GILLETTE T PLAN GOING OFF TRACK
Pilot program’s $11M cost draws skepticism
The MBTA’s proposal to run a pilot program of daily trains to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro would cost at least $11 million, including to upgrade the tracks, injecting a new dimension to the heated debate around the controversial plan.
TRANSPORTATION
The pilot program itself would cost $950,000, or more than double the $411,000 officials are projecting it would bring to the T in rider and parking revenue, T officials said yesterday. MassDOT would also need to invest about $10 million to upgrade signals, track and other parts of its infrastructure to handle the added daily passenger trains.
The price tag is the first clear picture of the program’s cost, nearly three months after officials first revealed they were weighing the program to start some time in 2018. It was included in a presentation yesterday to the T’s Fiscal Management and Control Board, which still needs to vote whether to approve the project.
The proposal is being pushed by Gov. Charlie Baker’s team as an economic engine for the Foxboro area, including by Jay Ash, his secretary of economic development, who made a rare appearance at the T board meeting urging members to approve it.
“I can tell you that the demand exists and the demand will certainly find its way to Foxboro,” Ash said.
The pilot, which would run for about a year, would include three trains running during peak hours in the morning and evening, plus some midday trains, and is projected to add roughly 59,400 new riders to the T, or about 110 a day.
The Kraft Group, which owns Gillette Stadium, would also contribute up to $200,000 to help defray the $539,000 in added costs it would bring.
But the project has drawn heavy opposition from Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike, as well as from the town of Walpole. State Sen. James Timilty, state Rep. Shawn Dooley and others have spoken out against it, citing its costs and a need to focus on the T’s existing system.
Some board members, while asking for more info, also offered a heavy dose of skepticism.
“One of the rationale(s) for it ... is that it will spur economic development. But there is no proposed project” tied to the pilot, said board member Brian Lang. “So how do you measure that? Because if it was just for 110 riders a day, I don’t think it would fly. I might be wrong, but it’s not compelling to me for that reason anyway.”
Board Chairman Joseph Aiello said he’s “quite paranoid” about the T being able to provide added service in the long term, adding he’s “very worried about the operating budget.”