Jul 1, 2008 4:54 pm US/Eastern
State Considers Extending The Green Line Extension
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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The Green Line will be extending soon.
WBZ
Right now Lechmere Station in Cambridge is the last stop in the Green Line. Riders headed to Somerville or Medford must get off and catch a bus. But, some day in the not too distant future, Lechmere will be just another stop along the way.
The trains will not stop and turn around like they do today. They will keep going to Somerville and Medford.
Riders like Nelly Souza of Somerville can't wait, "it would be easier to get from point A to point B. It would be much quicker instead of taking a bus. "
The $600 million Green Line extension has been in the works for decades. One track will extend from Lechmere to the Union Square area in Somerville. Then, Green Line trolley tracks will be laid parallel to the existing commuter rail line for several miles through Somerville and Medford, with at least five stops. The line will end at College Avenue near Tufts. This is part of a legal mandate from the federal government to reduce air pollution.
However, the State is also considering extending the Green Line all the way to Route 16 at the Mystic Valley Parkway. Ken Krause represents a neighborhood group pushing for that extension to the extension. "The opportunity for 10,000 more people to be within walking distance I would say is the number one reason."
Wendy Stern with the State Transportation Office says a decision on this even longer version of the Green Line will be made in the next 60 days. So far, it sounds like a go. "It is certainly something that we are seriously entertaining."
That means there could be more train tracks in people's back yards.
Medford's mayor, Michael McGlynn, supports the idea, but says he doesn't have enough information from the state. "My concerns are eminent domain proceedings against some of the homeowners."
Final design work on the whole project could start in the next 90 days.
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