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Division of Metropolitan Planning 10USE No. 210 SPECIAL REPORT OF THE DIVISION OF METROPOLITAN PLANNING RELATIVE TO uNIFIED STEET RAILWAY SERVICE IN CHELSEA, REVERE, EVERETT, MALDEN, AND BOSTON. January, 1925 WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING COMPANY 32 DERNE STREET BOSTON 9 HOUSE —No. 210. H Cl)t Commontoealtl) of SPECIAL REPORT OF THE DIVISION OF METROPOLITAN PLANNING, 11 Beacon Street, Boston, 9 December, 1924, To the Honorable Senate and House of Rt •presentatives, in General Court assembled. Chapter 45 of the Resolves of 1924 c mtains, among other provisions, the fol- lowing Resolved , That the division of metropolitan ianning, of the metropolitan district commis- sion, is hereby directed to investigate and ma recommendal ions as to . the /. The subject matter of house document No. 1604 of current year, entitled “An Act providing for unified street railway service in Chelsea, Revere, Everett, Malden, and Boston.” In conformity with that resolve, this Division respectfully submits its report. House document No. 1604 of 1924 is a bill prepared by the Committee on Met- ropolitan Affairs and Committee on Street Railways, sitting jointly, providing for the acquisition by the Boston Elevated Railway Company of the Chelsea Division of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Company. This bill was based upon a report of this Division contained in House Document No. 1340 of 1924. The Chelsea Division of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway serves parts of Chelsea, Everett, Malden and Boston, and is the only street railway company doing business in the city of Revere. This Chelsea Division reaches Scollay Square through the subway, thus accommodating passengers en route and those wishing to reach the vicinity of that tern rus, but the very large number of per- sons living in Chelsea and Revere who d' ire to reach points on the Boston Ele- vated must pay two fares. With the exception of the Chelsea Div don, the Boston Elevated supplies the entire electric street railway service of tin Metropolitan District within five miles of the State House; and it seems both fai and reasonable to this Division that on equitable terms the Chelsea Division be a yuired by the Elevated, to the end that the entire Metropolitan District within fly- miles of the State House may be served by a single railway with a single fare. After many conferences with officials of lie interested cities, and with the officer? of the Eastern and the Elevated, a draft of a bill was finally reached, which was satisfactory to all parties concerned. It provided for the purchase of the Chelsea Division by the Commonwealth, and its lease to the Elevated; and it further pro- vided for certain contributions by the cities served by the Chelsea Division. On the basis of the suggested bill, it was the opinion of the officers of the Elevated, that initially the Chelsea Division would be substantially self-supporting, and that ultimately it would work out as a profitable addition. It is our understanding that failure to enact the bill into law was based upon an objection to the use of State credit for the purchase of the Chelsea Division, combined with the fact that any lease made by the trustees of the Elevated could not extend beyond the period of public control, and that public control might ter- minate at any time after January 1, 1928. The result might be that the Common-, wealth would be left with the property on its hands, and with no lessee desiring to use the same. A special recess commission is now considering the whole problem of the future status of the Elevated Railway; and it is the hope of this Division, that the Legis- lature of 1925 will enact laws which will make it possible for the Elevated to finance itself in a reasonable and proper way, and carry out reasonable and proper pro- grams for extension and betterment of its service. If such a law is enacted, we believe that the Elevated should acquire the Chelsea Division of the Eastern 1925.] HOUSE No. 210, 3 Massachusetts Street Railway. We append to this report our report dated Feb- arJ 1 4, wllich gives in detail our reasons for favoring House Document Tj t mu w a^so accompany this report with a new bill similar to House Bill fen 7' f i® \r°’I\o. 1504 or the last session, it is quite possible that changes will be required in the torm ol the bill, dependent upon legislation enacted on the recommendation of the recess commission, but the bill accompanying this report covers the essen- tials of the purchase of the Chelsea Division by the Elevated, and is, we believe, a proper basis for a new bill. Respectfully submitted DIVISION OF METROPOLITAN PLANNING, H, I. Harriman, Chairman. A. C. Ratshesky. Richard K. Hale. Ralph S. Bauer. Frank G. Hall. Everett E. Stone. Francis E. Slattery. House No. 1340. Final Report of the Division of Metropolitan Planning (under Chapter 70 of the Resolves of 1923) relative to the unifying of the Trans- portation Facilities within the Cities of Boston, Chelsea and Revere. February 25, 1924. To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives: The General Court of 1923 passed the following Resolve, Chapter 70, approved May 25, 1923: Resolved, That the Division of Metropolitan Planning is hereby directed to investigate the expediency and feasibility of consolidating under one management the operation of all street railway lines in the cities of Boston, Chelsea, and Revere, and ways and means by which such result can be accomplished. Said Division shall report its recommendations together with drafts of legislation to carry same into effect to the General Court by filin'* the same with the Clerk of the House of Representatives on or before October 15 in the year; and shall current at the same time file a copy of the same with the Budget Commissioner as part of the budget estimates required to be submitted under Section 4 of Chapter 29 General Laws. of the On October 12, 1923, the Division sul preliminary -1 mitted aU*. jyi . ' stating j report thatl/llciu it was investigating the matter; was collecting data; and would submit its final report at the earliest possible date. Accordingly we herewith beg leave to submit our complete report on the subject matter of Chapter 70 of the Resolves of 1923. Street railway transportation throughout the entire metropolitan area within five miles of the State House is, with the exception noted below, furnished solely by the Boston Elevated Railway Company, the one exception being the section of the Metropolitan District north of Boston, including Chelsea, Revere, Everett :Malden and parts of East Boston, which is served jointly by the Boston’Elevated Railway Company and the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Company. This duplication of service has given rise to much dissatisfaction in Revere and Chelsea; and has resulted in many years of effort to bring about a consolidation of street railway service in those cities. It is the very general desire of the citizens of Revere and Chelsea that the Boston Elevated Railway Company acquire the Street railway lines of the Eastern within their confines. They desire this consoli- dation to provide a single fare from Chelsea and Revere to any part of the Metro- politan District served by the Elevated, and in order that street railway service jnay be generally improved. 4 HOUSE No.' 210. [Jan There is also a very general feeling that Revere Beach, a most accessible and popular seaside resort of the Metropolitan area, should be reached from all sec- tions of the District by the payment of a single fare. At present two fares are required. The State has expended a large sum in the acquisition and development of Revere Beach. It lies within four miles of Boston; and it is felt that, if Revere Beach can be reached for a single fare from any portion of the Metropolitan Dis- trict, it will greatly increase the patronage of the Beach and add to the welfare and pleasure of the citizens of Metropolitan Boston. This entire question was very thoroughly considered by the Department of Public Utilities and was dealt with at length in the report of that Department dated January 2,1923, House No. 1110; and the whole question has been discussed so ably and so fully in that and in other reports that we think it may be accepted as axiomatic that a consolidation of the street railway service of Chelsea and Revere under the management of the Boston Elevated Railway Company is most desirable, if it can be brought about in a way that is fair to the two street railway companies and to the public. Accordingly, we address ourselves to the problem of consolidation and of the means by which this result may be obtained. If the consolidation is to be brought about, it is desirable that the Boston Ele- vated Railway Company should acquire the entire trackage and property of the Chelsea Division of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Company. This includes about thirty-two miles of operating track mostly in Chelsea and Revere, but with short sections touching Everett, Malden and Boston. The present value of the Chelsea Division as reported by the Eastern Massa- chusetts Street Railway Company is as follows: Way and Structures as of June 1, 1919 .... $1,990,783 67 Additions since June, 1919 ...... 36,913 83 Rehabilitation Fund ....... 140,954 78 Total $2,168,652 28 Chelsea Shops $198,212 00 Power Plant ......... 574,061 00 Broadway Car Barns ....... 3,672 00 Malden Car Barn ........ 30,260 00 Revere Car Barn ........ 73,131 00 Equipment ......... 800,000 00 Total 1,679,336 00 Grand Total .
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