www.mass.gov/southcoastrail
South Coast Communities Receive Fifth Year of Technical Assistance
This fall, MassDOT and the Executive Office of
Housing and Economic Development (EOHED)
announced the award of 17 grants to South
Coast communities for Technical Assistance (TA)
to implement the South Coast Rail Economic
Development and Land Use Corridor Plan (the Corridor
Plan). Transportation Secretary Richard A. Davey
released the list of FY 2013 grants at a Commuter Rail
Task Force Meeting in Raynham on October 10. The
grants range in size from $5,000 to $25,000. This is
the fifth round of TA awards sponsored by MassDOT.
Regional Planning Agencies (RPAs) worked with
MassDOT, EOHED and the communities to develop
strong proposals. The Technical Assistance program
provides cities and towns with financial assistance to
realize the goals for priority protection and priority
development in 31 cities and towns covered by
the Corridor Plan. MassDOT awarded more than
$200,000 in grants for FY 2013.
At the Task Force meeting, Secretary Davey affirmed
the Commonwealth’s support for the South Coast Rail
project. The Patrick-Murray Administration has committed
resources for the technical and field data needed to
complete the Final Environmental Impact Statement/
Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIS/FEIR), which
will be a combined federal and state document. Davey
said that Governor Patrick’s goal is to complete the final
environmental documents for public review in spring 2013.
MassDOT will then be in a position to begin the permitting
process and the final design phase.
The Secretary expressed MassDOT’s commitment
to mode shift, MassDOT’s initiative to encourage
transportation options other than single occupancy
vehicles. This effort is expected to triple non-auto travel
by 2030, resulting in high transit demand across the
Commonwealth. Providing transit service to the South
Coast will bring mode shift to the region’s communities.
Transportation Secretary Richard A. Davey addresses members of the Commuter Rail Task Force in Raynham.
South Coast Rail - December 2012 | Page 1
Fiscal Year 2013 Awards
Describing the review process for the awards,
Project Manager Jean Fox said that applications
with a clear vision and close relationship to the
South Coast Rail project were given priority. The
assistance will help communities develop plans
to encourage economic development and support
mode shift. Fiscal year 2013 awards are going
to Acushnet, Bridgewater, Dartmouth, Fall River,
Foxborough, Freetown, Lakeville, Mansfield,
New Bedford, Raynham, Rochester, Somerset,
Stoughton, Taunton, Wareham, and Westport.
Each community will work closely with its regional
planning agency to implement the plan described
in the application. The RPAs – the Southeastern
Regional Planning and Economic Development
District (SRPEDD), Metropolitan Area Planning
Council (MAPC) and Old Colony Planning Council
(OCPC) – will facilitate and support each project.
Among the projects approved for TA funding is a
schematic design and cost estimate for a parking
plan in New Bedford’s Quest Center/Armory
Innovation area. The city plans to include solar
and electric charging. The city of Taunton will
update its Open Space and Recreation Plan, and
Somerset will seek final town approval on the
Slade’s Ferry Mixed Use Plan.
A regional award will assess bicycle and pedestrian
connections between employment and residential
centers and proposed South Coast Rail stations in
Westport, New Bedford, Dartmouth and Fall River.
The assessment will examine the possibility for new
bicycle routes and propose paths for various modes
of transportation.
For more details about each award, please visit the
project website at www.mass.gov/southcoastrail.
Sample TA – A Proposed Fall River Streetscape
How are technical assistance funds used? With
an award from FY 2012, Fall River developed a
streetscape improvement plan along Water and
Ferry Streets. The plan helped residents envision
Battleship Cove improvements proposed in
conjunction with South Coast Rail. The concept
showcases a connection between the existing
boardwalk and the waterfront walkway south of
the proposed commuter rail station area. With
the conceptual plan complete, the city is poised
to apply for other grants to complete the project.
The TA-funded renderings include: on the left, the Battleship Cove
Visitors Plaza; on the right, the Battleship Cove Welcome Plaza.
South Coast Rail - December 2012 | Page 2
Courtesy of the Boston Public Library/ Leslie Jones Collection
MassDOT Begins Plan to Expand
South Station
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation
(MassDOT) is leading an effort to improve and expand
Boston’s South Station for the future. South Station
is an iconic and historic transportation center and the
principal passenger rail hub in New England. It is the
northern terminus for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor
Acela and Regional rail service, as well as the Lake Shore
Limited service from Chicago. South Station also serves
the MBTA commuter rail system, and it connects to the
MBTA Red Line and to Logan International Airport via
the MBTA Silver Line. Rail service to and from the South
Coast will use an enhanced and enlarged South Station.
MassDOT is collaborating with the Federal Railroad
Administration, the MBTA, Amtrak, the city of Boston, and
many other stakeholders – including the general public
– to develop a plan of action and preliminary designs to
expand and improve South Station. The project is funded
by a grant from the U. S. Department of Transportation
High-Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail program, with
additional funding from the Commonwealth. This effort
will include analyzing traffic, track, signal, and railroad
operations at South Station, as well as performing
planning, engineering, and environmental permitting
work. No construction activities are included in this phase
of the project. Planning and design for improvements
to the sidewalks, bicycle facilities, and roadways around
South Station will be included in the project, as will an
analysis of the potential for future joint development at an
expanded South Station.
Goals of the Project
Anticipating needs for future service is a key element in
the South Station project. Like planning for the stations
associated with future service to the South Coast,
MassDOT is keeping transit-oriented development,
economic development and enhanced passenger facilities
in mind. The goals for the project include:
• Performing an analysis of potential expansion
alternatives to determine how best to improve
South Station and its affiliated infrastructure,
including a new rail vehicle layover site.
• Planning for the relocation of the adjacent U.S. Postal
Service General Mail Facility on Dorchester Avenue to
utilize that site to expand South Station.
• Planning and designing an enhanced passenger
environment at and around South Station. This will
include improved passenger facilities and amenities
in the station and on the platforms, as well as
streetscape and pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular
improvements around the station. In addition,
MassDOT and the city of Boston are planning for a
future in which Dorchester Avenue is re-opened for
public use.
• Considering opportunities for joint public/private
development over and in concert with an expanded
South Station.
For more information, visit the project website and sign
up for email updates at: www.massdot.state.ma.us/
southstationexpansion.
South Coast Rail - December 2012 | Page 3
Engines and train sets in the layover facility serving the MBTA’s Greenbush Line.
Project Updates
• Project Manager Jean Fox and members of
MassDOT’s engineering team outlined plans for
South Coast Rail’s two layover facilities in meetings
with the New Bedford and Fall River communities
over the last few months. At a New Bedford open
house in April, participants reviewed draft layouts for
a layover facility, a location near the end of the line
where trains are stored at the end of the service day
and where they begin service in the morning. In New
Bedford, the layover is proposed for an industrial site
adjacent to the planned Whale’s Tooth Station.
The MassDOT team also hosted a layover facility
open house in Fall River, presented to the City
Council and is meeting with neighborhood
organizations to outline plans for a second layover
facility near the end of the Fall River line. The site,
known as Weaver’s Cove East, is along the rightof-way of the existing Fall River Secondary tracks,
off North Main Street. The full report on layover
facilities is available for review on the project
website at: http://southcoastrail.eot.state.ma.us/
env_Review.html.
MassDOT also invited Fall River elected officials and
residents to tour the Greenbush layover facility in
Scituate. The MBTA and MBCR hosted the group
and answered questions about how a layover facility
operates and works with neighbors and abutters.
• The Commuter Rail Task Force continues to meet
monthly to discuss progress on technical assistance
projects and other preparation for South Coast
Rail. Long-time chair John Bullard stepped down
earlier this year to take a position as Northeast
director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). Transportation Secretary
Richard Davey will shortly nominate his successor.
MBTA Senior Manager of Transportation / Customer Service Craig Dias,
talks with Jean Fox, SCR Project Manager, and Senator Michael Rodrigues.
Contact Information
If you would like more information about the project
or to be added to the project distribution list for email
notifications of meetings and other updates, please
contact Jean Fox, Manager of South Coast Rail, by email to
Jean.Fox@state.ma.us or phone at (857) 368-8853. Project
information and updates, including information on what’s
new with the project and upcoming meetings, are posted
on the project website at www.mass.gov/southcoastrail.
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Ten Park Plaza, Room 4150, Boston, MA 02116
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