Boston has two distinct passenger terminals which require a trip across town either on foot, by public transportation, or by cab in order to make a rail connection between the two terminals. The current trolley (tram), subway system is usually overcrowded even during the off peak hours, making the journey across town between North Station and South Station very stressful for rail travelers from the north heading south or vice versa.
When the terminals were built well over century ago, they were built by competing companies. The famous North Station, where the Boston Garden sports arena is located, was once owned by the Boston and Maine and its subsidiary companies. That terminal originally dates back to the 1840s or 1850s when many different terminals were consolidated into a single one. Once the various lines were merged, the bigger North Station was built, and later modified in the 1920s, and more recently updated and renovated.
The south side is served by South Station, which was built in the early 1900s to consolidate the passenger operations of the New Haven and the Boston and Albany operations.
When the Big Dig was done to bury Interstate 93 and remove the overhead highway, there was an allowance done to allow for a rail connection between the two terminals, however, nothing more than the tunnel itself was done. There was push back as usual from the state legislature about spending money on rail infrastructure while $14 Billion was spent on the Big Dig project with its bloated costs and many over runs.
As the traffic load on the interstate has increased, and the cost of fuel has gone up, there's renewed interest in building this rail link. Let's hope there's a push forward on this rather than letting the project languish again for another 20 years.
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/planning/Main/CurrentStudies/NorthSouthRailLink.aspx
When the terminals were built well over century ago, they were built by competing companies. The famous North Station, where the Boston Garden sports arena is located, was once owned by the Boston and Maine and its subsidiary companies. That terminal originally dates back to the 1840s or 1850s when many different terminals were consolidated into a single one. Once the various lines were merged, the bigger North Station was built, and later modified in the 1920s, and more recently updated and renovated.
The south side is served by South Station, which was built in the early 1900s to consolidate the passenger operations of the New Haven and the Boston and Albany operations.
When the Big Dig was done to bury Interstate 93 and remove the overhead highway, there was an allowance done to allow for a rail connection between the two terminals, however, nothing more than the tunnel itself was done. There was push back as usual from the state legislature about spending money on rail infrastructure while $14 Billion was spent on the Big Dig project with its bloated costs and many over runs.
As the traffic load on the interstate has increased, and the cost of fuel has gone up, there's renewed interest in building this rail link. Let's hope there's a push forward on this rather than letting the project languish again for another 20 years.
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/planning/Main/CurrentStudies/NorthSouthRailLink.aspx