MBTA Advisory Group Picks Most Expensive Commuter Rail Fix

BOSTON, MA — A 25-member advisory group thinks the MBTA should go all-in on fixing service on its commuter rail, opting for the most expensive of the six options it was asked to evaluate. The group presented its recommendation Monday. Under the proposal, which is only in the discussion service, the MBTA's entire network would be switched to electrified trains and offer service every 15 minutes at a cost of $28.9 billion.

Of the six options MBTA officials gave the group to consider, the least expensive was $1.7 billion. That option called for more frequent trips using existing, diesel-power locomotives. The group's deliberations as official agree there is a need to reduce volume on the state's congested highways.

According to projections, the option backed by the group and called the "full transformation" option would increase commuter rail ridership by 150 percent. By comparison, the next highest plan would increase ridership by 54 percent at a cost of $10.6 billion.

System wide, the full transformation proposal would take roughly 94,000 cars off the road on weekdays. The biggest increase in commuter rail ridership under the proposal, according to projections, would be on the Newburyport/Rockport line that serves 17 North Shore communities, including Beverly, Salem and Swampscott.

>>>> See details on all the proposals considered by the MBTA advisory group.

The proposal also calls for building the long-discussed north-south link of the commuter rail system. At Monday's meeting, advisory group members questioned the accuracy of project cost projections and noted that the plan would require creating more parking a most of the stations on the commuter rail system.

The advisory group is made up of elected local and state officials, as well as business leaders from across the state. Left unanswered at Monday's meeting: how state officials would pay for the expansion and when — or even if — the project would move forward.