LYNN — Public transit commuters and anyone interested in transportation visions for the North Shore is invited to an evening forum Tuesday, Feb. 11 at North Shore Community College’s Lynn campus.
State transportation officials said the 6 p.m. public event in the college’s 300 Broad St., gymnasium includes discussions about the state’s Lynn Transit Action Plan, the North Strand Trail, and other projects, including Better Bus and Rail Vision.
The evening begins with an hour-long open session giving attendees a chance to learn more about North Shore transportation projects and ideas for improving transit and alternate transportation means.
From 7-8 p.m., state transportation officials will present information on projects and take questions.
In early 2019, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Focus 40 plan identified Lynn as a priority place to target potential improvements to public transportation.
The MBTA stated on its website: “Through this year (2019) and into 2020, the Lynn Transit Action Plan will identify strategies for faster, more reliable transit services for the city, into Boston, and throughout the North Shore. Changes may include improvements to bus, subway, ferry, and Commuter Rail service.
The goal of this effort is to make it easier for Lynn residents to get where they need to go with public transit.”
The MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board voted last November to commit to electrifying the state’s commuter rail system. The transportation transformation would include implementing near-rapid transit at subway rates from Lynn to Boston.
The board determined that a section of the Newburyport/Rockport line, which connects Lynn, Revere, Chelsea and Everett to Boston, referred to as the “environmental justice corridor,” is one of the three lines with the most urgent need for near-rapid transit and that are best equipped to handle the change first.
The regional rail, or urban rail system would be based on the MBTA’s 2040 Commuter Rail Vision, which estimates electrification in Alternatives 5 and 6, would cost $10.6 billion or $28.9 billion respectively. A resolution from MBTA board chair Joseph Aiello presented at the board’s November meeting estimated the three pilot programs would require about $1.5 billion, according to the State House News Service.
Thor Jourgensen can be reached at [email protected].
