(The following story by John Dyer appeared on the Boston Globe website on June 24, 2010.)
BOSTON — The western suburbs of Boston wanted more commuter-rail trains. Now, they might get them. In their backyard.
State and CSX officials say they are close to sealing a $100 million deal that could include adding at least seven rail trips, and improve the on-time record, for the MBTA’s chronically delayed Framingham-Worcester line.
But the plan presents potential challenges as well, ranging from more trains passing through downtown intersections and greater demand for commuter parking to accommodating a revived freight facility in Westborough.
Many local officials consider the agreement a significant step in their efforts to reduce congestion and pollution by persuading people to abandon their cars for public transportation, while making residents’ commutes easier.
If the deal is finalized, at least one train could be added to rush-hour service, and one or two might be diverted to Boston’s North Station, bypassing Back Bay and South Station, said state Department of Transportation spokesman Colin Durrant.
“It’s a good thing,’’ said Elaine Lazarus, planning director in Hopkinton, whose residents often use the Ashland and Southborough commuter rail stations. “If there are more trains and they are more convenient, then I think they’ll be used.’’
But Lazarus and others also noted that new opportunities presented by the deal, expected to take effect in 2012, would entail potentially controversial changes. Westborough, for example, would host new freight facilities that might handle ethanol and other chemicals, according to representatives from Jacksonville, Fla.-based CSX, one of the country’s leading freight transportation operations.
More trucks would use the town’s streets, the CSX officials noted.
Other area communities might need to address issues raised by more commuter trains. Ashland and Framingham officials have complained about trains halting traffic as they pass through their downtowns. Others said the cash-strapped Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority might need to build larger parking structures to accommodate more commuters.
None of the problems should sink the deal, officials said. Rather, they’re a sign of how state leaders need to keep focused on the issue. “Already the commuter rail station’s parking lot is overflowing on most days,’’ said Westborough Town Manager Jim Malloy. “There is really a demand for commuter rail here.’’
Under the larger agreement, the state would spend $50 million to purchase 21 miles of CSX-owned tracks between Framingham and Worcester, and another $50 million to buy the New Bedford-Fall River line and the CSX tracks in South Boston.
As part of the deal, CSX would move its sprawling rail-yard and maintenance facility from Allston to sites in Worcester, Westborough, and West Springfield. It would free space for commuter trains and give MBTA dispatchers more control over the lines. As owner of the rail tracks, CSX gives its freight trains priority over commuter traffic, often putting the T’s service behind schedule.
The biggest hurdle for the agreement is CSX’s proposal to move most of its Allston freight operations to an expanded yard in Worcester. City officials are expected to approve the proposal after a June 29 public hearing, although neighborhood opposition has been fierce.
The Westborough part of the deal has been less controversial, said Malloy. CSX expects to spend $18 million to renovate a disused yard the company owns in a Walkup Drive industrial park to accommodate tanker freight cars carrying everything from flour to industrial chemicals.
Used years ago for trains unloading cars bound for local dealerships, the 25-acre yard is now a largely empty and crumbling parking lot. As an auto terminal, it was used by around 125 trucks every day, a CSX statement said. If the deal goes through, an average of 35 trucks would pick up cargo daily in 2012, according to the freight company. The work will create around 100 construction jobs and around eight full-time positions.
Malloy said he didn’t anticipate much opposition to the plan. The renovation would help to bring more commuter trains to the region but would not expand the facility’s footprint. It would also improve storm-water drainage in the area, possibly attract other businesses, and probably increase the city’s tax revenue from the property, he added.
Malloy played down concerns about chemicals, noting Westborough would need to approve a site plan for the yard before CSX could handle chemical shipments there. “There’s obviously things that, if they were spilled, would require containment, but nothing that is environmentally harmful or that would be harmful for people,’’ he said.
CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan wouldn’t say how the company would react if Worcester or Westborough rejected its plans. But he said the company had chosen the two communities from numerous sites it owns around Massachusetts because they were ideal for replacing CSX operations in Allston.
The company has a long history of dealing with tanker freight cars, he added. “It’s a closed loop,’’ he said. “It’s a very secure system that takes the cargo from the rail car into the truck.’’
In Ashland, town planner Steve Kerlin said more commuter-rail trains and easier access to Boston would make the community more attractive for homebuyers and businesses. But, as in Framingham, traffic can get clogged when trains pass through Ashland Center. The town was conducting a study on how to mitigate the problem, but most fixes would probably be prohibitively expensive, he said.
“The problematic issue with increased trains is that you have greater delays on local streets, particularly Main Street and Cherry Street, where there are level crossings,’’ Kerlin said. “There is going to be an issue with traffic.’’
Framingham Town Manager Julian Suso said railroad traffic already cuts downtown in half 62 times each weekday — with 42 commuter trains and 20 freight trains passing through — by closing off the grade crossing at Route 126 and Route 135, adding up to 2 1/2 hours of stalled traffic a day. Sending more trains for the MBTA’s Framingham-Worcester commuter service into Boston would only make the congestion worse, Suso said.
“Framingham remains deeply concerned regarding the continuing impact of commuter rail traffic through downtown,’’ he said. “We are quickly approaching a three-hour total closure of downtown due to rail movements daily.’’
The town has nearly completed a study exploring options for realigning the rail crossings downtown, Suso said.
Another major issue for planners is getting people to the rail stations, which are typically swarming with commuters jockeying for parking during the morning rush, and then heading for home in the evening.
“We’re so autocentric,’’ said Ashland’s Kerlin. “How can you make it work without people needing that second vehicle just to get to the station?’’
Marlborough Chamber of Commerce president Susanne Morreale Leeber agreed. The local transportation agency gives commuters two options if they want to use commuter rail, but neither is great, she said.
To reach the Southborough station, Marlborough residents can call the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority to arrange a pickup, and the transit agency offers a fixed bus route to Framingham but it does not extend coverage to the eastern side of the city, she said. However, MWRTA administrator Ed Carr said he hopes to soon acquire funding to serve Marlborough’s east side.
“I would like to see more shuttle buses,’’ Moreale-Leeber said. “You need a car to get to the train out here.’’
But more buses wouldn’t be a silver bullet, she added, since even people who can drive to the nearby Southborough station can’t necessarily catch a train.
“Not many Marlborough resident are able to utilize it, because it is always full.’’