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Silver
Line Op-Ed
The
following Op-ed appeared in the Boston Herald on Sunday, February 16, 2003
and is reproduced here with permission of the Boston Herald. Back
to Silver Line Home PageAs you were saying...
by J. Marin and R. Terrell
Sunday, February 16, 2003
Nobody needs to tell us that Massachusetts is facing hard economic times. The financial problems are hitting all agencies, and all have been instructed by the governor to look at cost-saving measures.
At such a time, one has to wonder why the MBTA is moving forward on a $1 billion-plus plan that most area residents oppose; will require tearing up significant portions of downtown Boston; will duplicate existing service; and will not serve as many people as the cheaper alternative. The alternative? Using light rail on the Washington Street corridor of the Silver Line at a savings of $840 million. Thursday the MBTA board of directors voted to spend $20 million to design Phase III of the Silver Line. Phase III will require the MBTA to tear up large portions of Chinatown, the Theater District and Boston Common to allow 60 foot buses to travel underground into Boylston Street station, turn around underground and continue to South Station.
It does not make use of an existing but unused light-rail tunnel exiting Boylston Street station along the route of the existing Silver Line. It ignores the fact that if light rail service were used in these tunnels, commuters simply could go one extra stop on the same train to Park Street, where the Red Line already goes to South Station. It ignores that 15 years ago the MBTA, after tearing down the elevated Orange Line service to Dudley Square, promised equal or better service. For 15 years, that service was a dirty diesel bus that contributed to residents' suffering asthma rates six times higher than the state average.
Even MBTA studies showed using the existing tunnel for Green Line-type service is only a matter of new lights and tracks, a substantial savings. What else could be saved, according to the MBTA's studies?
There would be no need to take the new Chinatown YMCA through a costly eminent domain procedure in order to build a new portal. A rail portal and ramp to the Tremont Street tunnel already exist at Elliot Norton Park. The tunnel is built for streetcars, is structurally sound and requires only new light fixtures and a new set of tracks. There would be no need for the second Transitway tunnel from Boylston Street to South Station, a savings of at least $800 million and costly traffic headaches.
No underground bus turnaround need be created because the light rail would continue on the existing Green Line. No new underground station need be created because Boylston Street and Park Street stations already exist. There would be no need to design and manufacture first-of-their-kind 60-foot articulated compressed natural gas buses or the 60-foot articulated dual-mode low-sulfur diesel/electric buses planned for later.
There would be no need to purchase additional streetcars. Through its Capital Improvement Plan, the MBTA has or is about to purchase 100 new streetcars anyway. From Dudley Station to Park Street, it would require only seven two-car trains to maintain average Green Line headways at rush hour.
No new compressed natural gas fueling facility need be built on South Hampton Street behind MBTA police headquarters at an estimated cost of $72 million.
Historically, in all MBTA studies that made a comparison of light rail versus bus specifically for Washington Street, ridership was estimated to be two to 2 times greater on light rail. And more ridership means more revenue at the farebox and less of a per-ride subsidy.
In total, the costs for light rail from Dudley Square to downtown Boston would be approximately $160 million. In tough economic times, the MBTA should look to save money and improve service. Light rail for less money is the smart, convenient choice.
Jeremy Marin is conservation organizer for the Sierra Club. Robert Terrell is executive director of the Washington Street Corridor Coalition. As You Were Saying is a regular feature of the Boston Herald. We invite our readers to contribute pieces of no more than 600 words. Mail contributions to the Boston Herald, P.O. Box 2096, Boston, MA 02106-2096, fax them to 617-542-1315 or e-mail to oped@bostonherald.com. All submissions are subject to editing and become the property of the Boston Herald. Reprinted by permission. Back to Silver Line Home Page
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