Cape Cod Branch Connector

i think you will need more frequent cape flyer service before relaying track. Is there bus service near this route? Is the bus well-used? Would a train be faster?

Relaying the track makes sense, but got to get the demand up first.

Rail service could be restored to the North Falmouth area right now if the State wanted to as all that would be needed is a platform, which is not much to do. They could start off with a 2nd Cape Flyer to North Falmouth to test the ridership issue. As I have posted before service restoration is highly unlikely to Falmouth Station. The bike path would have to be relocated and the rails restored in there original location due to numerous wetlands it passes through. The ROW could support a relocated bike path at a high cost though as it would involve a lot of bridges as MassDEP would not allow wetlands to be filled in. As far as the third Canal bridge idea that was part of exploring all the options to consider but was dropped and the Corps & State have settled on two Canal bridges with 6 lanes each with a complete redo of all the connecting roads. Even when they are eventually constructed the traffic back ups will still continue as you can only stuff so many cars into the Capes 2 lane on /off highway road system. The only alternative is expanded rail service both passenger & freight as everything is delivered to the Cape by truck.

BandA wrote: ↑Mon Jul 05, 2021 12:49 am i think you will need more frequent cape flyer service before relaying track. Is there bus service near this route? Is the bus well-used? Would a train be faster?

There is year round bus service to Falmouth Station and you can walk next door and get on a Steamship Authority bus to Woods Hole then catch the ferry to Martha's Vineyard

Having biked the Falmouth/Woods Hole line from North Falmouth all the way to Woods Hole and return, I can tell you it is definitely a popular trail and people would probably raise holy-heck if rail came back. It is weird seeing a commuter rail-ready station down in Falmouth, complete with modern lighting and high level platform. They left a couple tracks in front of the station and some rail exists to the north and south for a short bit.

There are large parking lots around Falmouth station for the ferry terminal. The bike path got even more crowded south of Falmouth station down to Woods Hole, and I imagine some ferry-goers have bikes and use the path to get to the ferry instead of taking the shuttle.

It is important to note that the line from Falmouth to Woods Hole went out in the late 1960s, so getting it back to rail would be challenging, not just from a NIMBY factor but also from an environmental factor... the line literally is right on the water/beach for a few miles. All it would take is one good hurricane/Noreaster/coastal storm to wipe it out.

Some shots of the path that I took can be found on my FLICKR page here, showing conditions along the line...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shadyjay/ ... 9488518455

I'm going to assume that the Falmouth line was double-tracked at some point, that the Railroad controlled a row that was wider than that, and that strips of row weren't sold off by the failing New Haven. Would 1 Rail + trail require two tracks or three tracks worth of prepared roadbed?

Wow, great shots shadyjay! If we wait long enough, the cape will eventually wash away and we won't need it.

Don't think the Falmouth / Woods Hole branch was ever double-tracked. That would make the N Falmouth-Falmouth "pill" easier to swallow.

Was that high-level platform ever used?

BandA wrote: ↑Tue Jul 06, 2021 6:15 pm I'm going to assume that the Falmouth line was double-tracked at some point, that the Railroad controlled a row that was wider than that, and that strips of row weren't sold off by the failing New Haven. Would 1 Rail + trail require two tracks or three tracks worth of prepared roadbed?

The Falmouth line from the Canal to Woods Hole was never double tracked. There was a rail yard at the Woods Hole ferry terminal area and there were runaround tracks at N Falmouth Station( which still exist ) also Falmouth Station ( which still exist ) and another at Pocasset Station which are long gone. If a Rail with trail were to be built it would require a 10 foot buffer zone from the edge of the tie with a fence then another 10 feet for the width of the trail plus a shoulder area. A upcoming example is the Bourne Rail with trail project slated to begin construction in 2024 starting at Canal junction running up to Gray Gables / Monument neck road crossing at MP 0.82. The big problem beyond that point is no available land areas / wetlands / water crossings / MassDEP protected areas of critical concern. So if it proceeds further than MP 0.82 it will be at a Big dig cost seeing that the RR isn't going anywhere especially since MassDOT just rehabilitated it with new ties / ballast / signals & controls / crossings and a culvert over the last 2 years.

It is important to note that the line from Falmouth to Woods Hole went out in the late 1960s, so getting it back to rail would be challenging, not just from a NIMBY factor but also from an environmental factor... the line literally is right on the water/beach for a few miles. All it would take is one good hurricane/Noreaster/coastal storm to wipe it out.

Some shots of the path that I took can be found on my FLICKR page here, showing conditions along the line...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shadyjay/ ... 9488518455
[/quote]

The Town Of Falmouth owns the bike path ( built in 1976 ) from Falmouth Station to Woods Hole as it purchased the ROW from the Railroad shortly after it was abandoned, so you'll never see Rails to Woods Hole ever again unfortunately. The Woods Hole rail yard is now all parking / terminal building and new ferry slips, while the bike path gets washed out on a regular basis whenever there is a big storm, to be repaired until the next one comes.

Good shots of the Bike way Shady Jay. Like Falmouth Secondary points out, there is indeed Bus service but, there is also a significant caveat to it in that the busses are on the same roadways as all of the vehicle traffic meaning many people are dissuaded from taking a bus because of this shortcoming.

It sure looks good on paper when the thought of making many more lanes of traffic over the Cape will help alleviate the current congestion that happens due to the present 4 lanes each direction the two bridges offer. So, if they just widen a few more of the receiving roads to accommodate the increased flow caused by more bridge lanes we're good to go right? Not really. Ironically, the current bridges actually help by limiting the amount of traffic that enters the Cape's overtaxed roadways allowing it time to disperse once on the Cape. Like it or not, the main problem of Cape traffic is ON CAPE traffic. The question is, how do you allow for more people to move around on the Cape without them being on the Cape's limited roadways, or, move around without being in their cars?

The Shining Sea Bikeway is a Great way for those who are physically fit enough to walk or bike to stay off of the roadways but, what about those who aren't physically fit enough?

Like Hyannis is in it's area of the Cape, Falmouth is an important center not only for that area of the Cape, but, also for travelers to and from the islands. Because of this, Falmouth would be a natural great fit for a rail connection with not only the national rail network, but, also with Hyannis for on Cape travelers. Unlike, the busses, the rail line is immune to vehicle traffic which would allow for mass movements of people while alleviating roadway congestion. To boot, someone else would be driving and you get to see areas of the Cape you can't drive to. The Mass DOT did look at constructing a rail with trail at the time but, decided for cost and, environmental issues as they were at that time not to do so. In correspondence with them I posses, they confirmed as the commonwealth owns the right of way, future rail use is a possibility. Since that time, a lot of changes on many fronts have occurred.

No, I'm not saying this is definite, but, the fact of the matter is that there is no other way to reduce on Cape roadway traffic than to give people another way to get around without their cars.

As I have lived on the Cape for many decades the main problem of Cape traffic is ALL the traffic in both directions with lengthy back ups if you travel at the wrong times ! The entire Cape's road system was never built to handle the volume of traffic as it does today and each year it continues to increase, along with a longer tourist season. The off season lighter traffic is down to January to early March at best these days. New bridges will only make it safer to cross for all which certainly include cyclists & pedestrians, but will not reduce traffic congestion much if at all. This in itself makes Rail a perfect fit to help alleviate transportation congestion to / from the Cape. Back in the late 1930's when the bridges / roadways were first built Rail passenger service dropped off quickly and ceased to operate because of the automobile. Now the outlook is slowly turning the other way, with so many cars / trucks on the roadways traffic gridlock is occurring more and more which will bring Passenger Rail and increased freight service back as well. Like I have posted before Passenger Rail to North Falmouth is possible now as it only needs a new platform built in a better location in that area. As far as restoring Rail service to Falmouth Station I just don't honestly see it happening considering the costs / environmental factors / relocating the bike path along with opposition from property abutters along the ROW. Also I don't see any interest from the Town of Falmouth itself in supporting it as well seeing they let the Rails go in the first place with Rep Turkington's help to amend a transportation bill to only fund the bike path construction.

Falmouth Secondary to Otis wrote: ↑Wed Jun 23, 2021 7:42 am Starting yesterday at the former North Falmouth RR Station parking lot site 2 new gates have been installed in the cyclone fencing and a platform of some type is to be installed, according to workers on site. Could be just for the CCCRR Dinner train as they have used a plywood ramp and unwired the fence in the past for summer departures from North Falmouth. Time will tell as we'll see what type of platform appears and who actually stops there, as this new development will probably stir up the Bike path groups continued opposition to the use of the Rails.

As thought the construction activity at North Falmouth is for the CCCRR Dinner train boarding. In front of the two new gates paved aprons have been installed with RR ties as an edge to raise the ground level higher. Also dense grade material has been put down in between the 2 aprons to make the ground more stable to walk on. The Dinner train departs North Falmouth tomorrow evening 7/16/21 @ 6:00 PM powered by former New Haven FL-9's still in there original paint at each end.