Murray: Mass. Underfunding Transportation Needs by $1 Billion Annually

Monday, April 02, 2012

Ashley Klann, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

$100 million has gone toward expanding the train line between Worcester and Boston, but the project will have its hardships thanks to the state’s “chronic underfunding” and agencies that have been saddled with debt.

While the focus of Lt. Gov. Tim Murray’s big-budget plan promises to bring increased transportation and jobs to Central Massachusetts, there have been proposed service cuts and rate hikes, causing concern over how the state funds transportation. Another long term issue of the train contract with CSX has been the question of how to expand South Station for the New Bedford/Fall River line.

“There is a larger question of how we fund our transportation system statewide, which is going to have to be debated sometime next year,” Murray said in response to the projected service cuts. “These cuts are proposals, and I’m hoping that with the public hearings that have taken place and working with the legislature, we can come up with resolutions so that we can prevent or minimize service cuts across the state.”

When it comes down to it, a large portion of funding to help the MBTA recover from millions of dollars of debt will either come from service cuts or rate hikes, and those who use the T are not pleased.

“Driving in Boston is a nightmare, and I rely on the T to avoid that,” said Sarah Bilotta, who frequently uses the service. “I’d be willing to pay more for the T if they ran longer hours, but I don’t see that happening, so I guess we’re all just going to have to adapt.”

Where the Debt Came From

The MBTA has a $185 million budget gap for next fiscal year. According to a press release issued by the MBTA on Wednesday March 28th, the final proposal to raise fares $0.25 on local buses, and $0.30 on subway and bus and subway lines came after many public hearings. Under the proposal, Commuter rail single trip and monthly passes would be increased an average of 29%, depending upon the zone of travel. Ferry prices will be increased an average of 33%.

Their release states: “T riders consistently advocated to preserve as much existing MBTA service as possible. In response, the final proposal relies more on fare increases than service reductions.”

The Lt. Gov. addressed this standing problem at his speech at the DCU Center Tuesday, March 27th.

Murray said, “I do think we’re going to come up with a solution for this year, but I think that as we talk about our transportation system – not just the MBTA, but for the region like the WRTA and as we look at our funding for all types of transportation – airport, roads, bridges, maritime – it has been chronically underfunded,” he said. “It goes back to the Big Dig. It goes back to how many of these agencies were saddled with debt with no way to pay for it. And we’re tying to work our way out of it.”

Working a way out of it, however, may be more expensive than Murray had anticipated. According to Murray, the state is spending $1 billion less a year than it should be spending.

A Need to Expand South Station

Multiple solutions to expanding South Station have been in the air since the plans to get more trains between Worcester and Boston was proposed – a step in the plan that is crucial as the station runs near capacity during rush hour.

One of these proposed plans was running trains to Grand Junction to avoid congestion, but while this solution is not completely out of question, according to Murray, it seems unlikely.

Joe Pesaturo Director of Communication at the MBTA said that, “MassDOT and the MBTA continue to develop expansion plans for South Station, which is believed to be the best option for managing additional capacity. In December, MassDOT notified the City of Cambridge that plans for Grand Junction would not be advanced at this time. The cost is much greater than the projected increase in ridership,” He said, adding that MassDOT and the MBTA will continue to monitor ridership and keep an eye on the level of interest in this project.

Pesaturo said, “At some point, the T will need more space at South Station to add commuter rail service from New Bedford/Fall River and to add more service on other lines during the already busy rush hour periods.” Pesaturo listed inbound and outbound service gaps that would allow for trains to be added going to Worcester, but times are not the most convenient.

Inbound gaps included:10:30 AM to 2:05 PM, 2:05 PM to 4:30 PM, 5:35PM to 7:46PM, and 7:46PM to 12:10 AM.

Outbound included: 10:16 AM to 1:41PM, and 1:41PM to 4:13 PM.

While the MBTA says they will be able to add trips to and from Worcester without either the Grand Junction or South Station expansion into the Post Office area, plans were proposed to take trains on these routes, and there is still a need for expansion if the plan to expand trips to New Bedford/Fall River goes as planned.

“We did some of the preliminary planning and feasibility running them to North Station,” Murray said. “That could still be a long-term piece.”

Plans to buy the Post Office building adjacent to South Station were suggested, but also proved to be a costly venture.

“Neither Grand Junction nor the Post Office building have any bearing on the MBTA’s ability to provide additional trips to or from Worcester this fall,” Pesaturo said. “MassDOT and the MBTA remain strongly committed to providing additional commuter rail train trips to and from Worcester this fall.”

While Murray says that the construction for the plan is going on schedule, bringing that many new trains to the line by fall will prove to be tricky.

Another Perspective

Former chairman for the Mass. Turnpike and GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™ Matt Amorello, says that any of these options would come with a price tag.

“The route from Cambridge to North Station could be done. The problem is that you’ve got two lines of track. It would require more track to be laid down. It’s a cost,” Amorello said. “[Building more] doesn’t necessarily give you any more capacity due to freight trains coming through. When you come down to too few lines in certain areas, that’s the issue.”

“It comes down to how many track lines they have down and the need for freight to come out of Boston or go into Boston,” he said.

Amorello referred to a previous deal with CSX near Harvard, when they were signed over to have layover in another site. They also agreed to reduce the number of trains during regular commuting hours so the freight would take up less room.

Amorello remains hopeful that the deal will come to fruition and will make use of the 80 acre train yard.

“If you can get Worcester to become a hub for distribution, it makes sense to have a big yard there. The space has been underutilized. The history of freight in Boston has been that it’s moved westward… now it could be moving to Worcester.”

Hopes Remain High

Despite debt and a need to eventually expand South Station, Murray has no doubt that the trains will be coming in the fall, but knows that funding is still an issue.

“I’m confident that we’ll get to a solution that will assure continued service, in the next 12-18 months, we’re going to have to have a conversation about how do we fund our statewide transportation,” he said.