Courtesy https://www.milesonthembta.com/2016/04/auburndale.html
Writing on a West Newton online forum, Councilor Emily Norton suggests that Mayor Ruthanne Fuller may be putting MBTA funding at risk by suggesting that developers would pay to upgrade Newton’s three commuter rail stations.
Norton says that during a November 2018 meeting with Mayor Fuller and city councilors, a representative from the Department of Transportation said that MassDOT would pay for rebuilding the commuter rail stations in Auburndale, West Newton, and Newtonville.
“We don’t need funding from development to upgrade the commuter rail stations. In the last meeting we had with MassDOT they said MassDOT will pay for the upgrades,” she wrote.
Here is the timeline she laid out: “At a Nov 2018 meeting at Newton City Hall, an MBTA representative told Mayor Fuller and a group of councilors that to build 3 commuter rail stops would cost $46M, but that $20M was already budgeted for it. The mayor asked, ‘where will the other 26M come from?’ The MBTA representative said, ‘We’ll request it this year.’ Then he said ‘I think MBTA is going to fund this.'”
To be clear, this is for what is being called “Alternative 1”, which Transit Matters criticized in May 2018. At that time the T said it had $21.5 million of the $46 million needed for that particular project, but it would take two years before moving forward. At that point, Mayor Fuller said the city would contribute funds, but didn’t say how much.
On Feb. 15, Representative Kay Khan sent this letter to the MBTA noting that the city needs not just Auburndale updated, but all three stations and that while there is currently $20 million allocated, the cost for alternative 1 across the three stations would be $55 million. The much-preferred alternative 2, which involves a much fuller upgrade and access to both the north and south tracks, boosts the prices to $135 million.
“I strongly believe that Alternative 2 represents the ideal configuration of a commuter rail station, providing the greatest degree of accessibility for all riders. It also provides the ability to have reverse peak service and expands service by reducing the need to switch trains between tracks,” Khan wrote in her note to Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack.
Also on the same message board Councilor Susan Albright noted that Norton may not be entirely correct and that the state couldn’t guarantee any sort of timeline. “We haven’t had another meeting since the last one where Emily and I heard a staffer say the State would make up the difference in what was already in the kitty ($20 million) and what is needed (another $30 million) to get to Option 1. Subsequent to that meeting the T had conversations with the Mayor and Rep Khan and they made it clear that if we want the T to pay for the upgrades it won’t happen for a very long time….The Secretary promised another meeting in January and they haven’t called to set it up yet. This is one of the reasons that Rep. Khan sent that letter. We need to light a fire and get this conversation moving again,” Albright wrote.
Even if the conversation gets moving again, where does the money come from? In Allston, New Balance helped fund the commuter rail station that stops right in front of its shiny new boat-like HQ, but that’s a massive project with budgets that dwarf what is even being considered in West Newton. In fact, much of the discussion on the board (and around the village) is concern over the idea that the new zoning could allow for much taller office towers to be built.
“The amount of money we can collect from development along Washington st in Newton is not enough to pay for the improvements – not nearly enough. The New Balance project was huge by comparison to any project proposal that I’ve heard about. If we create a fund and then wait for more development until there is enough money in the kitty to rebuild the stations we may be waiting a very long time. The prior Mayor would not consider this idea – but we could do what Natick has done and bond the improvements,” said Albright.
The truth is, development on Washington Street will eventually require infrastructure improvements for public transportation, and given the 20 year timelines it will be important to get this right. Allston is clamoring for West Station to emerge out of the graveyard of the CSX switching area, and there has long been talk about using the Commuter Rail tracks for regional rail. All of this will only help our community. Of course, like everything, it comes down to money.
One more piece of the puzzle: MBTA has published new detailed Commuter Rail ridership counts from 2018.
https://www.mass.gov/lists/2018-commuter-rail-counts
The previous counts are from 2012 and the Worcester line ridership is up 45% in that timeperiod. The three Newton stations, despite their deplorable state, are up by roughly that same percentage — now around 950 riders daily.
It happens that Rep. Khan references these numbers in her letter. She says the 47% growth over the last six years represents the fastest increase on any of the commuter rail lines.
This 47% growth is apparent in the neighborhoods surrounding the Newton CR stations that are parked up all day by these commuters driving in from further west.
We’re asking for $135 million for 950 weekly riders? Hard to see that being good use of state funds.
*950 daily riders. Same comment.
@paul that is one way to look at it. I think the way the city see it is that we’re asking for funds so that we can grow and increase ridership.
I saw a meme image recently, you know the one, with the guy looking at the woman who just walked by while his girlfriend looks annoyed?
The guy was : Car owners who love transit
The attractive woman was: A hypothetical train their city doesn’t have the density to support
The girlfriend was: A bus that just passes by their house.
First, universal accessibility to public facilities is a civil right under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Second, current ridership does not reflect potential ridership. Run DMUs (diesel multiple units) on the Worcester line, run it with closer to subway-like frequency, and include the existing rail spur between Riverside and Auburndale.
All of a sudden you have a Green Line connection/alternative with 25 minute rides to Back Bay and South Station. With equivalent service to Newton for reverse commuters and shoppers. All connected to a walkable, bike-shareable future Washington St. and whatever Riverside ends up becoming.
Sounds like a pretty awesome use of State money to me.
Mike,
I strongly agree with you, but EMUs (Electric Multi Units) would be even better. They accelerate much faster than diesel locomotives, and combined with level boarding platforms, they would cut travel time by 40%.
http://transitmatters.org/regional-rail-doc
Plus they are cheaper to operate than diesel trains, are significantly more reliable, would improve air quality, would reduce carbon pollution, etc.
You want to compare that policy cost-benefit analysis to addressing the opioid epidemic, homelessness, hunger, pre-K and K-12 education?
The presumption that Newton needs $135 million to support 950 daily riders (and growing) I’m embarrassed that our elected officials have asked for it.
Paul – Yes it should be compared to all those things. Public Mass Transit helps reduce homelessness by providing people a way to get to jobs. Jobs help reduce hunger and provide taxes. Plus mass transit reduces traffic – do you want 950 additional cars on the Pike daily? Which also reduces pollution – transit is 40% of Newton and MA’s CO2 emissions.
Reducing traffic pollution also benefits kids health and reduces medical costs:
“They concluded that traffic pollution causes asthma attacks in children, and may cause a wide range of other effects including: the onset of childhood asthma, impaired lung function, premature death and death from cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular morbidity. The area most affected, they concluded, was roughly the band within 0.2 to 0.3 miles (300 to 500 meters) of the highway.” https://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/healthy-air/outdoor/air-pollution/highways.html
https://kinder.rice.edu/2017/08/07/access-to-jobs-is-about-access-to-transit
Many thanks to Rep Kay Khan for her continued efforts!
Lucia–
Slow down and think.
There is another option to upgrade the three stations for $55 million, presumably not to the same degree. You really think that additional $80 million for a better upgrade for 950 riders makes sense? Versus an upgrade for $55 million and putting the other $80 million to better use?
Really?
How selfish are we in Newton?
Paul – What are you comparing the spending too? The State spends $6.5 billion annually on transportation. How is helping people along the line between Worcester and Boston get to jobs, schools, or hospitals, etc. selfish? How is reducing traffic and its air pollution on the Pike selfish? How is upgrading train stations so they are ADA accessible selfish?
Currently, there are 950 daily riders. If the service was more frequent with better access, it could be much more.
@Paul, From what I understand,the more expensive upgrade is required if we want to increase service and go way beyond the 950 daily riders using it today.
Sometimes the best and overall cheapest plan is to do things right the first time.
Alternative 1, the cheaper single platform option, would preclude future subway-like service using DMUs or EMUs from Riverside or along the main Worcester line. That would have impact not just in Newton, but all the communities on the line west of us.
Rep. Khan’s approach is the right one: push for the plan that gives us the most flexibility to accommodate foreseeable, transformative change, while reducing the costs are much as possible. She believes economies already in use on the line can bring the additional costs down, and I believe she knows her stuff.
I’m still confused by this whole story.
Councilor Norton states that MassDOT has agreed to spend an added $27 million on Newton commuter rail station upgrades while Councilor Albright — and comments made by Mayor Fuller that I wrote about here — suggest that there’s been no such commitment from the state.
Only one version can be true. So which is it?
Back in the old days, some enterprising journalist would call MassDOT and figure this out. Nowadays folks can just pick the narrative they prefer and keep repeating it.
Can I ask why we don’t get the MBTA to open up that “spur line” to pedestrians like it used to be? People used to walk down that line all of the time between the Commuter Rail and Riverside? Or maybe even have a shuttle that runs back and forth? It’s such a short distance and was such a nice walk and if they would re-open that tunnel that goes under the track – we could have access to the river!! Win-Win!!
The most pressing problem with the Newton commuter rail stops is that they can only load/unload passengers on one track. My understanding is that that’s why service skips Newton so frequently. For example, it would be super convenient to take a commuter rail train to the Yawkey stop if you want to catch a game – but there are no stops in Newton between 1:18 and 7:37. The Express Bus helps fill in gaps, but if we are ever going to have even a semblance of rapid transit on the north side, the stations need to be built to support that future service, so we don’t end up tearing them down just to rebuild it for even more money later.
I agree that $55 million seems extreme for what amounts to a concrete platform and 2 elevators. But if that’s the going rate in this area, it could rightly be considered a down payment on that long-term project. It will only become more important as population and ridership grows in MetroWest and Worcester.
Expecting these developers to suddenly become benevolent philanthropists and build us glamorous new commuter rail stations is a folly. Just go over to Pleasant St in Watertown and you can look at some of the so-called “bike lanes” they’ve put on as a half-assed transit equity project..
Just to follow up.. It’s very disheartening that our elected officials can’t all get their ducks in a row and support a solution that will actually greatly behoove our city.
@Yuppie Scum, there is a potential hook for developers to fund Commuter Rail in West Newton or at Crafts St under the Washington St zoning draft.
In either case, developers are limited to five stories, but can go up to ten with a special permit. That special permit could hinge on funding for the CR.
The situation in West Newton is potentially more likely. The zone for taller development is inside the Exit 16 ramp, which is the MBTA parking lot. Development there would require a public-private partnership with the Commonwealth. That would fall under Newton’s proposed zoning. The MBTA would probably look for a parking garage that could replace the surface lot as well as provide additional parking for West Newton. Barney Heath also indicated that the extra height of such a building would be somewhat mitigated because of the low elevation of the lot and its distance from existing residences.
It isn’t too hard to imagine some developer’s interest in such a deal, even with the huge amount of negotiation with the state and then with Newton for special permits. By the nature of the deal it would fundamentally be tied to transit or commuter rail specifically.
It is exactly this context that the whole commuter rail question came up on the West Newton mailing list, with Councilor Norton indicating we didn’t need to use development money to improve commuter rail because of previous MBTA commitments (my apologies to the Councilor if I am mis-paraphrasing).
@Greg
Stop putting words in Emily’s mouth with another blatant attempt to take her down.
The quote above from her says MBTA “signals” the possibility of funds. That isn’t the same as she thought they “agreed.”
Seems pretty clear what’s happening here. Pro-development folks, Albright and Fuller, see the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone- move forward with high density housing and lock-in transportation funds. Norton, opposed to development, wants to push further with MBTA, albeit with risk, and not have transportation funding be used as a rational for development.
Everyone saw the same “signal” and are using it differently.
Can we stop creating unnecessary division?
Sheesh.
Not looking for division Paul. Just clarity. As I said in my linked comment, I didn’t see every comment from that thread. And I don’t know who’s right.
But here’s two comments that I found from Councilor Norton on that list serve…
then later Norton wrote…
Reads to me that she’s saying MassDOT committed the funds last November. So all I’m trying to do is understand: did they say they’d fund it or not?
It’s sort like being pregnant. Either you are or you aren’t.
And either the state committed this expenditure or it didn’t.
I agree with you Paul, there is definitely a difference of philosophy here.
I support upgrading both service and accessibility at all three commuter rail stations. I agree with Representative Kahn, Mayor Fuller, and Councilor Albright that all options should be on the table to do so. We should not have our only strategy be wait and hope the state eventually fully funds those upgrades.
If we can create the political will and right partners to upgrade commuter rail, we can ensure we aren’t left out of the long Rail Vision plans the state is working on.
I just posted a preview of Rail Vision here: https://twitter.com/bryanbarash/status/1101240938431725569?s=21
Interesting, so it seems the reason Paul opposes making the Newton stations accessible is because it might bring more people to Newton? Or did I misunderstand something?
So if a 10 story plus building went in, how much would the developer contribute towards a train station upgrade?
Why wouldn’t a developer consider 40b instead and not pay towards a station upgrade – it would guess it would be a lot cheaper!
I don’t quite get the strategies being forward here. With the current or proposed vision zoning, a special permit would surely be required for both. Perhaps with the vision the rezoning aspect might not be required.
But if a developer were to go 40b then no council input, and no train station improvements!
[I am an employee of the MBTA. This comment reflects my personal views ONLY, and is not a statement of the MBTA]
In our digital age, the current and past capital plans for MassDOT and the T are available online.
Details can be found in the FY19-23 CIP, under the investment details tab, scroll down to MBTA investments, and on page 10 of 44 the Newton Commuter Rail Stations Study is listed.
Thanks Anne. That link doesn’t seem to work. Can you try again or tell us what it says?
Does the city have a written commitment from the MBTA that it will fund the extra $26 million? If not, then what we have here is a conversation with the mayor, a few councilors, and a representative from the Department of Transportation who most likely didn’t have the authority to commit to that amount of money. I don’t know how the process works, but I very much doubt that such a commitment comes by means of a verbal agreement.
Maybe I’m missing something.
Chuck, Rep Khan’s letter doesn’t just highlight the requirement for double platforms (alternative 2) for Newton’s commuter rail stations, it also very wisely points out the flawed analysis and inflated cost estimates of the proposed designs. The T screwed up the first round of Auburndale ADA designs. They’re at it again. $26M in state funding is worth nothing when MassDOT is presenting proposals which inflate the cost by at least that amount!
http://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=e209a2776d964e5f9d20e44399cc901a
Or
https://massdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=e209a2776d964e5f9d20e44399cc901a
@Greg
You write: “Reads to me that she’s saying MassDOT committed the funds last November.”
3 lines earlier in your post, quoting Norton: “Could things change and MassDOT decide not to move ahead? Of course. ”
Pretty clear she doesn’t think its committed. Or pregnant.
@Jane
You’re right, and I don’t think anyone is suggesting otherwise.
Paul – I was referencing this quote:
“Norton says that during a November 2018 meeting with Mayor Fuller and city councilors, a representative from the Department of Transportation said that MassDOT would pay for rebuilding the commuter rail stations in Auburndale, West Newton, and Newtonville.
“We don’t need funding from development to upgrade the commuter rail stations. In the last meeting we had with MassDOT they said MassDOT will pay for the upgrades,” she wrote.
@Jane
There is plenty of other quotes from Norton, including the title of this post, that makes clear that she did not in any way believe there was a formal, written commitment.
Not sure why this conversation is continuing.
Let’s not cherry pick, read everything with context, be charitable.
I’m remembering why I didn’t visit here for a while. Something this straightforward shouldn’t be this complicated.
She sees the glass more half-full than Fuller and Albright. Both sides’ perspective are colored by their views on high density development.
@greg
https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2018/09/13/19-23CIPCom%20SumFinal_9128.pdf
There’s a DOT reply about 19.5 million fr Newton train stops.
This is about the upteenth thread on public transportation on V14. Improving public transportation is very important for the entire Metro-Boston area -no question. But I don’t think commenting on every carrot dangled in front of a group of Newton officials is particularly helpful.
Clearly, two participants in the discussion heard the information differently. It would have been more helpful to understanding where this proposal stands if the participants sat down together and hashed out the implications of what was said at that meeting.
I’ve heard nothing from the councilor from the tree club about the city’s $1 billion in unfunded liabilities. This is just another feel-good example of a progressive spending money we do not have to get people to live their lives the way she thinks they should. We do not need upgraded commuter rail stations. Not today. Not in the next ten years. Seventy-three percent of Newton residents commute to work via Route 128 or to Cambridge. Not the brightest way to spend money we do not have. But then again, a billion dollars later, when has being smart about spending other people’s money mattered in Newton?
Right now the commuter rail is of little use to Newton residents on weekdays for anything but rush-hour commuting into Boston. However, it has the long-term potential to become much more under Transit Matter’s Regional Rail proposal . Regional Rail could give the north side of Newton real mass transit into Boston. Going ahead with Alternative 1 would either block the Regional Rail proposal or raise its costs greatly, making it a big mistake in the long term.
@jose. Can you cite your commuting stats?
@Dave B
Interesting Stats here:
https://www.mass.gov/lists/2018-commuter-rail-counts
It seems that the line through that goes through newton serves about 1000 people per day.
Or more realistically 500 each way. Seems like a surprisingly low count.
Actually, now I’m a bit more confused….there’s 3 worksheets in the spread sheet.
Those first 2 sheets show even far fewer riders….
But anyways, if you look at column DW on the first worksheet and sum Newtonville, West Newton, and Auburndale you get
866 or about 900 riders all day. At least that’s how I see it.
And given the number of people I randomly see getting on and off the train it seems about right.
At the meeting that Councilor Norton speaks about – Secretary Pollack was either not at the meeting or had left by the time the important conversation we are talking about happened. The person leading the meeting made no commitment that the state would pay for the total $55 million but he gave us a strong indication that this was quite possible. I left the meeting as did Councilor Norton thinking that the State was going to pay.
Subsequently, I learned that the state was not going to cough up an additional $30 million. I don’t remember whether I learned this from Rep Khan or the Mayor. The state promised to get back in touch with us in January – and if you have seen Representative Khan’s letter you know that they have not set this meeting up.
While Rep Khan had $20 million to upgrade and make accessible the Aubundale station – now in jeopardy because we all know that all three stations need to be done at the same time for technical reasons.
@Paul – what a silly thing to say. The best way to fix Newton’s Worcester line stations is either option 2 or 3. Option 2 is over $100 million and Option 3 is over $200 million. There is no way that any of our Newton projects can be asked to cough up that kind of money. We are going to have to get very creative to make these train stations work. I know that the Mayor is thinking hard about this.
We should not stop pressing the state to help us – but at one of the meetings with the Secretary she made it clear that there are many many projects ahead of us in the money line. They are working on accessibility and as we all know the number of stations without accessible stations on all the lines is huge.
We were going to have an accessible Auburndale – but pity that the designers of that solution didn’t realize that their solution was going to destroy the viability of the whole line.
People – this is a difficult problem. We better figure out how to pull together. Councilor Norton didn’t know that the plan had changed since the meeting she and I attended. I’m told subsequently by folks that know the T, that we never should have accepted the word of an underling who was surrounded by Newton electeds including the State Reb – who was just trying to please. Councilor Norton and I have learned this lesson the hard way.
Smoke and mirrors economic is so tiring. That a developer is contributing to T station upgrades fallacious. The buyers of the developers condos and the renters of his apartments and commercial properties are the ones who are contributing through higher costs. Anyone wonder why housing is Newton pics not going to be affordable?
@Dan: Well by that standard the same is true if the state pays for it. It doesn’t come out of the state’s pocket, it comes out of ours.
@Councilor Albright: I cannot state strongly enough how unhelpful I think it is for you to be commenting publicly that you don’t think the MBTA is going to fund our commuter rail upgrades to the extent they promised to a mere 3 months ago. You and I have a call scheduled with Mayor Fuller on Tuesday. Can we stop the public comments at least until then?
Susan,
I, for one, appreciate your thoughtful approach to the desperate need to improve commuter rail service in Newton and station design is critical. We need to have open and frequent discussion about both the need and the likelihood (low) that the MBTA is going to put sufficient money to do three stations on the capital list as a near-term initiative. A staffer statement in a single meeting is not a commitment. Your real-world observation that the MBTA has not prioritized the project is not going to reduce our bargaining power when the city presses for more money. (I’d go farther and say we should be coming up with the additional money ourselves, anyway.)
And, I appreciate the transparency.
Keep up the good work.
A verbal statement from an MBTA representative without a follow up written agreement at one meeting three months ago isn’t a commitment of any kind, and it didn’t take a statement from Councilor Albright to figure that out, though I also appreciate her honesty about this situation.
If the city receives a solid agreement in writing from the MBTA about transit upgrades, we can then celebrate.
A verbal statement from an MBTA representative without a follow up written agreement at one meeting three months ago isn’t a commitment of any kind, and it didn’t take a statement from Councilor Albright to figure that out, though I also appreciate her honesty about this situation.
When the city receives a solid agreement in writing from the MBTA about transit upgrades, we can then celebrate.
@Emily Norton– I was astonished to read your recent comment on another thread referring to Village 14 as a “cesspool.” That a sitting City Councilor would make such a comment about this citizen driven forum demonstrates a lack of respect for your constituents that I found personally offensive. In my opinion, Village 14 provides a tremendous service to the Newton community, keeping citizens informed and engaged on local issues. Your “cesspool” reference was completely out of line, and I feel like you owe Village 14 and its participants an apology.
@mike aw don’t be a snowflake….it’s a nice friendly cesspool. We can dish it out. We can take it;>)
Besides, it’s clesner, more like a septic tank!
Councilors Albright and Norton, when you discuss the matter with the Mayor on Tuesday, I hope you can all agree to support Rep Khan’s efforts to force the T to do better with its commuter rail station designs and cost estimates. (The same should be said for the Newton Highlands ADA project) It doesn’t make much sense to throw around these dollar figures and question how to fund them when the plans themselves are so clearly flawed. The T must make every attempt to come up with designs which are not wasteful and work for our community. Full transparency in that process would be a great place to start! Where are the designs?
Mike,
Thanks for the words of support for the site. But, don’t be too worried, I think that we can survive Councilor Norton’s friendly feedback.
Instead of being upset with her, I suggest you sit back and delight in how quickly she shifts from V14 is a “cesspool of vitriol” to admonishing all of us to follow Councilor Baker’s lead in treating everyone “in a uniformly respectful manner.”
USDA Grade A stuff.