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Thursday, August 2, 2012

South Coast Rail update

Just a quick follow-up on South Coast Rail, the local news site published an article:

The $1.9 billion South Coast Rail project is chugging along now that several crucial studies have been completed. The rail line would extend from Stoughton through Easton, Raynham and Taunton, then split into two lines, to Fall River and New Bedford. In the past seven months, studies regarding noise, crossings and public safety, along with environmental impact studies concerning water quality and coastal development management, have been wrapped up, project director Jean Fox said.
 [...] The new line is expected to serve roughly 8,000 to 9,500 people daily. Thirty-eight trips a day to Boston’s South Station are anticipated.

The article probably doesn't mean much, but I noticed that the numbers have quietly been changed since my last review. The price tag quoted is now close to two billion dollars, and the ridership projections are creeping back up after being revised downward to 4,070. So, that puts the cost per rider at about $200,000 to $240,000. An absolutely ridiculous cost, for a service that -- at best -- will be 5 minutes faster than the proposed Rapid Bus alternative.

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