The Past and the Future

Today is December 27th, 2009. Twenty-four years ago tonight, the MBTA, facing car shortage issues (Boeings?), and other disruptive factors, temporarily suspended operation of the Green Line's E branch between Heath Street and the line's end at Arborway. Over the next (nearly) quarter century, the MBTA has faced several efforts and instructions to restore the Green Line to Arborway, something that was basically included as a legal requirement in the deal to mitigate the environmental impact of a downtown construction project, the Big Dig. The MBTA has managed to avoid this, and other efforts, including several lawsuits, in its quest to avoid Arborway restoration, and this seems another prime example of their peculiar brand of logic, as restoring the service would serve to increase ridership (probably), and would prevent further lawsuits which the (T) has managed to avoid, rather unfairly. The MBTA has a history of 'suspending' operations on certain lines, and letting them rot and disappear, and they are certainly trying to do that with Arborway. It doesn't help that there is not unanimous support for restoration in the affected areas, nor does the amount of traffic encourage additional vehicles, especially ones the size of a modern LRV. However, as is often the case with new programs or new anything, people get used to things, and the issue at hand goes away. If the MBTA were to restore Arborway service, they might have to face some difficult operating conditions, and may have to compensate by installing better traffic signals favoring the trolleys, and add more trains to the E line to maintain or decrease headways. They would also have to reinstall the overhead lines and dig up the paved-over tracks. However, despite a few challenges, it is probable that they would soon begin to forget about the Arborway issue, as would the people along the line, who would likely accept the return of the trolleys, and find other things to focus on. A major reason why the MBTA continues to have to deal with the Arborway issue is because their logic renders them incapable of realizing that if an issue is left unresolved and suspended, people will focus on it to try and resolve it. The MBTA strategy of temporary suspension leading to removal of the Arborway line would only work if there was absolutely no support for the line, as any supporters certainly would work to restore the line, forcing the MBTA to dodge lawsuits and mandates in its obstinate and illogical effort to kill service to Arborway. To the MBTA, I say this: as long as there is even a sliver of support for service to Arborway, consider it that the service is and remains merely temporarily suspended, as it has been for nearly twenty-five years, and after so long, this issue needs some closure, and because support remains for Arborway, there is but one option, restoration of the E Line to its full extent. If you have to consider expansions all the time, why not look first at a line that you have already served, and should return to serving again. That is clearly the logical approach.

-Hoping that Arborway's suspension won't last for twenty-five years. More work ahead for the MBTA.