May 20, 2002
Ms Yawa Duse-Anthony
KKO & Associates
2 Dundee Park
Andover, MA 01810
By fax: 978-475-6526
Re: Support for Fairmount Line Improvements
Dear Yawa:
This is to follow my recent phone call. I hope that it is still not too late for these comments to be considered in developing the KKO report.
As its name suggests, the Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods is a non-political non-ideological independent coalition of community groups. Our primary goal is to improve the quality of life for the people who actually live in the City of Boston.
As you can imagine, we are strongly in favor of improvements to the quality of service on the MBTA's Fairmount Line.
The Fairmount Line runs nearly ten miles from the Readville section of Hyde Park near the southern edge of the City, through Mattapan, Dorchester, Roxbury, and South Bay/Newmarket to South Station. There are about 125,000 people, mostly low to moderate income, and 79% belonging to a minority, who live within close proximity to the line. The trip from Readville to South Station normally takes 20 minutes; it is about 13 minutes from Morton Street. (By comparison, a passenger boarding the streetcar at Mattapan Square would probably feel reasonably satisfied to arrive at Ashmont Station in 13 minutes -- with all the rest of the Red Line ride to South Station still to come.)
In theory, therefore, the Fairmount Line should be a great asset. In practice, however, it's virtually worthless.
Trains run only once an hour during the workweek, with two trains an hour during rush hour, and no service at all on weekends. Given the limited service, the conditions of existing stations and the existence of alternatives, albeit overcrowded, there is limited reason to take the train, particularly when if you miss a train, it's an hour until the next one. Further, there are no stations at key points, such as South Bay.
Yet, significant improvements can be made at negligible cost -- certainly at costs far lower than the MBTA has been willing to spend for other communities, which, perhaps coincidentally, also have far smaller absolute and relative numbers of members of lower income and/or minority groups.
1. Expansion of Service Frequency. It would be very desirable to have trains run at least every twenty minutes off-peak, more frequently during peak, plus service later at night and ideally over weekends. This would in fact call for some limited additional expenditure.
However, the current frequency of service can essentially be doubled simply by running most Franklin/Walpole branch trains through the Fairmount Line, instead of just an occasional train during rush hour. This can be done essentially for free, this can be done essentially overnight, and with a little readjustment of timetables overall, this can be done with limited inconvenience to other passengers on the existing schedules.
We note that providing regular through service would also have the significant advantage of making better-paying employment opportunities near the southern sections of Routes 128 and 495 more available to people living near the Fairmount Line. Not only is there no through service from the Fairmount Line to the Franklin or Attleboro lines; unless passengers travel all the way to South Station and double back, there is not even connecting service.
Running through trains would also have the advantage of reducing the air pollution burden on residents along the Southwest Corridor (even though, of course, with continued use of diesel it would simply displace it to a different group of poor people).
2. Construction/Reconstruction of Stations. Currently, the Fairmount Line does not have stops at key places where people would want to get on or get off.
- A new station at South Bay opens opportunities for
both users of the Fairmount Line and for the many
employers in the area. In addition to the stores in the
South Bay Center, this station would provide access (via
foot, shuttle bus, or regular bus) to the food processing
companies in New Market plus the current and anticipated
jobs associated with the Boston Medical Center,
Crosstown, and the Biotechnology corridor that is
expected to line Albany Street.
- Additional stations should also be built at the Dorchester "Four Corners," and at other locales in Roxbury (e.g., Columbia Road and Talbot Ave.), Dorchester (e.g., Uphams Corner), Mattapan (e.g., Blue Hill Ave. at Simco's), and Hyde Park. Exact locations can be determined later, based on actual expected operational modes; however, there can be no doubt that multiple additional stations should and must be built. These would provide rapid transit in and of themselves and in addition they would ease the burdens on the Red Line and on feeder bus routes.
3. Operational Characteristics. In principle, we support the use of trains of diesel railcars at least initially. These are in use in developed and developing countries around the world, and, given their overall operating characteristics, it is frankly disappointing that the MBTA stopped using them some years ago. We would, however, prefer the electrification of the Fairmount Line rapidly for the following reasons:
- This would sharply reduce the air pollution resulting
from increased service.
- It would provide a readily available alternate
routing for all trains, including Amtrak's Acela, if
there should be a blockage along the Southwest Corridor.
- In association with this latter point, by providing the alternate routing, it would make it much more possible to develop Turnpike Parcels 16, 17, and 18 in ways that are desired by residents of the Back Bay, South End, and Bay Village.
4. Equity and Cost-Benefit. There is a significant disparity in already budgeted or expended capital expenditures for people along the Fairmount Line (none) and for presumed beneficiaries of other commuter rail improvement projects (close to a half-billion dollars). I would like to think that it is simply coincidental that there is also a significant disparity in the proportion of members of minority populations along the Fairmount Line (79%) and in the other communities (approximately 4%). (Estimates of populations based on Boston's Population - 2000 (BRA Report #548,July 2001) and Community Profiles (Mass. Dept. of Housing and Community Development).)
Fairmount Line.
- Population, about 125,000, many thousands of whom could walk to proposed stations, 79% minority.
- Planned capital investment (MBTA Capital Investment Program FY 2003-2007) $0.
Ashland-Southborough-Westborough.
- Population, combined 41,452, perhaps 1,000 within walking distance of the stations, 7% minority. (Incidentally, rather than build the station in Ashland near the town's business district, where it could do some good to strengthen the struggling business base, the MBTA chose to construct it on the outskirts of town, where it contributes essentially nothing except potential growth of sprawl. Presumably this was done because of better access to space for parking, but it still seems an unfortunate decision.)
- Capital investment: three new stations plus $37.7 million for new bilevel coaches, largely to serve passengers from these stations.
South Shore Greenbush Line.
- Estimated 2010 population of Greenbush Line towns, 184,574. (Table IV-2, MBTA Greenbush Line Corridor FEIR, May 22, 2001). Population, 96% white. Note: The service area of the corridor contains many fewer people than do the communities through which it passes.
- Estimated ridership, 4,170 (Table IV-5). Number estimated to walk to stations, 640 (Table IV-6).
- Estimated capital costs (MBTA Capital Improvement Program FY 2003-2007), $408.7 million. Capital cost per passenger, $98,000. With respect to the credibility of T estimates, however, it should be noted that the MBTA also estimates that the Greenbush Line should be ready for service three years for now, despite the fact that a tunnel appropriate for diesel trains still needs to be designed, not just built, under a yet-to-be-determined length of Hingham Center, and that after 14 years, the MBTA still has not succeeded in erecting a handful of glorified bus shelters along Washington Street in Boston.
To us, it seems that the decision to expand service along the Fairmount Line is a "no-brainer." The only question should be how soon this expansion of service can be started. There is no real reason why it cannot be begun this coming Monday.
Although construction of the additional stations is extremely important to strengthen the resurgence of Mattapan Square and Uphams Corner, it is important to note that improvements in frequency do NOT have to, and SHOULD NOT, be delayed while construction takes place.
If desired, I can be reached during the day at (617) XXX-XXXX.
With thanks for your attention,
Sincerely,
Edward Jay Allan
Secretary