Say goodbye to CSX in eastern mass

According to a headline I saw this morning Gov. Patrick is unveiling $1 billion-plus plan to add to the commuterrail system -- New Bedford-Fall River -- and expand South Station. More passengers into Boston. I have no idea if this will be good for freight or bad for freight. But the real question is where will he get the money?

An article in the Boston Globe says that Patrick isn't expected to name a funding source or scheme but is appointing someone to shepherd the projects through all the next steps. Presumably this includes figuring out how to pay for it.

One thing I couldn't help but notice - the price tab was quoted at $1.4B and that includes expanding South Station (by demolishing the postal annex).

I remember an initial projected cost of $1.5B for the N/S rail link which included electrifying the entire system, a Central Station and underground portions added to North and South Stations for through service...

dj-- maybe, maybe, maybe that was 1.5 billion for the n-s tunnel (a provision for which exists underneath the central artery tunnel), but electrification, figuring out how to get trains from South Statation into the tunnel and an addition station, you're talking the tens of billions today.

There's a thread on the New Bedford proposal over at the MBTA forum, but I'll say here what I said there: it's a needed expansion but it just isn't going to happen in the next decade (barring a miraculous new funding mechanism for public transporation)....the money isn't there. This is the governor paying lip service to public transit.