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Indigo Line
The Fairmount Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system was one of several rail lines considered for Indigo Line service in 2014
Overview
StatusCanceled
OwnerMBTA
LocaleGreater Boston
Service
Type Hyrbid Rail / Rapid Transit / Regional Rail / Semi-metro
SystemMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Operator(s)MBTA
Rolling stockDiesel Multiple Units (Procurement canceled 2015)
History
OpenedProposed 2024 (Canceled)
Technical
CharacterSurface-level
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Indigo Line was a proposed rapid transit service of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) that would have incorporated parts of the former Grand Junction Railroad, the Seaport District's Track 61, a spur to Riverside station and segments of other MBTA Commuter Rail lines within the Greater Boston region of Massachusetts. As proposed, the Indigo Line was planned as hybrid rail (non-commuter rail service that operates as a combination of regional rail and light rail) and would have predominately shared existing infrastructure with the MBTA Commuter Rail.

The Indigo Line was formally endorsed in 2014 during the Deval Patrick administration. The service was included within the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's (MassDOT's) 2014-2018 Capital Investment Plan which consolidated recommendations put forth by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (now the Boston Planning and Development Agency) and several other proposals by community advocates.[1][2] The MBTA planned to procure diesel multiple units (DMUs) for Indigo Line service with full-build completion projected for 2024.

Despite initial planning efforts, the project faced financial, political, and logistical hurdles. The Baker administration blocked funding for the Indigo Line in 2015, with the project being officially canceled by the MBTA shortly after.[3][4] In the years following the project's cancelation, lawmakers and local advocates have called for the revival and reassessment of the Indigo Line plan in relation to improvements to the MBTA Commuter Rail's Fairmount Line.[5] Several minor projects based on preliminary Indigo Line recommendations have been pursued; however, the Indigo Line project as originally proposed has been abandoned.

Background

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Early history

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Conversion of underutilized rail infrastructure within the Greater Boston area into regional rail or semi-metro services has been discussed for several decades, mostly in relation to the Fairmount Line. The MBTA has traditionally extended rapid transit lines adjacent to existing suburban railroad rights-of-way to provide increased frequencies within Greater Boston (as with the Green Line Extension, Red Line Braintree Extension and the Haymarket North Extension). In the case of the Green Line D Branch, a commuter line (the Highland Branch) was fully converted into a streetcar rapid transit line. The Indigo Line proposal was intended to make the characteristics of existing commuter lines more like rapid transit than commuter rail, with increased frequency and number of stops through the use of DMUs, without incurring the costs associated with extending subway or light rail lines.

Prior to the formal endorsement of the Indigo Line, several planning initiatives during the 2000s would serve as the basis for the DMU proposal. Part of the environmental mitigation negotiated by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) for the Big Dig was improved commuter rail service on the Fairmount Line; following advocacy for the Fairmount Corridor Coalition (later the Fairmount Indigo Transit Coalition) in 1999-2000, the MBTA pledged half of the money necessary to build additional stations along the Fairmount Line in 2002.[6] The remaining necessary funds were put into the MassDOT budget in 2005-06 following a lawsuit by the CLF for inadequate completion of Big Dig mitigation measures. The existing Uphams Corner and Morton Street stations were rebuilt, and four new stations were constructed at Four Corners/Geneva, Talbot Avenue, Blue Hill Avenue, and Newmarket in the 2010s; however, no plans were included to increase service on the line.[7] While plans for the station improvement projects moved forward, community advocates would call for the conversion of the Fairmount Line to rapid transit.[8]

Early plans to establish rapid DMU service within Boston stems from early Urban Ring planning within the Allston Multimodal Station Study (what would later become the West Station proposal) in 2007.[9] The study analyzed both commuter rail and DMU local service along the Framingham/Worcester Line corridor, with potential stops at Faneuil, Market Street, Everett Street, Cambridge Street, West (Ashford Street), and Commonwealth Avenue.[10] The final recommendation called for a commuter rail station at Everett Street with DMU stops added later at the other locations.

Indigo Line proposal

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The term "Indigo Line" dates back to the creation of the Fairmount Indigo Planning Initiative in 2012; this study was facilitated by the Boston Redevelopment Authority which recommended transforming the Fairmount Line into a hybrid rail line.[11] Hybrid rail, which emerged during the early 2000s with systems such as New Jersey Transit's River Line, was intended to be a low cost alternative to implementing high-frequency services on existing right-of-ways through the use of FRA non-compliant DMUs. The Indigo Line concept would be further consolidated with other DMU proposals with the intent to upgrade several other lines beyond the Fairmount Line. The "Indigo" terminology for the service was intended to denote it within Boston's rapid transit network, which utilizes a color-labeled nomenclature, since it would be operationally separate from the purple-denoted MBTA Commuter Rail network.

In 2014, the Indigo Line was formally endorsed by Governor Deval Patrick. The project was included as a capital project within MassDOT's annual five-year capital plan; however, no capital funding was allocated. The proposal was further outlined within the "MBTA Vision for 2024" proposal that same year. Within the Vision for 2024 plan, the MBTA reciprocated the recommendation to operate Indigo Line services as hybrid rail, with Fairmount Line DMU service being fully operational that year with leased equipment.[12][13] The full buildout of the Indigo Line network was projected for completion by 2024.

Proposed service

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Routes considered

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The MBTA Vision for 2024 map proposed six possible lines to be upgraded for Indigo Line DMU service:

The Nippon Sharyo DMU was proposed for Indigo service

Rolling stock

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The proposed 2014 state budget included $240 million to purchase DMU railcars; the state issued a request for proposals to purchase 30 trainsets with deliveries starting in 2018. An order of Nippon Sharyo DMUs for Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit in 2014 included an option for 18 cars to be provided to the MBTA for the Indigo Line service.[14] Additionally, the plan called for the installation of a pre-pay fare system on Indigo Line routes with fixed fare pricing, similar to the MBTA subway.

Project cancelation

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Funding for the Indigo Line project would be blocked by the Baker administration in 2016.[15] The abandonment of the project was attributed to costs associated with acquiring specialized rolling stock along with general skepticism towards the practicality of the overall service. Opponents to the service cited the low ridership of the Fairmount Line (weekday ridership was 2,652 in 2018), as well as questioned the operational logistics of the proposed routes (mainly pertaining to how the Track 61 line would have bypassed South Station).[16]

Partial implementation

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The Fairmount Line Improvement Project adopted by the MBTA is based on preliminary Indigo Line plans; however, in its initial proposal the MBTA did not plan to increase service frequency to match rapid transit lines, nor to install pre-pay fare systems. The infill stations proposed by the initiative have been built; however, the line still uses conventional commuter rail equipment.[17]

Additional proposals

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The Indigo Line terminology was revived in 2023 within both Senate and House versions of a bill that would mandate the conversion of the MBTA's Fairmount Line to fully electrified operations by 2029 in order to effectively integrate the line with the MBTA’s rapid transit network under the Indigo Line banner.[18][19] The 2023 legislation diverges from a previous MBTA proposal from 2022 that suggested the procurement of battery multiple units for the Fairmount Line as opposed to full electrification.[20] The legislation was included in a Joint Committee on Transportation hearing on May 8, 2023, which has since been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.[21]

On March 16, 2024, MBTA Commuter Rail operator Keolis solicited a proposal that outlined the implementation of BEMU services on the Fairmount Line by FY 2027 as leverage for contract renewal; however, the MBTA has not reciprocated this motion as a formal project.[22]

Despite renewed legislative support, the Indigo Line has not been formally proposed as a MBTA project and is not in active development.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Boston Redevelopment Authority (September 2014). "Fairmount Indigo Planning Initiative Corridor Plan Executive Summary".
  2. ^ "Take a Ride on the Indigo Line - Howard Stein Hudson". www.hshassoc.com. February 5, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  3. ^ "'Indigo Line' advocates keep pushing for a switch from commuter line to rapid transit".
  4. ^ "Charlie Baker derails T trains | Boston Herald". July 27, 2015. Archived from the original on July 27, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  5. ^ "Fix The T: Fairmount Line Conversion". fixmbta. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  6. ^ "State Implementation Plan – Transit Commitments: Status Report". Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation. July 2, 2007.
  7. ^ "Fairmount Line Improvements". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  8. ^ "A Brief History of the Fairmount Line in Boston". radumas.info. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  9. ^ Elowitt, Karen (April 26, 2007). "Allston could get commuter rail station". Wicked Local. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  10. ^ "Allston Multimodal Station Study". Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation. June 15, 2009.
  11. ^ "HISTORY OF THE FAIRMOUNT LINE". Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  12. ^ Annear, Steve (January 9, 2014). "Take A Ride On The MBTA's 'New Indigo Line' In 2024". Boston Magazine. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  13. ^ Quinn, Garrett (January 10, 2014). "MassDOT five-year plan includes introduction of Indigo Line, extension of Green Line". Springfield Republican. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  14. ^ "WES Ridership and Fleet Requirements" (PDF). April 9, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  15. ^ "Governor Patrick Announces Fairmount Line Service Upgrades". MassDOT Blog (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. October 16, 2014.
  16. ^ "Fairmount line setback: No DMUs says MBTA". The Bay State Banner. February 10, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  17. ^ "Blue Hill Avenue Station Opens to Fairmount Line Customers on February 25 | News | MBTA". www.mbta.com. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  18. ^ "Bill H.3315: An Act improving rail service on the Fairmount commuter rail line". The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  19. ^ "Bill S.2271: An Act improving rail service on the Fairmount commuter rail line". The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  20. ^ Sawers, Alistar (June 23, 2022). "Regional Rail Transformation Update: Traction Power Planning for Regional and Urban Rail Services" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  21. ^ "Bill H.3908". malegislature.gov. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  22. ^ "MBTA Plans Frequent-Running, Battery-Electric Trains on the Fairmount Line - Streetsblog Massachusetts". mass.streetsblog.org. March 16, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  23. ^ "Today: State House Transportation Committee to Discuss East-West Rail, T Oversight". StreetsblogMASS. May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
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