MBTA May (May) Scrap Some Green Line Trolley Stops Near BU
Your commute on the Green Line B branch along Commonwealth Avenue near Boston University may become a little less congested. Or not.
Next Thursday, MBTA officials will convene at the Boston Public Library to discuss a proposal that would consolidate four trolley stops in the BU area – Boston University West, St. Paul, Pleasant Street, and Babcock Street – into two, according to a release from State Senator Will Brownsberger.
The aim of the possible consolidation is to increase both speed and safety (really) on the Green Line.
The meeting piggybacks off May’s “Green Line Forum,’’ in which Green Line riders asked questions and aired grievances about the line. Riders had also raised concerns about the speed, frequency, capacity, and accessibility of trains and trolleys, among other things, at Brownsberger’s January meeting on the topic.
And those complaints were well-founded, according to transportation blogThe Walking Bostonian. The line’s trolleys moves at an average speed of 6-8 mph between Kenmore and Brighton Avenue, and four stops in the area are less than 250 meters apart, according to the blog.
Rider frustration is playing out in the numbers: Citing stats from the MBTA monthly ridership report, a Sept. 2014 post on The Amateur Planner (via Universal Hub)
showed that overall T ridership is growing. That growth, however, has been driven primarily by the Red, Orange and Blue lines. Ridership on the Commuter Rail and Green line, on the other hand, is dropping.
Making the Green Line more rider-friendly could fix that. Maybe.
Brownsberger is co-hosting Thursday’s meeting alongside other elected officials. Personnel will also be there to answer questions from the public.
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