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Commentary on the North South Rail Link

Rep. Alice Wolf

"The North/South rail link would close the gap in the northeast rail corridor. It will alleviate traffic and pollution in communities such as Cambridge that have lots of drive-through traffic. Existing highways are severely overtaxed. They cannot possibly serve the ever-increasing numbers of commuters without a terrible environmental and health toll." Rep. Alice Wolf, 27^th Middlesex, North and West Cambridge

Congressman William Delahunt

"… the project is meritorious, on economic and environmental grounds. Accordingly, I will continue to work with colleagues to secure support for its undertaking, which has regional and national significance."
Congressman William Delahunt, 10^th CD, in a letter to the Sierra Club

Conservation Law Foundation

"...the Rail Link project promises to attract large numbers of new public transit riders. … The Rail Link project will lessen our region's future dependence on airports and highways and reduce pressure for the destructive expansion of those facilities. By improving the accessibility of Boston and existing suburbs, it will encourage development in areas that can best support it and inhibit harmful sprawl. The Rail Link will also improve Intermodal links with our transit, bicycling and pedestrian facilities and increase the use of those facilities."
Stephen H Burrington, Conservation Law Foundation

Former Transportation Secretary James Kerasiotes

During a farewell speech by outgoing Transportation Secretary James Kerasiotes, rail passengers heard this message: the economic boom won’t last forever, so the region should start planning for the first post Central Artery project. "It’s crazy for us to have a system that dead-ends at North Station and one that dead ends at South Station. We’re going to put that final link in place. That’s the next project for Boston and the region." Kerasiotes said. (Boston Globe)

Former Governor William F. Weld

"... We also want to recreate the rail network Massachusetts passengers and commuters enjoyed at the beginning of this century. This fall we will reopen commuter rail service between Worcester and Boston. Linking North and South stations, as I have proposed, would enable passengers to travel seamlessly by rail from Newburyport to New Bedford (not to mention from Maine to Maryland) and significantly reduce congestion on our highways…"

"A rail link would also complement Amtrak improvements in rail service to New York City. Being able to ride a train from South Station to Penn Station in less than three hours is going to take a lot of cars off Interstate 95, and it will reduce air traffic. too… We recognize that much air pollution stems from cars, but not the people in them" .(Guest Editorial, Boston Globe 7-13-94)

Former Congressman Joe Kennedy:

"High speed rail travel with a North/South rail link should also be considered as alternatives to exacerbating the environmental burdens associated with the opening of [Logan Airport] runway 14/32." (Sun Transcript)

Massachusetts Audubon Society

"The benefits of the Rail Link extend well beyond the boundaries of the Boston [metropolitan area], and are important not only for the efficiency and effectiveness of the commuter rail system as a viable alternative to automobile commuting, but also for intercity travel throughout the Northeast." E. Heidi Roddis, Environmental Policy Specialist, Massachusetts Audubon Society

Transportation Matters (published by CONEG, the Coalition of Northeast Governors):

"The resulting in increase in accessibility and efficiency increases [from constructing the rail link] will address growing concerns ranging from highway congestion to regional air pollution mitigation strategies"

Transportation Secretary Patrick J. Moynihan

"The Rail Link continues to be a top priority at the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction. This major transportation project is intended to provide air quality, highway and congestion-related benefits for the New England region. The project also includes several other regional benefits including closing the gap in intercity rail travel on the East coast and the economic benefits due to increased regional and intercity mobility." letter to Sierra Club, 8/12/97

State Representative Paul Demakis

Time for the Rail Link

As we proceed toward completion of the Central Artery project, it is not too soon l to move forward with additional transportation improvements that will ensure that we meet the needs of the Boston metropolitan area in the twenty-first century. One major initiative with broad bipartisan support is the North/South rail link project that would connect North and South Stations by an underground rail tunnel

This project would allow us to achieve significant transportation, environmental, and economic benefits by making better use of a resource we already own -- the commuter rail system. It would create a centralized regional rail station in downtown Boston and would connect north side and south side commuter rail networks. For the first time, all commuter and intercity trains would be able to run through Boston seamlessly and conveniently, providing everyone on the system direct access to every Other station, to all subway lines, and to Amtrak's high-speed rail service to New York.

Senators Edward Kennedy and John Kerry, Acting Governor Paul Cellucci and 193 out of 200 state legislators support the rail link. Environmental organizations such as the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the Environmental League of Massachusetts, and the Sierra Club and labor organizations such as the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and - the Massachusetts Building Trades Council also support the project. Recognizing the boost it will give to tourism, the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Massachusetts Lodging Association, and the Massachusetts Restaurant Association have-also endorsed the rail link.

This project would help Boston fulfill its future needs by improving track capacity and minimizing the need for transfers between subway lines. This would reduce congestion and facilitate trips on rapid transit.

The rail link would encourage car-free travel by creating a powerful incentive for people to get out of their cars before coming into the city. This project would improve direct car-free access to and from Boston improving work force mobility and making it easier for Boston residents to travel outside the city to jobs and recreational activities.

This would reduce traffic congestion on our highways. The project is expected to divert more than 21,000 daily' trips from the metropolitan highway system, significantly reducing the environmental degradation caused by automobile use. Reduction in automobile emissions would improve air quality in compliance with the federal Clean Air Act.

The rail link would also provide direct car-free access to Boston neighborhoods and landmarks for tourists, conventioneers, shoppers and students, providing Boston and New England world-class transit system that would be a major engine for the region's economic growth. It would facilitate travel for international tourists seeking to visit not only Boston, but other New England destinations.

Enhancing rail access would also provide an alternative to air travel along the Northeast Corridor. This would help reduce congestion and other negative impacts at Logan Airport and other airports in the region.

Boston can look to other cities, including Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, and San Diego that have invested in new commuter rail systems to retain livability and improve suburban access. In 1984, Philadelphia connected two former end-of-the-line stations to create regional access to the city's downtown area from all directions. The connection has resulted in a new convention center, a new shopping complex and new hotels.

Studies are currently underway to address -engineering, operational, environmental, - and financial issues associated with the rail link project. The projected cost is approximately 2 billion dollars.

However, the many positive impacts of this project justify its cost. The major transportation, environmental, and economic benefits the North/South rail link would bring to Boston and New England make it a worthy investment in our future.

League of Women Voters of Massachusetts

In a letter to Senator John H. Chafee, from Nancy Carapezza,  LWV State President March 6, 1998

"… We encourage you to extend your leadership once again when reviewing the highway programs set before your committee. We ask you to help keep one very special intermodal project alive and viable: the North-South Rail Link, part of the Massachusetts Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel Project, also known as "the Big Dig."

"The first draft of the plan for the Rail Link Project is about to be released for public review and comment. We rely on continued support from public officials outside of Massachusetts to ensure that this rail service, so essential to the financial growth of the entire northeast corridor, remains a viable transportation option. Continued support for this project will ensure that the northern tier of New England can finally be joined with the rest of the Amtrak system. This will ensure the efficient and effective coordination of commuter and long-distance passenger rail to regional airports such as T.F. Green as well as other points east and west

"With urban airports unable to meet demand and major interstates congested to capacity, accessible and affordable city-to-city rail service must be maintained and upgraded to accommodate the travel needs of the 21st century.

"Please make it a point to include the North-South Rail Link in funding for completing the Central Artery Project. Your leadership and persistence is essential to ensure the viability of coordinated rail passenger service to all major cities in the northeast as well as to preserve the substance and spirit of ISTEA.

 

You should also frequently visit this website for Rail Link updates.