Is Slower Rail Still OK?

Ben Franklin coined the phrase "Lost time is never found again." Keeping that in mind, local business leaders and legislators meeting in Boston with the MBTA Fiscal Management and Control Board are discussing the Middleboro Rail proposal that has been gaining steam. There's a potential for opportunity for a diesel rail connection that could be built for less than the Stoughton route, and much quicker, too. But one critical question that hasn't been discussed at length centers around the total time of the trip.

The Middleboro route will add anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes in travel time to the commute. Stoughton's route is acknowledged as the faster one. Could this extra time have significant implications for future passenger numbers? If just a few minutes matter greatly in a morning commute on days where delays are low, will adding the extra time defeat the purpose of commuters taking the train into Boston. Wouldn't it be an ironic twist of destiny to finally get the train, and hardly anyone uses it?