MBTA could electrify commuter rail network for between $800m and $1.5b

MBTA could electrify commuter rail network for between $800m and $1.5b

BOSTON, October 20, 2021 —

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority could electrify its commuter rail network for between $800 million and $1.5 billion, according to a new report from advocacy group TransitMatters out today. Electrification would not only help reduce the Commonwealth's greenhouse gas emissions and achieve net-zero, but also allow the MBTA to run faster, more reliable trains.

"Electrifying our rail network would be a win for everyone in the region," said Jarred Johnson, TransitMatters Executive Director. "People from Lowell or Dorchester will get faster rides into Boston and people in Dorchester and Roxbury will have fewer toxic fumes in their neighborhoods. Teamed with better service, electrification will get people out of cars and open up opportunities for housing." 

According to the report, electrifying the trains using an overhead catenary system is preferable to new technologies like battery power or hydrogen fuel cells for two main reasons: firstly, they are expensive, immature technologies with many hurdles to overcome before they can be deployed in Boston's wintry conditions; secondly, they are much heavier compared to the better solution of electric multiple units, or EMUs. These trains are more like subway or light rail vehicles than the Commuter Rail's traditional use of Diesel locomotives to haul unpowered carriages. As a result, they are lighter, accelerate and brake faster and have fewer moving parts, resulting in greater reliability and longer lifespans.

"EMUs outperform other trains in every respect: speed, acceleration, energy consumption, passenger comfort, operating costs, reliability, procurement costs and maintenance costs," the report states. "Combined, these allow electric trains to cover routes more quickly, and allow significantly more service to be provided with the same number of resources."

The cost estimate is based on international best-practices and does not include extending rail service to New Hampshire or making Cape Cod a year-round service. Nor does it include the Needham Line, which TransitMatters recommends becoming an extension of the Orange Line. Costs also do not include rolling stock, since the MBTA's Diesel locomotives and carriages must be replaced regardless of whether the system is electrified. The cost of high level platforms are also not included as these vary depending on the type of platform, some MBTA stations already have full high level platforms and the MBTA should be building them for greater accessibility regardless.

TransitMatters is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving transit in and around Boston by offering new perspectives, uniting transit advocates and informing the public.    

For media inquiries, please e-mail media@transitmatters.org. 

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October 28, 2021 —

We have issued a revision to our electrification report issued last week due to a misclassification of Caltrain's substations. We have also provided more info in the comparison matrix regarding the figures associated w/ Denmark & Britain's electrification. We thank everyone who promptly brought this to our attention to improve the accuracy of our report. We have replaced the report in kind on our website, so direct links still should work. The abstract contains a summary of revisions.

Media Statement: Red Line Derailment at Broadway

Media Statement - Red Line Derailment at Broadway

BOSTON, September 28, 2021— 

A high functioning public transit system is essential for Metro Boston's economy, providing access to jobs & key destinations, reducing traffic congestion & providing mobility equity. It is also essential if Massachusetts is going to attain its carbon emissions goals. A series of recent events disrupting MBTA service underscores the urgent need for the Governor and Legislature to provide the T with the necessary resources to step up critical repair and maintenance activities. This should include an ambitious agenda to inventory and repair or replace aging infrastructure across the system.

While we do not yet know the cause of this morning's derailment, older Red Line cars have a history of platform strikes, namely at Charles/MGH. The MBTA also must take every necessary and appropriate action to accelerate delivery of new Red and Orange Line cars. Finally we call on the Governor to appoint an MBTA governing board with members who can match or exceed the expertise of the former FMCB. The nearly three month delay in making these appointments is unacceptable.

TransitMatters has confidence that a properly funded MBTA, with the right internal resources, can deliver quality service in Metro Boston. Transit matters a lot to the overall quality of life and economy of our region. We all need to treat it as the essential public good that it is.

For media inquiries, please e-mail media@transitmatters.org. 

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Photo credit: Elisabeth Boyce-Jacino

All Day Frequent Service on Old Colony Lines Can Be Achieved for $630 million

TransitMatters Report: All Day Frequent Service on Old Colony Lines Can Be Achieved for $630 million 

BOSTON, MAY 18, 2021 -- TransitMatters today released its latest report detailing how the MBTA’s commuter rail lines could be transformed into fast, frequent Regional Rail, this time focused on the Old Colony Lines -- Greenbush, Kingston/Plymouth and Middleborough/Lakeville lines.

Speeds of 100 mph are attainable, allowing one-way trips to take 45 minutes or fewer, while today they take about an hour. In addition, vast increases in frequency are possible through double tracking the Dorchester bottleneck and Quincy Center station. Whereas each line today sees a train once every two hours at best, TransitMatters’ recommendations make service every 30 minutes possible, a fourfold increase. Fixing the bottleneck will also make regular service to Cape Cod communities, subsuming the CapeFLYER service, possible, boosting tourism and allowing residents to travel to Boston by train year-round. Work on the bottleneck and Old Colony lines, along with electrification and new stations, brings the total investment to $630 million.

"Brockton, Plymouth, Randolph, and other South Shore communities have dealt with slow, infrequent rail service for too long,” said Ethan Finlan, TransitMatters’ Regional Rail campaign director. The steps in this report will make the South Shore's rail transit much more accessible and useful." 

Residents of Brockton, the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts, will especially benefit. Currently it is both faster and cheaper for Brocktonians commuting to Boston to take a two-seat journey involving a bus to Ashmont and change for the MBTA Red Line, but the improvements proposed in the new report will allow for a single seat ride to South Station in 25 minutes. With fare integration, so that Regional Rail riders would be charged similar fares to MBTA rapid transit riders, it would be cheaper as well. 

The most recent addition to the MBTA’s commuter rail system, the Old Colony lines serve important Gateway Cities like Brockton and Quincy, Boston’s bigger suburbs like Weymouth and Randolph, the college town of Bridgewater and the major tourist destination of Plymouth. In addition, the CapeFLYER uses the Middleborough/Lakeville Line to take passengers to Wareham and Hyannis, while Phase One of South Coast Rail, currently under construction, will also use it to take riders to New Bedford and Fall River. 

TransitMatters is a Boston-based nonprofit advocacy group committed to making public transit affordable, accessible and reliable for all. ###

Contact: media@transitmatters.org

Press Package (graphics, photos, statement):
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1Gy_QrcwEq27ilE104tpC6JnHmOU0q8V3