Friday's News

Train Rider took today off.

Thanks to DJ for pointing out the typo made to one of Train Rider's posts from yesterday. Train Rider is so used to taking the P508 train that the P512 train's arrival time was accidentally listed as 8:04 a.m. (impossible - unless a super hero is powering the train) instead of 9:04 a.m. DJ - thanks for noticing the typo.

An editorial about the proposed commuter rail line extension to New Bedford and Fall River ran today on SouthCoastTODAY.com. The state has been discussing extending the commuter rail line to the South Coast of Massachusetts for the past 15 years. This is a major population hub which does not currently have a mass transit option for access to Boston. Due to the growth in towns along Route 24 over the past 10 - 15 years, Route 24 has become a log-jammed highway. Due to funding issues, there is a proposal for adding a dedicated bus along Route 24 in lieu of a commuter rail. This is what the editorial board thinks of that idea:

Meanwhile, SouthCoast taxpayers have been shelling out their share of the nearly $15 billion Big

Dig central artery project for Boston, not to mention the expansion of several of that city's MBTA lines. The only thing that will satisfy this region is commuter rail service linking the two SouthCoast cities to Boston in the most convenient and cost-efficient manner possible. A bus slogging along in its own designated lane along Route 24 is not the answer, especially given that traffic along the roads into Boston continues to worsen.

Besides, private buses already run to Boston a couple of times a day. The area needs rail. It's better for the environment, gets more cars off the road and represents the fulfillment of a longstanding promise by the state to the region.

I actually don't understand why the state pushed through the Greenbush line extension. I've never understood why Greenbush happened. The towns abutting the Greenbush line were against it 15 or 16 years ago. But someone wanted it to go through. I would think that extending the commuter rail to the South Coast first would have made more sense.

Here's hoping that the underground fires today in Harvard Square didn't mess up anyone's commute.