Today’s news that the best chance for increased rail service to Boston may eventually be through the Fitchburg line was an interesting revelation.
But what would the hypothetical trip mean for commuters, already annoyed by trip times from Union Station to South Station?
- The existing ride from Fitchburg to Ayer is scheduled for about 20 minutes, including two intermediary stops. Union Station is more than twice the distance, and today’s Telegram article cited the potential for four intermediary stops in West Boylston, Clinton, Lancaster, and Harvard. Still, let’s call it a bit more than double, and say 45 minutes.
- The existing Ayer to North Station segment doesn’t have any existing non-stop trains, but there is one daily express that makes three stops: in Littleton, South Acton, and Cambridge’s Porter Square. That trip segment – from Ayer to North – is scheduled for 59 minutes.
- Let’s assume that officials cut the stops in Littleton and South Acton, saving 5 minutes. (The existing “express” train cuts out 10 stop, and saves 14 minutes)
- So we’re left with a scheduled trip of 1 hour and 39 minutes, compared to the 1 hour and 28 minutes scheduled for the morning “express” train from Worcester to Boston. It’ not that much more, if those allowances all worked out. And, for those commuters who work closer to North Station, the trip could end up saving time over their current commute. Of course, for a Worcester-based worker living 15 minutes from Union Station with a 10 minute walk/subway ride in Boston, the trip starts crawling over 2 hours.
3 Comments
March 6, 2008 at 12:58 pm
This is one where the size (in square miles) of the city starts to come into play. If you live in Greendale, for example, I can see that you might rather go to West Boylston than drive into the traffic in center city.
March 6, 2008 at 4:30 pm
It would be great to see the Worcester area serviced by an additional train line, especially for those people who work near North Station or in Cambridge.
However, since the T is crying about being bankrupt, I really wish local officials would work to try to improve the existing Worcester-Framingham line before extending a second commuter rail line to the Worcester area.
March 7, 2008 at 10:30 am
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