Rail Trails
According to the New England Regional Airport System Plan, which was released by the feds today, passenger traffic at Boston’s Logan airport, and New England airports as a whole, will jump by 75% within 15 years. Manchester & Portland’s facilities will see even more than that.
Damn.
Population is growing in our region; international firms are siting large, important facilities here again; our citizenry is among the wealthiest in the country and travels more than most; and domestic vacationing is continuing to grow. All of these factors lead to the projections, and they all point to an urgent need for expansion and integration of our transportation network.
Logan’s ability to grow is severely hampered by limited space and rightfully exasperated neighbors who are sick of the ever-increasing noise, pollution and traffic levels in their area. Boston’s airport is reaching it’s capacity.
Therefore, we need to start seriously integrating the 4 other major regional airports, Providence, RI, Manchester, NH, Hartford, CT and Portland, ME, into the industrial and economic fabric of the region.
Providence’s T.F. Green airport has already broken ground on their train station. It will connect directly with the downtown Amtrak station, meaning that folks all along the Northeast Corridor from Boston to eastern CT will have quick access to flights there.
How about a rail spur from downtown Hartford to the airport? With this, and an improved rail line that runs regular service from New Haven, CT to Springfield, MA (and eventually on up to White River Junction, VT), you could see the airport become a true engine of the Connecticut River Valley’s economic development.
Portland’s population is booming and Amtrak’s Downeaster service is the single fastest-growing rail line in the while country, both in terms of percentage increase in passengers and revenue. Cars are filled as soon as they can be brought into service. A rail improvement project has just been started to increase capacity along the corridor, and Governor Baldacci has issued an executive order to develop a plan to extend the line along the Maine coast to Brunswick and Auburn. Check out this map and you can see that extending the rail line, or building a quick rail shuttle across the harbor to the terminal would be a relatively short, easy task. Just doing that would give a burgeoning area an incredible boost.
Like Providence, Manchester’s airport could use an intermodal rail station at it’s facility. There are plans afoot for extending the MBTA’s commuter rail to the airport. This project needs a sense of urgency.
With rail connections made, something like 90% of the region’s population would be within 1.5 hours of TWO airport options. The next step would be to integrate regional bus routes and schedules with the trains. Logan Express-like services are being implemented along the Downeast route to make commuting to the Boston area easier. These feeder systems could help funnel travelers to their choice of airport.
A pie-in-the-sky feature that could be added to this system would be baggage and flight checking capabilities into the major rail stations. Imagine being able to get dropped off at the train station in Worcester, MA, check your bags and check into your flight at either Logan or Hartford!
Of course, rail connections to airports are not the panacea of development, but one can’t diminish their importance. One of downtown Boston’s strongest draws for corporations is it’s incredibly close proximity to it’s international airport. If you work in Manhattan, expect at least an hour-long trip to the airport for your trip. If you work downtown, you are just a 15-minute Silver Line ride from your terminal.
Providing quick, efficient and easy access for residents and business major transportation hubs is vital to sustained economic expansion.
Damn.
Population is growing in our region; international firms are siting large, important facilities here again; our citizenry is among the wealthiest in the country and travels more than most; and domestic vacationing is continuing to grow. All of these factors lead to the projections, and they all point to an urgent need for expansion and integration of our transportation network.
Logan’s ability to grow is severely hampered by limited space and rightfully exasperated neighbors who are sick of the ever-increasing noise, pollution and traffic levels in their area. Boston’s airport is reaching it’s capacity.
Therefore, we need to start seriously integrating the 4 other major regional airports, Providence, RI, Manchester, NH, Hartford, CT and Portland, ME, into the industrial and economic fabric of the region.
Providence’s T.F. Green airport has already broken ground on their train station. It will connect directly with the downtown Amtrak station, meaning that folks all along the Northeast Corridor from Boston to eastern CT will have quick access to flights there.
How about a rail spur from downtown Hartford to the airport? With this, and an improved rail line that runs regular service from New Haven, CT to Springfield, MA (and eventually on up to White River Junction, VT), you could see the airport become a true engine of the Connecticut River Valley’s economic development.
Portland’s population is booming and Amtrak’s Downeaster service is the single fastest-growing rail line in the while country, both in terms of percentage increase in passengers and revenue. Cars are filled as soon as they can be brought into service. A rail improvement project has just been started to increase capacity along the corridor, and Governor Baldacci has issued an executive order to develop a plan to extend the line along the Maine coast to Brunswick and Auburn. Check out this map and you can see that extending the rail line, or building a quick rail shuttle across the harbor to the terminal would be a relatively short, easy task. Just doing that would give a burgeoning area an incredible boost.
Like Providence, Manchester’s airport could use an intermodal rail station at it’s facility. There are plans afoot for extending the MBTA’s commuter rail to the airport. This project needs a sense of urgency.
With rail connections made, something like 90% of the region’s population would be within 1.5 hours of TWO airport options. The next step would be to integrate regional bus routes and schedules with the trains. Logan Express-like services are being implemented along the Downeast route to make commuting to the Boston area easier. These feeder systems could help funnel travelers to their choice of airport.
A pie-in-the-sky feature that could be added to this system would be baggage and flight checking capabilities into the major rail stations. Imagine being able to get dropped off at the train station in Worcester, MA, check your bags and check into your flight at either Logan or Hartford!
Of course, rail connections to airports are not the panacea of development, but one can’t diminish their importance. One of downtown Boston’s strongest draws for corporations is it’s incredibly close proximity to it’s international airport. If you work in Manhattan, expect at least an hour-long trip to the airport for your trip. If you work downtown, you are just a 15-minute Silver Line ride from your terminal.
Providing quick, efficient and easy access for residents and business major transportation hubs is vital to sustained economic expansion.
posted by Unknown at 8:11 AM
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