Arborway Lightrail Lawsuit

[pantograph]

After promising (in a contract) to restore the "temporarily suspended in 1986 " streetcar service up the Arborway in 1991 the State has tried everything in it's power to avoide restoring this line.

Finally, after using the broken public process to no avail the Arborway Committee has sued the state.

The Arborway Committee today filed suit in Suffolk Superior Court to compel the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (State) to restore E-branch Green Line service beyond Heath Street to the Arborway at Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain. The Arborway project was one of the original "Big Dig" transit commitments, which the state promised to complete as part of the overall central artery project. In December, in one of its final acts, however, the Romney administration killed the Arborway project despite efforts by transit advocates to advance the project. This suit names the Executive Office of Transportation, the Department of Public Works, and the Conservation Law Foundation as co-defendants.

Arborway Committee Website

PDF of Legal Complaint

[pantograph]

An interview on NNN regarding the law suit...

Its a rather large file so give it some time to start playing.

To view:

http://199.233.98.16/Lovett_Salimbene_Interview_small.avi

To download:

http://199.233.98.16/Lovett_Salimbene_Interview_small.zip

[dixiecupdrinking]

Thanks for the info. The extension of the Green Line into Somerville is still on track, isn't it? What I don't understand is why the resistance to the E branch restoration, then. Is it demographics? The ROW has to still be there for the E branch, at least, which has got to make it less expensive.

[Lineman]

There's no real ROW because that section was all in the middle of the street and shares space with a lane of traffic. A lot of the tracks have been ripped up, so they would have to lay new track for almost the entire length.

[pantograph]

There's no real ROW because that section was all in the middle of the street and shares space with a lane of traffic. A lot of the tracks have been ripped up, so they would have to lay new track for almost the entire length.

[Lowerdeck]

It would make much more sense to put the E (and B) underground than keep it on the surface, it's not a good situation having to compete with auto traffic. Just too bad there will never be funding for it.

Does C have it's own right of way, or is it similar to B and E? I never rode on the C branch.

[atlrvr]

I believe the C has it's own right of way in the median, but still has at grade-crossing....like the B and E do before they enter mixed-traffic.

For what it's worth, as part of the Fenway neighborhood plan that was recently release, a "long-term" goal is to bury the E all the way to Brigham circle.....now there is no funding for it so I don't expect it to become a reality in the next 25 years.