Tweaking the Silver Line

Good news about the State Police ramp. Hopefully all goes well.

Also, interesting to note that how much of these proposals from 13 years ago (!) have come to pass.

TheBostonian said:
2. Add the Blue Line Airport Station to the Silver Line's route. This means a hassle free connection between the Blue Line and the South Boston Waterfront.
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Probably not as originally imagined, but there is now a direct Silver Line connection between Airport Station and the Seaport.

4. If the SL replaces the free Massport shuttle, should the SL then be free? I could go either way.
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And though the Massport shuttles live, SL1 from the terminals is indeed free.
 
Seems to me they should take a lane any time Airport use is high and outbound tunnel use is low (Sunday evening, & every morning.)
 
JumboBuc said:
Agreed, but if the ramp opens to busses even with 100 restrictions I'd still consider that a huge win. Restrictions can be gradually lifted over time after everyone sees that the sky isn't falling and confidence grows.
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Its usually the opposite.

See the numerous stop signs and 3mph areas on the green line.
 
jass said:
Its usually the opposite.

See the numerous stop signs and 3mph areas on the green line.
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Which are all vastly superior to having no green line.

That's the relevant comparison for this situation.
 
JumboBuc said:
Which are all vastly superior to having no green line.

That's the relevant comparison for this situation.
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Time now to start seriously thinking about Digging under D

Someone soon is going to want to develop on the air rights over Silver Line Way

The deal should be to build on the site -- you [the developer] has to build an Underground Silver Line Way Station complete with an underground connection to World Trade Center Station and a turn around loop for Silver Line Vehicles

After about 3 years of construction -- the benefits:
  • Seaport T users will have access to completely electric all underground high frequency ride from South Station to Silver Line Way
  • The ramp from World Trade to D Street can be built upon
  • Silver Line Way Station can be expanded into a Super Station with Harvard Line regular bus station on another level
 
whighlander said:
Time now to start seriously thinking about Digging under D

Someone soon is going to want to develop on the air rights over Silver Line Way

The deal should be to build on the site -- you [the developer] has to build an Underground Silver Line Way Station complete with an underground connection to World Trade Center Station and a turn around loop for Silver Line Vehicles

After about 3 years of construction -- the benefits:
  • Seaport T users will have access to completely electric all underground high frequency ride from South Station to Silver Line Way
  • The ramp from World Trade to D Street can be built upon
  • Silver Line Way Station can be expanded into a Super Station with Harvard Line regular bus station on another level
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I don't know if this is the right time to be floating air rights sweeteners in Boston in the immediate aftermath of yet another implosion of a Pike rights scheme. We have to demonstrate we can actually get these things built first, because the chill effect of absorbing any responsibility for the infrastructure below seems to be too-reliable a way of scaring off prospective developers in the end. We've clearly underestimated the amount of risk aversion endemic to the market, and until we find a means of correcting for that which doesn't swing way too much of the financial burden back on the state's back so it's not worth their while either, we have a major stalemate to solve before moving forward with these types of projects.

There's no problem in building the transpo infrastructure to support later air rights because that doesn't add much project cost and you can justify that type of value-added under "50 year considerations" that don't have to be rooted in today's market. I definitely support pouring retaining walls and such for compatibility even if there's no well-established probabilities you can crunch today on when the build-over will come. But making it dependent from Day 1 on a developer deal (much less a deal with fail-safes against backing out) before doing anything right now is a great way of ensuring that nothing ever gets done. We can't be staking nearer-term infrastructure improvements on prospective air rights developers who've been anything but year-to-year reliable.
 
Building over the SilverLine is a heck of a lot easier than straddling the six lanes of the pike. I would think it an easier sell.
 
whighlander said:
Time now to start seriously thinking about Digging under D

Someone soon is going to want to develop on the air rights over Silver Line Way

The deal should be to build on the site -- you [the developer] has to build an Underground Silver Line Way Station complete with an underground connection to World Trade Center Station and a turn around loop for Silver Line Vehicles

After about 3 years of construction -- the benefits:
  • Seaport T users will have access to completely electric all underground high frequency ride from South Station to Silver Line Way
  • The ramp from World Trade to D Street can be built upon
  • Silver Line Way Station can be expanded into a Super Station with Harvard Line regular bus station on another level
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Harvard Line regular bus station?
 
  • Silver Line Way Station can be expanded into a Super Station with Harvard Line regular bus station on another level
Perhaps not the best way to state it -- what was intended was to use the Harvard Sq T station as a model -- where the Red Line provides an integrated weather protected hub with buses, trackless trolleys and free access to retail and services

So the Super Silver Line Way would have [all underground except for the pedestrian entrance located in the new construction where the current station is located]:
  1. Platform for all inbound Silver Line to South Station Electric Service [including SL 0 the high frequency all-electric small buses looping to / from South Station]
  2. Platform for outbound Service using the special ramp to the Ted Williams Tunnel
    • SL1 Logan Airport – South Station
    • SL3 Chelsea – South Station
  3. Platform for outbound service SL2 Design Center – South Station [Cruise Pier and South Boston]
  4. non-passenger facility for conversion from engine to electric / electric to engine
  5. Platform for local buses
  6. Free access for pedestrians to retail and services
 
choo said:
When the blue line people mover gets in place...I imagine all SL will go to blue line station and drop off.
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I don't imagine that at all.

A big part of the appeal for the SL to the airport is that it was a 1-seat ride (versus a 2-seat ride Blue-to-Bus or even Blue-to-Peoplemover).

The peoplemover eliminates:
1) Economy Parking lot shuttles
2) Blue line shuttles
3) Rental car shuttles

That's all that's necessary and sufficient.

The roadway will still be ideal for
1) Silver Line from South Station
2) Logan Expresses (including from North Station & Back Bacy)
 
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