Wilmington Selectmen Frustrated With MBTA Safety Concerns

WILMINGTON, MA -- MBTA commuter rail trains are continuing to block Route 62 when they pick up and drop off passengers at the Wilmington station, despite objections from local fire and police officials. The Wilmington Police and Fire Departments say the traffic backups are impacting their ability to respond to emergency calls. Selectmen vented about this issue once again at Monday night's meeting after being told by Town Manager Jeffrey Hill that solving the problem would require the construction of a new platform.

"There are questions whether the MBTA even owns enough land to do that," Hull said. "In terms of funding, it’s not clear what the cost would be to construct platforms on the northbound and southbound sides."

Hull said the project would have to be included in Gov. Charlie Baker's five-year capital improvement budget. Officials have been working with state Sen. Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) in hopes of resolving the issue.

"Unfortunately, the North Wilmington station is not on their priority list," Selectman Jonathan Eaton said. "Everyone in town wants this solved. This has been a problem for a long time."

Eaton suggested "bombarding the MBTA with letters" in an effort to get movement on the issue. Selectmen said they would try to get MBTA officials to attend a future meeting to discuss the issue. Hull met privately with MBTA officials in July to discuss the blocked roadway problem.

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File photo by Dave Copeland/Patch.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).