SAUGUS — The Board of Selectmen passed a resolution Tuesday to request the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to include funding for electrification of the Newburyport/Rockport commuter-rail line in its Capital Investment Plan for 2023-27.
“The town of Saugus is in dire need of affordable, reliable public transportation to alleviate traffic congestion,” the resolution read.
It goes on to state that the Newburyport/Rockport line has the potential to create greater connectivity in the region for better access to housing and better-paying jobs for residents of the 15 communities and the surrounding municipalities.
Electrification, the resolution stated, would also allow Massachusetts to meet emissions-reduction goals outlined in the Next Generation Roadmap legislation signed into law in March 2021.
It states that electric trains are up to 25 times more reliable than the current diesel fleet, and that translates to more reliable service and lower maintenance costs.
The board went on to endorse projects including design and construction of high-train platforms for step-free access onto commuter-rail trains; infill stations construction in Everett, Revere, and Salem, and rapid-bus transit from downtown Peabody to Salem Depot to integrate commuter-rail ridership.
State Rep. Jessica A. Giannino, who represents Saugus and Revere in the Legislature, sent a letter to the MBTA Board of Directors explaining the need for a priority investment in the Environmental Justice Corridor, including “the electrification of this element of the regional-rail system and the introduction of Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) vehicles between Boston and Beverly, which would allow for transit frequency and transit fares.”
“That is the essence of the environmental justice that has long been denied to Revere and other urban communities,” said Giannino in her letter.
She said project benefits include upgrading now-obsolete train equipment to reduce breakdowns, and reducing toxic emissions, and noise pollution.
“Current commuter-rail fares are unaffordable for the residents of working-class communities,” wrote Giannino, adding high fares eliminate “the commuter rail as a practical transportation option.”
An affordable commuter-rail system linking Boston and the North Shore would contribute to better job and residential opportunities “in each of the communities on the line,” she wrote.
The MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board unanimously adopted resolutions in November 2019 to commit the MBTA to an electric commuter-rail system at the same fare level and frequency as rapid transit, and prioritize the Environmental Justice Corridor of the Newburyport-Rockport line.
However, the MBTA Board of Directors last month did not include electrification in the agency’s $9,4 billion five-year capital investment plan (Item April 20).
The state Senate then adopted an amendment to its climate policy bill on April 14, filed by state Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) that required the MBTA to stop purchasing diesel-powered locomotive trains by the end of 2030 and to transition to electric service.
The public comment period for the MBTA’s Capital Investment Plan closes on April 25. The final version of the plan will be published on the plan’s page at mbta.com, and it will go into effect on July 1.
“The way to solve the commuter rail’s existential crisis is to embrace the vision of a 21st-century regional-rail system,” the Saugus Board of Selectmen resolution said.
