
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I think if they are smart they'll incorporate the stadium in to the waterfront with retail and entertainment under the stands. Design it properly and it could be a real feature along the otherwise dreary water front. Put parking and hotel behind it. Everett waterfront is almost a blank canvas, a public stadium for soccer, concerts and other events surrounded by good public waterfront space would be way better than a Double Tree.
 
Well... I dunno about a hotel given Encore. I'm not sure the land is suitable for housing either.

If you don't build the stadium there, I bet it ends up as lab space (hah).
 
Charlie_mta said:
The Silver Line to Chelsea is a successful BRT. I know about the technical definition that has been discussed on Ab, but in my opinion it is a highly functional BRT line. The most successful ones are on a separate ROW, completely out of traffic. The failures are the ones like the Silver Line on Washington Street to the South End/Roxbury, which is curbside and dysfunctional. Would I rather have LRV than busses? Sure, but with the fiscal constraints and NIMBYs, often times BRT is doable whereas LRV would take several decades to implement. Transit to Everett is needed sooner than later, and BRT is the only option for the near term given the political condition of the country.
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king_vibe said:
Silver Line to Chelsea is not BRT. It's just a bus line.
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If we analyze something like this Youtube video of a tourist recording the Silver Line from South Station to Chelsea, the result is very mixed.

South Station -> Courthouse -> World Trade Center

I would say this is Rapid Transit standard. It is full-on underground tunneling

World Trade Center -> Silver Line Way

Still Rapid Transit Standard but less quality than before as it has to cross traffic. But so does the Green Line so it's still at that level.

Silver Line Way -> Airport

Kinda? I mean it's not traffic separated, but I-90 is still a highway so it's still goes fast during that part.

Airport -> Eastern Avenue

Absolutely not. Pure mixed traffic. Traffic light on Service Rd, got suck behind traffic on Bypass Rd, the Chelsea St Bridge.

Eastern Avenue -> Box District -> Bellingham Sq -> Chelsea

I would say this is Rapid Transit standard. A completely separated road from any other traffic like if it was rail.


Overall it's a mixed bag. It is better than Washington Street though.


Charlie_mta said:
Terminology comes into play here. Whatever anyone calls it, I believe it's a good transit investment for access to Chelsea. Same with dedicated bus lanes from Sullivan Station to Everett. GLX took 70 years to happen, and even that was in a more favorable fiscal environment than what we have now. Unless somehow the political and public dynamics change in this country, I don't see a lot of new rail transit happening around Boston except for the high profile ones already well along in the planning stage.
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GLX didn't spent 70 years in construction. It wasn't fiscal or engineering barriers but politics. Which can easily translate to 60 years of waiting with only 10 years of actual planning and construction, but the fact it's a political barrier can mean it might not. In this case, since this is involving a sports stadium, a billionaire, and semi-involves the casino, it's not as unrealistic versus other transit dreams. It's not a "BRT can be done soon vs LRV can be done in 70 years". It's "No transit construction vs let's build something for the soccer stadium".

If they do decide to build transit LRV and BRT would be on the same timeline - though I do lean they would probably cheap out and choose BRT. But if they choose LRV, would come at the same speed as BRT would have taken. Because it's not a Engineering/Fiscal issue, but a Political one.
 
As long as others are sharing fantasy maps of Everett, here's what I think would make a great capacity improvement in the area.
- Orange line gets a spur north of Community College Station into Everett.
- Encore Boston Harbor Station serves the Resort, future hotel development along Broadway, and potential Revolution Stadium.
- Sweetster Circle Station serves multiple bus transfers (including SLX connectivity). This is also within a reasonable catchment area of much of Everett's new multi-family development and densely populated neighborhood
- Everett Center - historic center, economic heart of city, and near multiple municipal buildings; densely populated neighborhood
- Ferry Street - serves multiple bus transfers and is close to Everett High School; densely populated neighborhood
- Northern Strand - serves densely populated neighborhood, and would make an excellent transfer site for bike commuters from Everett, Malden, Revere, Saugus, and Lynn.
- Saugus | Route 1 - serves as a park-and-ride opportunity for vehicular commuters and bus transfers from North Shore (similar to Alewife, Wonderland, or Braintree), could be great site for Logan Express expansion.
- Silver line extension goes from Chelsea (Market Basket) to 2nd Avenue, then continues west to Wellington Station. Beyond Wellington, it heads south along Rt 28 into Somerville, eventually connecting with GLX, and then terminating at Kendall Square.

22-0719 MBTA Orange Line to Everett.jpg


The traffic sucks in the area, but it's not completely hopeless, including with the addition of a stadium in Everett. My read on the prospect of bold rapid transit expansion in Massachusetts is favorable.
 
So you'd tunnel under Route 99? That would be interesting. Don't think that would fly.
 
dshoost88 said:
As long as others are sharing fantasy maps of Everett, here's what I think would make a great capacity improvement in the area.
- Orange line gets a spur north of Community College Station into Everett.
- Encore Boston Harbor Station serves the Resort, future hotel development along Broadway, and potential Revolution Stadium.
- Sweetster Circle Station serves multiple bus transfers (including SLX connectivity). This is also within a reasonable catchment area of much of Everett's new multi-family development and densely populated neighborhood
- Everett Center - historic center, economic heart of city, and near multiple municipal buildings; densely populated neighborhood
- Ferry Street - serves multiple bus transfers and is close to Everett High School; densely populated neighborhood
- Northern Strand - serves densely populated neighborhood, and would make an excellent transfer site for bike commuters from Everett, Malden, Revere, Saugus, and Lynn.
- Saugus | Route 1 - serves as a park-and-ride opportunity for vehicular commuters and bus transfers from North Shore (similar to Alewife, Wonderland, or Braintree), could be great site for Logan Express expansion.
- Silver line extension goes from Chelsea (Market Basket) to 2nd Avenue, then continues west to Wellington Station. Beyond Wellington, it heads south along Rt 28 into Somerville, eventually connecting with GLX, and then terminating at Kendall Square.

View attachment 26518

The traffic sucks in the area, but it's not completely hopeless, including with the addition of a stadium in Everett. My read on the prospect of bold rapid transit expansion in Massachusetts is favorable.
Click to expand...

It looks like the map here is flipped by 90 degrees. It's too confusing to understand the general directions without the normal "up is north" orientation.
 
Here's my idea for a Silverline Extension through Everett. It would be on a separate ROW except for a short stretch on shared side streets at the casino. It would also support TOD at the shopping center to the west. It would be designed to accommodate future conversion to LRV as a branch of the Green Line from GLX at the Inner Belt neighborhood. Yellow circles are stations.

52227655206_e600f1face_b.jpg
 
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dshoost88 said:
As long as others are sharing fantasy maps of Everett, here's what I think would make a great capacity improvement in the area.
- Orange line gets a spur north of Community College Station into Everett.
- Encore Boston Harbor Station serves the Resort, future hotel development along Broadway, and potential Revolution Stadium.
- Sweetster Circle Station serves multiple bus transfers (including SLX connectivity). This is also within a reasonable catchment area of much of Everett's new multi-family development and densely populated neighborhood
- Everett Center - historic center, economic heart of city, and near multiple municipal buildings; densely populated neighborhood
- Ferry Street - serves multiple bus transfers and is close to Everett High School; densely populated neighborhood
- Northern Strand - serves densely populated neighborhood, and would make an excellent transfer site for bike commuters from Everett, Malden, Revere, Saugus, and Lynn.
- Saugus | Route 1 - serves as a park-and-ride opportunity for vehicular commuters and bus transfers from North Shore (similar to Alewife, Wonderland, or Braintree), could be great site for Logan Express expansion.
- Silver line extension goes from Chelsea (Market Basket) to 2nd Avenue, then continues west to Wellington Station. Beyond Wellington, it heads south along Rt 28 into Somerville, eventually connecting with GLX, and then terminating at Kendall Square.



The traffic sucks in the area, but it's not completely hopeless, including with the addition of a stadium in Everett. My read on the prospect of bold rapid transit expansion in Massachusetts is favorable.
Click to expand...

this is discussed a ton in the design a better boston crazy pitch threads, but again, the orange line can't be branched before malden center. The green line reconfiguration thread is where the "realistic" options for transit in this section of Everett is. I can't find the mockups, but essentially, a spur of the green line by the new glx repair shop, up to sullivan & assembly, and then over the mystic on a new bridge between costco and the casino is the viable transit option to this area. Anything else is a nonstarter.

I've been reading F-Line's posts on this forum for too long 😨

edit: just saw charlie_mta's post, any rail alternative is a nonstarter. some version of the SLX is almost definitely going to come through here.
 
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