This was mentioned a couple years ago...now funded. A waste of money. I sent this letter in at that time:
To The Editor:
A recent article in the Salem News referenced an item in the State budget for a feasibility study for a trolley between Salem and Peabody, with a price tag of $50,000. Unless this is part of a broader plan to extend light rail to the Northshore Mall, which has been discussed in the past, please don’t waste the money! For no cost, I will present you with a version of a feasibility study that will be close to what the consultant will offer. My version will be brief. The consultant’s will be longer to justify the $50,000.
Current conditions: The area in question between Peabody Square and the Salem depot is approximately 2 miles. Currently owned by the MBTA, with frequent freight service to one customer in Peabody provided by Pan Am Railways. The line saw recent upgrade in 2015 to better serve the Peabody customer.
Infrastructure Needs:
(These costs will be detailed in a required engineering study, which will be an added $100,000+ study, but the cost is not hard to estimate)
• Electronic crossing protection on 5 crossings between Salem and Peabody.
• Signalization for safety on the line
• Station improvements at both ends of the line, with high level platforms at both ends to comply with ADA requirements
• Upgrade likely of both rail and roadbed
• Undetermined condition of several bridges over the North River.
Equipment Needs:
Frequency of service will determine the need for the number of trolleys. A new, self-propelled unit could easily cost one million dollars per unit.
Service facility and secure storage will be needed for the units.
So, just to get the system up and running, I would estimate $5-10 million, which does not include the annual operating cost…that will likely need another “study.”
Here are how the options would likely be presented;
Option 1. Do nothing. No Cost
Option 2. Use a bus for the 10-minute connection. An operational subsidy will be needed. No Infrastructure costs.
Option 3. Build the trolley line, with a start-up cost estimated at $5-10 million.
Ok, now cut this letter out of the paper and save it so that you can compare my findings with the $50,000 version. "
And, they don't seem to realize that the service to Rousellot is more frequent than "once every couple weeks" .
This will be dead on arrival...
Steve
Last edited by highrail on Tue Apr 24, 2018 9:17 am, edited 1 time in total.