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Lang mulls options on rail
 Mayor
renews idea of Lakeville route
By Jack Spillane, Standard-Times staff writer
New Bedford Mayor Scott W. Lang has quietly begun
exploring the possibility of connecting the long-sought
SouthCoast commuter rail line to the
Lakeville/Middleboro station.
Mayor Lang says the connection might be more economical
and have New Bedford-Boston trains running sooner than
waiting for construction of the preferred route through
Raynham and Stoughton.
The first-term mayor's interest in re-examining a rail
route discarded nine years ago (after an extensive
study) has raised concerns among the legislative
delegation, as well as with Fall River Mayor Edward M.
Lambert Jr..
Though SouthCoast lawmakers have given him a green light
to have the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic
Development District reanaylze the Lake-ville
alternative, they are skeptical. They believe that
nothing but the long-planned Stoughton route will
transport commuters quickly enough to attract
significant ridership.
They also are worried that a division on SouthCoast over
the rail route could cause Boston-area lawmakers to
delay the two-decade-old project further or decide in
favor of a cheaper Lakeville route that will never be
fast enough to attract commuters.
"I appreciate the intellect Scott Lang has brought to
some of the regional issues," Mayor Lambert said. "My
sense is that he's just thinking out loud. That's not
bad, as long as it's only thinking out loud."
Mayor Lambert said Mayor Lang has committed to the
region being unified behind the Stoughton route. And
Mayor Lang told The Standard-Times that the more direct
Stoughton route makes the most sense in the long run.
Still, Mayor Lang insisted that the Lakeville route
could be a less expensive, interim connection to Boston
until the state is willing to fund the Stoughton route.
"What I'm simply saying is that as we build the rail,
I'd like to see every option and opportunity explored,"
he said.
Connecting New Bedford and Fall River to the Lakeville
commuter station could break the deadlock over the high
cost of the Stoughton route, as well as the
time-consuming environmental permits needed for it,
Mayor Lang argued.
The Lakeville connection would cost an estimated $350
million, rather than the $800 million to $1 billion
price tag of the Stoughton route, he noted. He also
contended that the previous studies of the Stoughton
route may be outdated now that automobile commute times
have increased as Route 24 has grown increasingly
congested.
"All I'm saying is let's get a dialogue going," Mayor
Lang said. "I think everything should be looked at."
He advocated the possibility of the Lakeville route to
all the gubernatorial candidate this fall and the entire
delegation, along with the two mayors, discussed the
Lakeville alternative at a Boston meeting this past
July.
Mayor Lang's advocacy for a Lakeville option drew a
worried reaction from his longtime former law partner,
Democratic state Rep. William Straus of Mattapoiset.
Rep. Straus said a short-term Lakeville connection would
kill any chance of ever completing the Stoughton line.
"That would be all you'd ever get," said Rep. Straus of
the connection to the Lakeville station.
Rep. Straus, a seven-term legislator, is a former vice
chairman of the House Transportation Committee.
SouthCoast will only get one chance in the forseeable
future at an expensive project like commuter rail, he
contended. "That's the way major capital projects work,"
he said.
He also pointed out that the MBTA's environmental
justification for the shorter Stoughton route is based
on the Lakeville route's commuting times being too long.
One rationale for Mayor Lang's advocacy of the Lakeville
option is the state government's track record of
favoring Boston-centric mass transit projects over those
from outside the Route 495 area.
The MBTA — the Boston-based rapid transit agency that
undertakes mass transit and rail expansions — is already
committed to extending the Green Line subway to Medford
(a Boston suburb) and connecting the Red and Blue lines
in downtown Boston.
There is also speculation that the MBTA wants to build
costly double tracks between Boston and Braintree in
order to speed up the commute on the new Greenbush train
to the South Shore, which will come on line next year.
The MBTA examined the double-track option six years ago.
At the time, it was estimated to cost $200 million and
now the MBTA says it would certainly cost more.
Double-tracking for the Greenbush line also would
shorten the commuter trip to Boston for all the routes
south of Boston, making both the Lakeville and Stoughton
routes quicker commutes than if they were built under
current track configurations.
Double-tracking could reduce the commute time from New
Bedford on the Lakeville route — currently estimated to
be 1 hour, 37 minutes — making it a viable commuting
option for the first time.
Double-tracking could make the already shorter Stoughton
route even quicker.
Joe Pesaturo, the MBTA's spokesman, left no doubt that
double-tracking south of Boston would help all the
proposed rail lines, including the ones to Fall River
and New Bedford.
"Double track is the greatest help in minimizing trains
delays," he said in a written statement.
While SRPEDD's executive director acknowledged that the
time differences between the Stoughton and Lakeville
routes could have changed in the decade since the
original rail study, he doubted it.
"The same arguments still stand as to why (Lakeville)
line is not a good option," said Stephen C. Smith,
explaining that the Stoughton route will still be able
to accommodate more train cars than Lakeville.
In addition, Mr. Smith said that the environmental
impediments to the Stoughton line are nothing compared
to the property-takings necessary to build double tracks
from Boston south to Braintree.
"I don't think things have changed significantly," he
said.
State Sen. Mark C.W. Montigny said his first preference
remains for Governor-elect Deval Patrick to use $425
million in bonding authority already set aside to build
the Stoughton route. Sen. Montigny put that money in the
state budget five years ago when he was Senate Ways and
Means chairman.
At the governor's discretion, the bonding authority can
be used to build the Stoughton route at any time, but
neither former Acting Gov. Jane M. Swift nor present
Gov. Mitt Romney has used it.
"My sense is the best thing we can do it to urge Deval
Patrick to take a fresh set of eyes and look at this,"
Sen. Montigny said.
While he has some "concerns and hesitations" about Mayor
Lang's plan, Sen Montigny said he doesn't believe there
is any downside to discussing it.
"We've been so long at this with so little progress that
we'd be irresponsible not to listen to any ideas," he
said.
Still, "I'm skeptical," he said. "My personal priority
is to keep the focus on the direct route."
Sen. Montigny said he especially does not want to spend
another decade re-studying the issue. And if the region
ever convinced the state to build the $350 million
Lakeville connection, it might be stuck with it.
"Be careful of what you wish for," he said. "You get
that line and it may foreclose discussions on the more
direct route," he said.
Mayor Lambert, who leaves office next year, said he will
not support what he sees as a second-rate rail
connection.
"I certainly don't think we should accept something less
than other regions have been given," he said.
The Fall River mayor was referring to the fact that the
MBTA has built commuter rail extensions in other parts
of the state over the past several decades that
efficiently transport commuters to Boston.
"I think we're going to get one shot at this and we want
to have it done the right way the first time," he said.
Mayor Lambert said he is worried that if the SouthCoast
starts talking about alternatives, it could be
interpreted by Boston lawmakers to mean the region
hasn't yet decided what to do about commuter rail.
"I think we need to speak with one voice," he said.
Contact Jack Spillane at
jspillane@s-t.com
Date of Publication: December 10, 2006 on Page A09 |
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