The Green Line Extension was originally supposed to open in 2011. Well, that didn’t happen. So the State promised end of 2014 in a new legal agreement. Well, that won’t happen either. It will be 2017 before any new stations open.
However, in that legal agreement, the State agreed to implement interim offset measures in case they missed the 2014 deadline. The idea is that they would find other projects that would have the same environmental benefits as the Green Line would have if it had opened on time.
An MBTA internal working group has now announced the interim offset projects that they are recommending to the DEP. They were listed in the 2014 SIP status report:
- Additional off-peak service along existing routes serving the GLX corridor, including the Green Line, and bus routes 80, 88, 91, 94 and 96.
- In conjunction with the increased bus service, MassDOT proposes a 20% increase in off-peak Green Line service. This program will provide additional service to Lechmere Station.
- Purchase of 142 new hybrid electric vehicles for The RIDE.
- Additional park and ride spaces at the Salem and Beverly intermodal facilities.
On the one hand, it’s disappointing that all the projects won’t benefit the Somerville Green Line corridor. On the other hand, we’re getting the Community Path fully built!