South Station fixes could boost Worcester rail line
Boston's South Station is becoming a "choke point in the system and an obstacle to expanded service," according to state Transportation Secretary Richard Davey, who asked lawmakers Thursday for help with a "stuck" deal that could lead to the station's expansion.
The MBTA is seeking to expand from 13 to 20 tracks, but must first acquire property that hosts a major facility owned by the U.S. Postal Service, which sits on tracks from the 1940s and 1950s.
Talks have been occurring for years over the postal service land, which is critical to plans to expand commuter rail service to the South Coast and efforts to keep trains running in and out of South Station without delays at peak travel periods.
Davey, who will leave his post at the end of October, said the two sides "have yet to strike a deal," and he asked the Transportation Committee's chairmen, Sen. Thomas McGee (D-Lynn) and Rep. William Straus (D-Mattapoisett), for help.
Davey also said his office is eyeing an expansion of capacity at North Station by acquiring property that was once a parking lot for the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, which has moved to Charlestown.
The property would allow for two new tracks with a center platform, and while they have had "fruitful" discussions with the owner, Partners HealthCare, the MBTA filed a preemptive order of taking earlier this year, Davey said. He added that the service could expand to include Worcester Line trips and diesel-powered North Shore commuter rail routes.
A mile away, South Station is "booming" and a "vital cog," but at capacity, Davey said.
Davey said the Patrick administration re-engaged after the April signing of a transportation bond bill in negotiations with the Postal Service and offered to build a $350 million mailing facility in the Boston's Seaport District on Massport-owned land. "Frankly, we're a little stuck," he said. "We've made a number of different proposals that we thought were compelling, that made the Post Office whole."
Davey said the Postal Service is concerned that if the federal agency attempts to turn around and sell the land now owned by Massport, it wouldn’t be worth as much.
"It's frustrating because this isn't a real estate deal," Davey said. "It's about helping the citizens of the commonwealth, getting their mail delivered, expanding South Station, keeping blue-collar jobs in the waterfront district, and I think we can get there. But we need a willing partner."
The state transportation agency has won a $32.5 million federal grant that allows for environmental reviews, preliminary engineering and civic engagement in connection with the expansion project. A draft environmental impact report will be released in November, according to Davey.
A spokeswoman for the Postal Service said the agency has spent "millions of its limited funds" in trying to move the project forward. The postal service signed a memorandum of understanding with MassDOT on the transaction in 2011, and would rather honor that arrangement, the spokeswoman, Maureen Marion, said in an emailed statement.
"The Postal Service has carefully evaluated the new transaction proposed by MassDOT and has determined that the assumptions of value used by MassDOT do not comport with the Postal Service's required accounting practices," she wrote.
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