Beverly Mayor Named To Board To Consider MBTA's Future

BEVERLY, MA -- Beverly Mayor Mike Cahill is the lone public official from the North Shore named to the Rail Vision project, a board that will make recommendations on modernizing the MBTA. The group has been reviewing previous studies, data and ridership projections and had its first meeting in June. "The study’s results will identify the most cost-effective strategy for leveraging the MBTA’s rail network to meet new trends in travel and to address the economic growth needs of the region," MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said in a statement.

Cahill told the Salem News, which first reported this story, that smaller proposals could include more frequent runs, expanded schedules and more cars to accommodate more riders. The group may also need to consider more costly proposals, including converting to an electric commuter rail system and reuidling outdated stations. "These are very big items in terms of both their cost and their ability to transform people's ways of getting around the region," Cahill said.

For more on this story, see the Salem News. Subscribe to Beverly Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.

Patch file photo.