LYNN — Former governor and one-time presidential candidate Michael Dukakis visited the city Wednesday to promote another Big Dig, this time connecting North and South Stations.
“We are getting close to gridlock and desperately need a regional rail system in New England,” he said. “And it starts by connecting those two stations instead of operating two separate commuter rail lines.”
Dukakis, who lost his bid for president in 1988 to George H. W. Bush, spoke to the North Shore Chamber of Commerce at North Shore Community College to enlist their support for the North South Rail Link.
Proponents, including U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), support the project that would construct a 2.8 mile tunnel 140 feet below the city between the stations in downtown Boston.
If approved, the connection would allow Amtrak and commuter rail passengers to travel through Boston without interruption. It would also allow suburban commuters to access any commuter rail station throughout the city without switching to another mode of transportation. Supporters say it would remove more than 55,000 vehicles from the roads.
“This is about providing Massachusetts and New England a first-rate regional rail system,” Dukakis said. “Because it’s in the Northeast Corridor, it would be eligible for federal dollars, as much as 50 percent.”
At 84, Dukakis has made it his mission to advocate for the rail link. He’s enlisted former Gov. William Weld, both U.S. senators, and has been trying to convince Gov. Charlie Baker.
But the governor has been lukewarm to the idea. He has said his top priority for the MBTA is to fix the existing system, not expand it.
“I really want the investment to be in the core system,” Baker told a meeting of the New England Council, a business advocacy group, last year. “When you’re talking about billions of dollars I think it’s appropriate that we be cautious and careful.”
While state lawmakers approved a $2 million study to examine the rail link that is expected to be released next spring, Baker seems to prefer the $1.6 billion proposal to expand South Station. That plan would add seven new tracks and relocate the U.S. Postal Service which sits next to the station on the Fort Point Channel.
But Dukakis said that idea is crazy.
“No one is expanding old train stations,” he said. “Look at Los Angeles and San Francisco, they are linking stations, not expanding them. All the great cities around the world have done it.”
One reason the Baker administration and others are hesitant about the link is the prospect of another Big Dig that had its roots in the Dukakis administration. At more than $24 billion, the Central Artery/Tunnel Project is the most expensive highway project in U.S. history, not to mention the disruption to traffic for years.
A Harvard University study last summer found the cost of digging the tunnel between the two main major rail stations would cost from $3.8 to $5.9 billion.
Dukakis insists it will not cost that much although he did not put a price tag on it.
LA’s Metro Regional Connector project has been budgeted at $1.75 billion. That 1.9-mile link project will allow passengers to ride from Santa Monica to East Los Angeles, and from Azusa to Long Beach, without transferring lines, according to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. They hope to have it completed in time for the 2024 Olympic Games.
“The technology to dig tunnels has improved at a rapid speed,” Dukakis said. “The work will take place deep underground. The utilities were moved during the Big Dig so disruption would be limited, and it won’t cost as much as they say. It’s a no-brainer and we should do it now.”
Moulton has said connecting North and South Stations is the key to unlocking access to jobs for Gateway Cities like Lynn, and attract the workforce needed to revitalize their economies.
“It is the nexus for a unified regional rail system that will provide subway-like service to communities across the commonwealth,” he said.
Following the presentation, Dukakis was asked by The Item to reflect on President Donald Trump and being defeated by Bush.
“Trump is the worst president I’ve ever experienced,” he said. “Part of your job in a position of political responsibility is to bring people together and create consensus … but this guy doesn’t understand this, it’s all confrontation and this country needs consensus building.”
On the Bush defeat by a 53 to 46 percent margin, Dukakis was candid.
“I had my shot and I blew it,” he said.
