We’re a community group working to bring better transit to Arlington – and beyond.
Want to learn more?
Laying the groundwork
Everyone in the Boston area is aware of the current dire state of the T, with regular slowdowns, track closures, and delays messing up our commutes. It’s pretty clear that 2024 isn’t the right year for the MBTA to start building an extension to the Red Line.
So why are we working on this? Why do we think there’s a viable path forward?
The short answer is that large infrastructure projects take a long time to proceed, and we want to start the clock on extending the Red Line. Right now, we’re just asking for the state to conduct a preliminary feasibility study to consider possible routes and construction options for extending the Red Line.
Getting started with that study now helps prepare us for when the MBTA’s situation changes. Phillip Eng, the new General Manager of the MBTA, has made great progress in actually fixing the T’s backlog of needed maintenance. The MBTA’s priorities could look very different in 5 or 10 years, especially with the possibility of federal funding for infrastructure that can address climate change. The feasibility study would mean that once the MBTA has recovered and is considering expansion options, it will consider extending the Red Line on an equal footing.
A good opportunity
Among Boston-area cities and towns that do not have rapid transit stations, Arlington has by far the highest population density. Given their population and importance in the local economy, Arlington, Lexington, Bedford, and Burlington are underserved by the MBTA. Extending the Red Line would increase ridership, reduce carbon emissions and pollution, and alleviate congestion around Fresh Pond and Alewife.
While ambitious, extending the Red Line would fill in a large hole in the T’s rapid transit map, and because the necessary right of way already exists it would make an excellent midterm project for a revitalized T. There are already tunnels extending from Alewife past Route 2 to Thorndike Field that are used for trains to park and change direction.
The existing right of way means the T could use one of the cheapest methods of subway construction: “cut and cover.” With this approach, individual sections of the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway would be temporarily closed so that a trench could be dug down to the level of a subway. The trench would then be roofed over to form a tunnel, after which the bike path would be restored to its original condition on top.
Bus service & other advocacy
While we’re named Extend the Red Line, we’re also advocates for better public transportation in general. More frequent bus service and better connections to the Red and Green Lines will reduce trips by car and encourage new housing that doesn’t bring more traffic, as envisioned by the MBTA Communities Act.
We want to see at least pre-pandemic levels of service on the 77 bus. More frequent 80 bus service from Arlington Center to Medford/Tufts would allow the T to recoup more of its investment in the Green Line Extension. We also want the T to maintain, rather than eliminate as it plans to do, a bus line on Pleasant St. that connects to Alewife Station. We will also advocate for better bus service for Lexington, Bedford, and Burlington.