The MBTA’s plan to buy a part of Widett Circle and switch it right into a rail yard has drawn the ire of environmentalists and a bunch pushing for a North-South Rail hyperlink, however has the assist of the town’s mayor.
Emily Norton, government director of the Charles River Watershed Association, stated her group has lengthy advocated in opposition to growth at Widett Circle, together with in 2021 when CRWS pressed the Boston City Council to not transfer ahead with placing an Amazon distribution heart there.
The space is “very vulnerable to flooding,” not simply from sea stage rise and storm surge, but additionally easy precipitation, stated Norton, who wish to see the town think about restoring half or the entire space as wetlands.
“The bottom line is we really think it’s irresponsible to not consider the area for flood storage in some way,” Norton stated. “If we’re going to develop it, let’s do it in such a way that we’re not going to make flooding worse.”
Former state Rep. John Businger stated it’s his perception that the MBTA is planning for layover services, just like the one that might be at Widett Circle, as an alternative choice to a North-South Rail Link — a mission he’s lengthy advocated for that would supply a Commuter Rail and Amtrak connection between North and South stations.
“The siting of a rail yard at Widett Circle, by contrast, is part of the T’s South Station expansion proposal, which had originally planned to use three rail yards, also including Allston and Readville, to store commuter trains during their midday layover,” stated John Kyper, co-chair of the Massachusetts Sierra Club’s Transportation Committee, which helps the rail hyperlink.
“All three yards would have adverse environmental impacts on the adjacent neighborhoods, but Widett Circle not far from downtown would be the worst. It is bordered by South Boston, the South End, Roxbury and Dorchester, and not far from Chinatown, which has the worst air quality in the Commonwealth,” he added, citing the storage of diesel-powered trains.
Last month, the MBTA introduced it was transferring ahead with plans to buy 24 acres of land at Widett Circle, which features a 19.4 acre parcel owned by the New Boston Food Market Corporation and one other 4.8 acres that housed the previous Americold Cold Storage Facility, for a layover facility.
The sale has not closed but, in line with MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo, who stated the prepare facility at Widett Circle is “critical to meeting future demands of increased Commuter Rail service.”
It would relieve storage capability points close to South Station, Pesaturo stated, and cut back the time that trains should lay over at that station, which might permit for elevated rail service.
Pesaturo stated that “while the MBTA plans to use all 24 acres on the Widett Circle site, it anticipates future conversations with the City of Boston regarding the city’s adjacent properties and collaborations with the city’s nearby assets and interests.”
“This deal could finally set us on the path to frequent, reliable, and electrified regional rail service, while removing rail layover from neighborhoods in transformation like Allston,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu stated in a press release. “I look forward to seeing additional details soon from the MBTA.”
A yard at Widett was included within the South Station enlargement mission’s state and federal environmental filings that received approval in 2016 and 2017, Pesaturo stated.
“The facility will be designed and built in full compliance with all environmental and regulatory permitting processes,” he stated. “The yard design would also incorporate resiliency measures to address climate change as a foundational element in the design work. The yard will greatly reduce the amount of impervious surface on the site, improving stormwater recharge.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”