Commuter rail service to Foxboro (Boston, Franklin: how much, neighborhood, buying)

[jayrandom]

I'm generally in favor of increased commuter rail service, but I don't think the benefits of a single commuter rail stop justify the cost. I also suspect that these trains will cause problems with the heavily-traveled Franklin line. My friend from Walpole is pretty opposed to the project for these reasons as well as increased rail traffic through town.

Walpole residents vow to stop deal to bring full-time commuter r - Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

I'm also not a big fan of the way that this is being done, as it seems like a lot of money is being spent to make the Kraft's property investment more lucrative. Given a finite transportation budget I think it would be better spent on projects more people want.

I'm interested to hear other opinions, though. Are Foxboro residents supportive of this move because it will make commuter rail transit easier?

[kingeorge]

Silly. There is always benefit to expanding public transportation options. Boston metro is growing, and so is the need for more commuter rail stops and options. We are not in Kansas anymore (nothing against Kansas). Really backward knee-jerk reaction.

Walpole people better deal with it in more constructive manner. I am personally tired of NIMBY. If you want things to always stay the same, pretend it is 1980, with places dead and with little traffic, move elsewhere. So many areas like that all over the US. You can not have your cake, and eat it too. Everything changes.

[Shizim]

i think they are more upset about how it happened than anything else.

but they have a valid point. it stops only at Gillette. if they made the stop in town somewhere with shuttles for games i think that's different. this doesn't benefit anyone one doing a daily commute into the city.

[kingeorge]

It is great to have an option for Gillette. It helps traffic. If Walpole people can see the light, they can realize some gains too or needed upgrades from MBTA as well. They are not playing it well. And why would they be throwing hissy fit about Foxboro's business?

Whenever there is a change, there is always this strong knee-jerk negative reaction that wastes time and good will. More commuter rail stops we can get, the better. We can start losing business and screw our economy because of outdated undersized infrastructure. You can not have it both ways.

Since public sector is so screwed up to not investing and expanding, it may very well be that private sector picks up the slack and make things happen in the next decade or two. Self-serving kind obviously.

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by Shizim

i think they are more upset about how it happened than anything else.

but they have a valid point. it stops only at Gillette. if they made the stop in town somewhere with shuttles for games i think that's different. this doesn't benefit anyone one doing a daily commute into the city.

That station is going to be very busy!

I can understand why the people in Walpole who live near Rte. 1 would be upset, though. Passenger trains will be running all day through their neighborhood.

Does anyone know what the plan is for the CSX trains?

[Shizim]

Originally Posted by kingeorge

It is great to have an option for Gillette. It helps traffic. If Walpole people can see the light, they can realize some gains too or needed upgrades from MBTA as well. They are not playing it well. And why would they be throwing hissy fit about Foxboro's business?

it does for events there only. they are few and far between. for a $23MM+ cost. IDK....
But i do agree, its in foxboro, not sure why they are upset.
if it was a two stop build with one in town and one at gillette i think its a no brainer.

Originally Posted by kingeorge

Whenever there is a change, there is always this strong knee-jerk negative reaction that wastes time and good will. More commuter rail stops we can get, the better. We can start losing business and screw our economy because of outdated undersized infrastructure. You can not have it both ways.

is our infrastructure so bad its costing us business? not being argumentative but can you explain to me how. i am genuinely interested. I dont actually think its THAT bad. i feel people will just complain about it no matter how good/bad it is. There are plenty of major US cities that aren't anywhere as old or densely populated with inferior buildouts.

I am for building out the commuter rail. but i think if they announced this stop as part of a series of new ones vs a Gillette only stop the reaction would have been different.

Originally Posted by kingeorge

Since public sector is so screwed up to not investing and expanding, it may very well be that private sector picks up the slack and make things happen in the next decade or two. Self-serving kind obviously.

is this an issue of individual cities having power vs. county government. doing whats good for the region vs whats good for the individual town?

[CaseyB]

Shizim, there's an existing stop at Gillette. It's used for the Patriots train that runs during the season. I don't think the residents of Foxborough would want a station in the downtown area. I don't know where you'd put it.

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by Shizim

i think they are more upset about how it happened than anything else.

but they have a valid point. it stops only at Gillette. if they made the stop in town somewhere with shuttles for games i think that's different. this doesn't benefit anyone one doing a daily commute into the city.

I think I missed something. Why wouldn't it benefit commuters going into the city? Couldn't the MBTA negotiate with the Krafts to use the lot adjacent to the rail platform for commuter parking?

Originally Posted by CaseyB

Shizim, there's an existing stop at Gillette. It's used for the Patriots train that runs during the season. I don't think the residents of Foxborough would want a station in the downtown area. I don't know where you'd put it.

I don't know how much track they're buying, but wouldn't the southern part of town near the highway be a good place to put a commuter rail stop right off I-95? It could even have a dedicated exit off the highway in addition to the local street access.

[massnative71]

This is an extremely inefficient use of money. The T is overstretched, inadequately maintained and deteriorating on the CURRENT lines. When all lines, tracks, stations etc. are brought up to acceptable modern standards and with a proper funding source; then maybe I'd take more seriously a need for a whole new line/spur with one stop on it.

[Parsec]

Is that $23M price tag just to purchase the tracks? Is any rehabilitation work required to handle more frequent traffic or higher speeds?