But what is the transportation need that is solvable with a gondola here? There aren't that many residential units at Marina Bay.What about a gondola between Marina Bay and an infill Neponset station?
But what is the transportation need that is solvable with a gondola here? There aren't that many residential units at Marina Bay.What about a gondola between Marina Bay and an infill Neponset station?
Not understanding the disconnect here. I think this is a perfect example of where a gondola actually works. Marina Bay has hundreds of units, some retail, restaurants, bars, and room for plenty more units. Everyone at Marina Bay or Squantum has to head south in the opposite direction of Boston to get around the mouth of the Neponset River, including people taking the 211 bus to the Red Line. Gondolas are lost cost and low ops, they're also not that high on throughput, that's why it doesn't work in the Seaport, but it works here where passenger volume won't be exceedingly high anyway. Medium return on low investment. Nothing earth shattering, just a good, simple connection.
Unrelated, but on the opposite side of Quincy: They need to build a pedestrian bridge over Burgin Pkwy to the station. I know my current concern is temporary (everyone gets off the bus early and crosses, due to construction), but there’s plenty of development in the area.
Waiting to cross at Burgin Parkway has made me miss so many trains. That station is incredibly unfriendly to pedestrian/bike approachment from the west. EDIT: I'm talking about Adams but I realized you're probably talking about QC.
As for the gondola, I don't think the disconnect is with the engineering I think Marina Bay/Squantum dosen't want a Umass connection. The isolation is a feature not a bug to the people living there, especially in Squantum.
I’m talking about Adams, too! I should have been clearer. With Crown Colony and the Deco right across Burgin, and the road turning into a bird’s nest of a highway onramp there... its absurd to expect pedestrians to cross that.
One thing Palmucci said definitely won’t happen there: residential housing.
“The mayor and I wanted to make clear immediately that we do not see this as a buy-able site for a residential development. “That site should remain commercial.”
It is, but also the reason one won't get built is the same reason there isn't one now. Once the busway is reopened the only people walking to Quincy Adams from that side of the tracks are myself and my frankly small neighborhood. Outside of Deco the closest residence on that side is 1270ft away. The game changer would be redeveloping the massive, abandoned lot (formerly a Lowes) that's directly across from the station (red highlight). Adding a pedestrian bridge as part of a development that's bringing in a ton of units would make sense, except, because of course, that's not happening in the foreseeable future.
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One thing Palmucci said definitely won’t happen there: residential housing.
“The mayor and I wanted to make clear immediately that we do not see this as a buy-able site for a residential development. “That site should remain commercial.”
It is, but also the reason one won't get built is the same reason there isn't one now. Once the busway is reopened the only people walking to Quincy Adams from that side of the tracks are myself and my frankly small neighborhood. Outside of Deco the closest residence on that side is 1270ft away. The game changer would be redeveloping the massive, abandoned lot (formerly a Lowes) that's directly across from the station (red highlight). Adding a pedestrian bridge as part of a development that's bringing in a ton of units would make sense, except, because of course, that's not happening in the foreseeable future.
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So, are there any internal improvements that could be made to the trains themselves? Besides better wifi (that should just be a line item on every budget). The Commuter Rail (or Regional Rail if our dreams come true) would seem to be an excellent opportunity for such internal improvements. For example, there could be a business car for commuters that want to work while on the train. I have to imagine a purpose built series of small desks would be more efficient for such purposes than the sort of diner style tables with seats facing them.
I like the general thought process here -- take a more holistic view of the service. I think ultimately speed + frequency (i.e. overall journey time and convenience) will supersede everything else, but that doesn't mean you can't make legitimate improvements through this thought process.
A business car/business class on the commuter rail is an interesting idea. As I understand it, in the current realm it wouldn't be feasible due to equipment shortages -- the commuter rail needs all the seats it can get. However, it could be worth exploring -- particularly if it were combined with individually ticketed seats. Especially on the really long commutes, I bet there is some segment of the rider population who would pay a premium to guarantee a seat. (All the more so if you have the option to not have to share a triple with two other people. Charge x for a seat in a double, charge 1.5x for a seat in a triple with a guarantee of a free seat in the middle.)
I don't really like the idea of adding a class system (in both senses of the word) to the commuter rail, but it would be a legitimate revenue opportunity, and I think would be popular with certain customers.
A small task with potentially noticeable comfort impact would be to actually put signage up in the Quiet Cars. Since it is almost always the same car in the set (the car that is furthest away from Downtown Boston), the signage would rarely be incorrect, and would make it easier to enforce. I always feel bad for the people who get shushed -- often (especially if the PA isn't working), there's no way for a new rider to know that this is the QC. That's not fair to them. This problem is relatively easy to solve -- just put up a few stickers in each Quiet Coach.
I have always thought a bar/snack cart on the CR (ala Metro North) would be great and probably make decent money. Guessing the peak crush loads on the CR might not really allow/warrant amenities like this if the line is under capacity/standing room already.