Green Line

Somerville Journal: "Governor makes personal promise to extend Green Line to Somerville" Boston NOW: "Green Line project gets Patrick's support" Boston Daily: "Charlie Goes to Somerville"

Boston Herald: "Gov reverses decision on Green Line" "Only weeks after his administration announced it would delay a plan to extend the MBTA's Green Line to Union Square in Somerville and Medford Hills by two years so that it could seek federal funding, Gov. Deval Patrick backtracked yesterday, saying the state would pay for whatever the federal government doesn't, in order…

It was a good day for the Green Line extensions! Gov. Deval Patrick visited Gilman Square today to talk about the state’s commitment to this important project. In his statement, he said, “The Green Line extension is an important project and I am here to affirm my 100% commitment to seeing that it gets built and gets built while I am in office.” When pressed on the timeline, he said he hopes to have the work done by 2014.
Regarding the still uncertain project funding, Sec. Cohen said that full funding for the project will be in the next transportation bond bill; in parallel the state will seek New Starts federal funding.
Gov. Patrick also listed steps already taken to get the project underway:
– VHB has been hired and its initial task is to find ways to expedite the regulatory and permitting process.
– The state will give the MBTA funds to begin designing new Green Line cars now, because it takes a long time to create custom cars.
– Mass Highway has already completed the necessary aerial survey for the project.
– A Community Advisory Group has been selected to provide feedback and oversight throughout the project; it starts meeting monthly on Oct 25.
Keep reading for more quotes and a video.

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The state's Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) has chosen VHB/Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. to develop a Conceptual Engineering and Draft Environmental Impact Report for this project. VHB conducted a study relating to the Green Line extension in 2005. According to VHB, the project "is focused on finalizing the best route and station locations for the light rail service. It will examine…

On September 6 the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) held two public meetings on the Executive Office of Transportation's (EOT) status report on the Green Line extensions and other SIP commitments. This is a video of the 1:00 hearing, where many Somerville residents spoke out for the Green Line. Click the arrow to begin the video. (Requires QuickTime.)

"Mayor sees chance in MBTA delay" "Yes, we are concerned," McGlynn said about a recent announcement that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's streetcar expansion plan into Medford and Somerville could be postponed for another two years, to 2016. "But," he added, "if this is delayed, we want mitigation."

The MBTA Rider Oversight Committee strongly commends the progress EOT is making with regard to many of the remaining six SIP transit commitments but is dismayed at the continued disarray in Massachusetts transit project planning, financing and implementation. This disarray is exemplified by yet another significant schedule slip, recently suggested by Governor Patrick and EOT, for the Green Line Extension which is the single remaining SIP transit commitment that contains most of the combined environmental benefits.

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"Pols and residents rally against Green Line delay" “If you told me in July that we would be facing another delay in this project, I would have laughed it off as inconceivable. I would have said, ‘Not this administration.' But I'm not laughing now and neither are the people of Medford and Somerville,” Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone said.

This project has a long history of delays and broken promises. In December, 2004, before I was even sworn into office, I joined hundreds of residents in fighting plans by the prior administration to back out on the green line project altogether. Shortly thereafter, the administration promised the project was still a priority, and restated its commitment to the project.
Since that time, the legislative delegation for Medford and Somerville has continually met with staff in the Executive Office of Transportation. We persisted in demanding information, timelines, funding plans, and benchmarks to be monitored and adhered to. I want to share a few highlights from our efforts.

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Somerville Journal: “Angry Somerville residents rail against Green Line extension delays”
Boston Herald: “Somerville fumes at Patrick for Green Line extend stall”
“Tens of thousands of residents of Somerville and Medford are tired of minced words and broken promises,” Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said yesterday. “Our patience is at an end.”
Weekly Dig: “Green Line extension hearing obstacle course”
Tufts Daily: “Possible delays in Green Line extension irk local officials”

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