Fall River/New Bedford Commuter Rail (South Coast Rail)

[F-Line to Dudley]

Taunton is really getting screwed over with the Middleborough routing, especially since the East Taunton stop had to get relocated south of Cotley junction instead of the previously planned location north of the junction. Phase 2 is essential for Taunton because of the planned stop close to downtown, but I'm not getting my hopes up since there's been no word on Phase 2 since like 2017.

The north-of-Cotley station siting at Mozzone Blvd. at least would've had the adjacent big-box shopping center for some TOD potential. But that assumes that the locals are capable of executing on TOD. The 2009 Corridor Plan tried to do ambitious mixed-use infilling with housing, new sidewalk buildouts, and greenspace...but all of that disappeared from the plans by the 2013 FEIR. While there were/are still empty lots around the shopping center ripe for infilling, the environs are car-centric to the max with seas of parking, poor sidewalk coverage, the same disconnection from Plains St. residential, and the same inferior bus connection. Either site makes the Kingston sand pit look borderline progressive on TOD. So I doubt the ridership needle moved much with the flip to the sparser surroundings south of the junction. It would be 90% park-and-rides at either site, and that's all the locals seem to be shooting for nowadays.

The 2013 FEIS for Phase II projected 400 daily boardings for East Taunton and 670 daily boardings for the downtown stop at Dean St. At Phase I frequencies the East Taunton boardings are likely to suffer a little.

 

[Tallguy]

The north-of-Cotley station siting at Mozzone Blvd. at least would've had the adjacent big-box shopping center for some TOD potential. But that assumes that the locals are capable of executing on TOD. The 2009 Corridor Plan tried to do ambitious mixed-use infilling with housing, new sidewalk buildouts, and greenspace...but all of that disappeared from the plans by the 2013 FEIR. While there were/are still empty lots around the shopping center ripe for infilling, the environs are car-centric to the max with seas of parking, poor sidewalk coverage, the same disconnection from Plains St. residential, and the same inferior bus connection. Either site makes the Kingston sand pit look borderline progressive on TOD. So I doubt the ridership needle moved much with the flip to the sparser surroundings south of the junction. It would be 90% park-and-rides at either site, and that's all the locals seem to be shooting for nowadays.

The 2013 FEIS for Phase II projected 400 daily boardings for East Taunton and 670 daily boardings for the downtown stop at Dean St. At Phase I frequencies the East Taunton boardings are likely to suffer a little.

Commonwealth has blown several opportunities to push back against Army Corps. Phase II without a viaduct becomes reasonable.