It will take at least 10+ years before optimistically the commuter rail becomes efficient and reliable. If we push the goal posts out and require a greener, electric, non diesel commuter rail, I hope to be still alive at that point.
For a brief moment, let's think about other ways to get people off the roads and onto Mass Transit from Lincoln. The red line will get better before the commuter line. So, let's see if we can move Lincoln commuters efficiently to the red line. https://128bc.org/schedules/alewife-route-a-south/ There are at least four buses that in the morning shuttle passengers from the Alewife red line station to big office parks in Waltham/Lexington, right on the Lincoln border. They all return to Alewife to pick up their next set of passengers completely empty. The afternoon is the exact opposite. Lincoln commuters travel to Boston in the exact opposite to the office park workers. If we work together with our neighbors, maybe Lincoln commuters could get an express bus from Lincoln to Alewife in the morning, and an express bus from Alewife to Lincoln in the afternoon. Running optimally (hopefully in a few years), the red should take 15 to 20 minutes from Alewife to downtown Park Street. Add in an express bus to/from Alewife and that takes 15 minutes and we have a viable, efficient mass transit link to the city that would actually reduce our carbon footprint instead of waiting 10+ years Let's open a discussion to improve Mass Transit to all Lincoln townspeople with creative solutions, instead of putting all our eggs in the commuter rail basket. Peter Buchthal Weston Rd. On Tue, Nov 21, 2023 at 9:11 PM DJCP <djcp0...@gmail.com> wrote: > I understand people have had bad experiences in the past but Governor > Healey has hired a new General Manager, Philip Eng, and he's already doing > great things. Sure, those things are catching up on a backlog of regular > maintenance and fixing the Green Line Extension screw up where the tracks > are too narrow, but I believe Healey is committed to making public > transportation better. That was my point in posting the Radio Boston > segment - an actual statement from a state official looking forward, > instead of looking backward and relying on intuition. > > Diana > Giles Rd > > On Tue, Nov 21, 2023, 8:14 PM slsweet830 via Lincoln < > lincoln@lincolntalk.org> wrote: > >> What about the lack of handicapped accessibility? Years ago, as my >> daughter struggled to get on the train here in Lincoln, a helpful. >> conductor said that the plans to make the Lincoln stop handicapped >> accessible was years away. She suggested we drive to Waltham's handicapped >> accessible station. >> >> A certain number of housing units must be handicapped accessible, but our >> train station is not. This is a problem. >> >> >> >> Sent from my Galaxy >> >> >> -------- Original message -------- >> From: Kathleen Lomatoski <klomato...@gmail.com> >> Date: 11/21/23 8:00 PM (GMT-05:00) >> To: Margo Fisher-Martin <margo.fisher.mar...@gmail.com> >> Cc: Lincoln Talk <lincoln@lincolntalk.org> >> Subject: Re: [LincolnTalk] Mass. Investment in Communities that Build >> Around Commuter Rail Stations >> >> I was a dedicated MBTA (via Alewife) and then a commuter rail rider for >> many years from Lincoln to North Station. I tolerated decidedly not great >> service and schedules, losing a lot of my daily time to delays, broken >> trains, etc. (You don’t get the time back!) Generally many of us support >> public transit yet admittedly the system needs massive resources to >> improve/maintain the infrastructure and more. I do not see significant >> improvements coming anytime in the near future, which is unfortunate. My >> work in Boston was public facing; relying on the commuter rail was a >> precarious choice, due to the frequent delays, odd train mishaps, and >> frequently occurring out of service trains or staffing issues. Planning >> some housing near transit makes sense yet I do not see that choice as one >> that will compel necessary improvements in the short term especially. >> >> Kathleen Lomatoski >> >> >> klomato...@gmail.com >> >> On Nov 21, 2023, at 7:25 PM, Margo Fisher-Martin < >> margo.fisher.mar...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> >> It’s not getting better even if we do comply. >> I hate to say it, but it’s true. >> And then if we do comply, we have a congested center with lousy service. >> The system is corrupt. Just like the RMV. >> Why should it get better just because there are new units there? The >> state cannot manage funds. Hence the nickname Taxachusetts. >> Sorry to be so negative, but the system is just going down the tubes. >> They will have to address safety issues before they even look at service >> issues. >> >> >> >> On Tue, Nov 21, 2023 at 7:13 PM Lis Herbert <lisherb...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> I grew up riding Metro-North, and I understand that by comparison the >>> Fitchburg line is not great. The frequency is a problem, and that in large >>> part dictates the degree to which people depend on it, and their attitude >>> towards it. >>> >>> But it’s not getting any better if we don’t comply. I think we can be >>> sure of that, both because the demand won’t be sufficient, and we’ll have >>> thumbed our noses at the idea of being a mass transit-oriented community. >>> >>> It’s not clear to me how somebody can wish for improvements to the >>> commuter rail in Lincoln and not see that concentrating density around the >>> train is the answer. (I’m not saying you’re a somebody, by the way, just >>> pointing out that I’ve heard plenty of people trying to play both sides of >>> the coin.) >>> >>> Sent from my iPhone >>> >>> On Nov 21, 2023, at 6:25 PM, V Saleme <bmwkbi...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>> Those of us who commuted into the city for work from here, have been >>> waiting for decades for improvements, frequency of service and reliability >>> to occur. >>> >>> The waiting continues. >>> >>> Vic >>> >>> On Tue, Nov 21, 2023 at 6:09 PM Lis Herbert <lisherb...@gmail.com> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> Nowhere does it say that the train has to stop in Lincoln. We might not >>>> have a sense for how the state plans to approach the MBTA shortfalls, but I >>>> think it's a certainty that unless Lincoln demonstrates a commitment to >>>> meaningful density around the station, we can bet against improvements in >>>> service and frequency for Lincoln commuters. I hope we can all at least >>>> agree that improvements aren't happening if we vote to avoid rezoning much >>>> of that area in favor of car-centric development (that will, let's be >>>> honest, not happen) located (according to Google maps) an 8 mile, 15 minute >>>> drive away. >>>> >>>> On Tue, Nov 21, 2023 at 5:33 PM Peter Buchthal <pbucht...@gmail.com> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> While I am happy to see some recognition that our MBTA needs >>>>> investment, I would like to point out the magnitude and likelihood of >>>>> the >>>>> dollars we are talking about. Regrettably, we are many, many years away >>>>> from a properly functioning and reliable MBTA and commuter rail in >>>>> Lincoln. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> According to the Boston Globe: >>>>> >>>>> "The MBTA needs a gobsmacking $24.5 billion to repair and replace its >>>>> decrepit track, stations, trains, signals, and other assets, an agency >>>>> analysis released Thursday shows, providing the long-awaited tally of how >>>>> broken the transit system is." >>>>> >>>>> "The next most expensive is the commuter rail system, at about $8 >>>>> billion, with the bulk of investment needed for stations, followed by the >>>>> Green and Mattapan lines — which need $4.7 billion." >>>>> >>>>> <image.png> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> List to the article: >>>>> https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/11/16/metro/cost-to-fix-mbta/ >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Tue, Nov 21, 2023 at 10:55 AM DJCP <djcp0...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> After she was appointed permanent Transportation Secretary last week, >>>>>> Monica Tibbits-Nutt directly stated on Radio Boston that the Commonwealth >>>>>> would invest in communities that build around Commuter Rail stations. >>>>>> >>>>>> At about 7:10 in the segment linked here, Tiziana specifically asks >>>>>> about HCA, and at 8:50 the Secretary says Mass. will put the money where >>>>>> "the cities and towns do what needs to be done": >>>>>> https://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2023/11/13/monica-tibbits-nutt-massdot-sagamore-bourne-tobin-mbta-sumner >>>>>> >>>>>> At 5:20, the Secretary also talks about how the "inner core" needs to >>>>>> invest in housing so we can invest more in connecting places like >>>>>> Worcester. >>>>>> >>>>>> I think the whole segment is worth listening to, as she directly >>>>>> links housing to transportation. >>>>>> >>>>>> Diana >>>>>> Giles Rd >>>>>> -- >>>>>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>>>>> To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. >>>>>> Browse the archives at >>>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >>>>>> Change your subscription settings at >>>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>>>> To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. >>>>> Browse the archives at >>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >>>>> Change your subscription settings at >>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>>> To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. >>>> Browse the archives at >>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >>>> Change your subscription settings at >>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >>>> >>>> -- >>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>> To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. >>> Browse the archives at >>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >>> Change your subscription settings at >>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >>> >>> -- >> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >> To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. >> Browse the archives at >> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >> Change your subscription settings at >> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >> >> -- >> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >> To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. >> Browse the archives at >> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >> Change your subscription settings at >> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >> >> -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ > . > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > >
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