Wishful thinking...



So far, this information wasn't too interesting. However, I soon found that the railroad trestle serves as the only remaining usable link between the railroads north of Boston with the famously busy Amtrak Northeast Corridor, which carries MBTA commuter rail trains and electrified Amtrak Acela Express and Regional services from Boston to urban centers to the south. While the railroad bridge continues to decay across the Charles River, it is still used on occasion by the MBTA Commuter Rail system (MBCR) to transfer equipment between its southern and northern train yards, since there exists no other link between the Northeast Corridor's northern terminus at Boston South Station and the southern terminus of the upper New England rail lines at North Station. This has proven an inconvenience for many rail passengers needing to switch trains from the southern Regional, Acela, or Lake Shore Limited routes at South Station to the North Station's Amtrak Downeaster, serving points northward and terminating at Portland, ME. While such a connection is possible by using the downtown MBTA subway, many Amtrak employees or station agents simply suggest customers to take a cab between stations.
Thus began Boston's ambitious planning to build a North-South Rail Link, which involved building a 1-mile long rail connector through underground tunnels to connect North Station with South Station. The northern portal to the tunnel system would be constructed just north of the Charles River, and the southern end of the facility would exit the ground at two port

While planning for the link continued to advance to the point that engineers were planning access points for stations and how to reroute existing underground traffic, made more complicated by the recent completion of the underground I-93 Central Artery tunnel system, the plan was abandoned earlier this year due to exorbitant costs necessitated by the intricate planning needed for such a system. However, when the I-93 Central Artery (AKA "Big Dig") was being constructed, one portion was built on top of underground concrete walls placed for the purpose of housing a portion of the future link, in case such plans for a North-South Rail Link would materialize.
So, for now, the lonely railroad trestle, while continuing to decay and serving as a billboard for local college graffiti artists, still serves a vital purpose for Boston's railroad system as a current north-south link. Perhaps it's for the better, as the current situation allows the MBTA to boast it's state-of-the-art and clean subway system to traveling tourists, who I'm sure are eager to get off a train after a 17-hour ride from Chicago, board a red line train at South Station (after fighting through crowds and contending with the complicated Charlie Card machines), transfer at Park Street (the MBTA's busiest and most hectic station) to a Green Line Trolley, and exit at North Station (in the process getting lost and having to cross Causeway Street 3 times before finding the entrance to North Station, which happens to be the main entrance to Boston's mammoth sports arena, TD Banknorth Garden!) to board the 2-hour train to Portland. Now those are fun times!
(Below)...it would have been too pretty for Boston, anyway...and since when does Boston have room underground for this?

Please stay tuned for a post concerning my travel yesterday along the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Providence, RI...coming shortly.
2 Comments:
Fantastic post. I've wondered why there's no straight connection between the north and south stations. I'm not sure about the popularity of the Downeaster, but given the number of trains operated daily between Boston and Portland, I suspect it boasts a loyal ridership. Too bad the plan was abandoned; but no doubt it was exorbitant--extravagant, even.
Actually, the Downeaster has been enjoying renewed interest over the past few months...ridership was up 31% as of the end of July.
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