Revitalizing Transportation in Greater Boston Engineering Sciences 96 Spring 2018 Mary Agajanian Daniel Ayane Michael Connors Ibrahim Elnaggar Alexandra Fehnel Will Fried Elizabeth Healey James Jones John Alex Keszler Matthew Li James McLean Nick Pham Zaria Smalls Nicole Trenchard Adam Vareberg Lyra Wanzer Table of Contents Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary 2. Introduction to problem 3. Investigation 3.1 MBTA 3.2 System Mapping Stakeholder Map 4. Defining the problem and ideation 5. Framing of Solutions 5.1 Problem Statement 5.2 Criteria 6. Development of solutions 6.1 Street Transformation 6.1.4 Evaluation of Street Transformation 6.2 Urban Ring 6.2.1 Alignment 6.2.2 Bus Rapid Transit Elements 6.2.3 Evaluation of Urban Ring 6.2 Ferries 6.2.1 Evaluation of Ferries 7. Conclusion 8. Acknowledgements 9. Class Biosketch 10. Bibliography 1 1. Executive Summary There is a major gap in transportation infrastructure between North and South Station in Boston. Trains can’t easily move between the two stations, and there is no direct public transit route to connect the stations. A potential underground rail link has been proposed many times in the past. To tackle this transportation gap, a group of 16 students was presented with the challenge of analyzing the problem, developing problem statements, discussing the issue with stakeholders, and proposing potential solutions to mitigate the issues that arise from the gap between North and South Station. Proposals like street transformation, an Urban Ring, and ferries were suggested and evaluated. A solution space that includes these three solutions would revitalize transportation in the Boston area and provide links between the stations thereby reducing congestion, increasing connectivity, reducing emissions, and increasing public transit ridership. 2. Introduction to problem The 1-mile gap that exists between North and South Stations divides the Commuter Rail and Amtrak Systems in the Northeast Corridor. To commute from New York to Maine, a passenger would need to depart the train at South Station, walk for 30 minutes or take two T line trains to arrive at North Station. Hoping to resolve this issue of connectivity dividing the rail lines in the northern and southern parts of the city, the city of Boston contracted design consultancy company Arup to perform a feasibility assessment of one such proposal—the North South Rail Link (NSRL). During this semester, 16 students from ES96: Engineering Problem Solving and Design Project sought to perform their own assessment, and proposed alternative solutions to addressing this problem and the greater challenges facing public transportation in the Boston area. In the past, there have been many proposals to connect these stations, including the NSRL which would involve building an underground tunnel between North and South Stations. The exact route followed in this link varied with each proposal, and potential ideas included a possible “Central Station” that would be built between the two stations. The ES96 group used this past proposal as a starting idea for connecting the stations and for evaluating transportation in Boston more generally. Students in the class began early in the semester by traveling between the stations on multiple routes to gain a deeper understanding of the design challenge. They spoke to stakeholders such as the MBTA, MassDOT, Boston residents, and Boston public transportation users to determine further the complications of the system. The group consulted experts from the MBTA and documents describing the structure of existing infrastructure in Boston. Finally, the group proposed a set of solutions to connect the two stations and improve infrastructure in the Greater Boston area. The group’s criteria for evaluation included reducing congestion, increasing connectivity, reducing emissions, and increasing public transit 2 ridership. The combined solution space spanned by all three proposals satisfies these criteria. These proposals include a road transformation of Congress Street, an Urban Ring, and a ferry system. Congress Street’s road transformation uses the principles of road redesign to include integrated bike lanes and pedestrian friendly zones. The creation of the Urban Ring aims to circumferentially connect the greater Boston area with a bus rapid transit system. Finally, the ferry system utilizes the existing waterways to connect North and South Stations. The implementation of these proposals could assist in revitalizing Boston’s transportation infrastructure. 3. Investigation 3.1 MBTA Background Looking at the history of rail in Boston allows for a better understanding of the challenges that face transportation in Boston today. Boston’s interconnected train lines were initially built by private companies to serve and develop specific communities. As they were not built in cooperation with each other, two distinct rail lines served the northern and southern parts of Boston. As a result, the constructions of North and South Stations were independent of one another. The two stations were originally linked by the Atlantic Avenue Elevated Line (AAEL), an elevated train line that served inner Boston and connected these two main train stations; however, due to a large drop in ridership the elevated line was shut down in 1938 and was later used in 1942 for scrap metal for WWll, leaving Boston without a North South Rail Link. Since then, Boston has been searching for a way to connect North and South Stations. A North South Rail Link was first called for in 1912, even before the AAEL was shut down. Greater Boston Area residents and politicians called for the city to find a different way to connect the stations; however the onset of the Great Depression and WWI thwarted any proposed change. The topic of connection was brought up again during the 1970s and 80s in what became known as the Central Artery/Big Dig. This idea—unpopular among Boston citizens for the toll its construction would have on the city—included plans for a central underground railway to connect North and South Stations; however, the “Big Dig” never came to fruition. In March 1987, President Reagan vetoed the federal funding of the project, citing specifically the use of the funds for the construction of a railway as the reason for the veto. In an effort to overturn the veto and receive funding the idea for the rail link was scrapped. Some years later, Boston created the “Central Artery Task Force” in order to find a way to reintroduce the rail link into the project. This task force proposed building a rail line beneath the Artery 3 tunnels that would connect North and South Station; however, the rising cost of such a project combined with public outcry against the Big Dig caused Governor Romney to suspend the project. Several years ago, Boston reinvigorated its pursuit to create a North South Rail Link. In 2014, the Massachusetts Legislature authorized funding for the update and completion of the North South Rail Link (NSRL). This led to the state soliciting bids for a $2 million feasibility study for the link. The bid was awarded in July 2017 to ARUP, one of the stakeholders considered carefully when producing the proposals here.1 Today In addressing the NSRL in the context of Greater Boston’s overall transportation system, it was important to understand fully the details of MBTA’s management, ridership, infrastructure, demographics, and project implementations as they exist today. Management Since 1964, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has managed and controlled the rapid transit rail system (the “T”), which runs in and around the immediate Boston area; however, the operation of the commuter rail system, which relies on heavy rail to transport passengers between Boston and communities within the region, is contracted out until June 2022 to French transportation company Keolis.2 Heavy rail generally refers to traditional passenger trains used to transport larger loads at more regional or extensive distances than a light rail system, which relies on smaller frames and lighter loads to carry passengers in relatively urban situations. Governor Baker has often expressed displeasure with Keolis’ management of the heavy-rail commuter rail. An important factor to consider is that the management of the commuter rail is likely to change in the near future. This is noteworthy because of the influence of the commuter rail on transportation in Boston and its direct relation to the NSRL, and should be appreciated as an opportunity for the MBTA to revise the commuter rail management system, improve oversight, and ensure that the goals of the MBTA and its commuter rail riders are better met. In addition, as the freedom to make changes is greater with entities that work better and more closely together, a new contracted partner to the MBTA could be instrumental in revitalizing this system. Ridership/Demographics Further investigation into the challenges facing the MBTA and the transportation system as a whole led the group to conduct research regarding the demographics and other relevant information about MBTA riders. 1“Boston's Two Terminals and Early Efforts to Link Them.” North South Rail Link, Citizens for the North South ​ ​ Rail Link, www.northsouthraillink.org/two-terminals/. 2 Bedford, Keith. “Baker Criticizes Keolis over Post-Storm Commuter Rail Struggles - The Boston Globe.” ​ BostonGlobe.com, The Boston Globe, 11 Jan. 2018, ​ www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/01/11/baker-criticizes-keolis-over-post-storm-commuter-rail-struggles/ynQ2Fd Q0bZ3vtnK5N00fkJ/story.html. 4 Using ridership information including general demographics, overall ridership numbers, trip reason, destination, modes of transportation after egress, and transfers—collected from a survey conducted by the MBTA in 2008–2009—gave an idea of the factors relevant to determining potential ridership of the NSRL. This survey was given to commuter rail passengers during commutes and had a male-to-female ratio of 54% to 46 %. It found that 53% of riders are in a household income bracket of $100k/year, and 80% a bracket of $60k or more.