If Not South Coast Rail Than What?

With the dream of commuter rail connecting  Southeastern Massachusetts with Boston appearing more elusive every day one has to wonder what will be done to address the current commuter nightmare.

The Boston-based "Better City" business group says the problem gets worse over time with an estimated 80 thousand additional cars on the road every work day by 2030.  It projects an additional 14 thousand commuters on the T each day, 11 thousand more bus and trolley commuters and 1 thousand more commuter rail riders. All within 15 years. If the multi-billion dollar South Coast Rail project is not the answer to easing the commuter crunch than what is?  Anyone who travels up and down Route 24 during morning and afternoon rush can attest the fact that the problem is barely tolerable now.

For several year there have been those, most notably former New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang who have been calling for a less costly rail approach by using mostly existing track through Middleboro and up through Bridgewater.  Lang says his approach could save a couple of billion dollars and be operational in much less time.  Perhaps it's time to begin studying the Lang proposal more closely.  The Executive Director of Fall River's Office of Economic Development Ken Fiola agrees, telling me "There is a movement afoot for a Middleboro extension."

Given what we know about existing conditions  with our infrastructure and our inability to fund a massive rail project like South Coast Rail, Lang's plan seems to make sense.

Lang will be my guest in studio on Wednesday, June 8th at 2:00pm to further discuss the plan. It sounds like it may be worth a listen.