As the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority studies how to improve the Fairmount commuter rail line - the shortest and least-used of the T system - neighborhood activists are pressing for it to be transformed into a new rapid transit service known as the Indigo Line.
"Dorchester, Mattapan and Roxbury are the most transit dependent neighborhoods in the city, but we are among the most underserved," said Marvin Martin, director of the Greater Four Corners Action Coalition. "We have these trains that run right through our neighborhood but don't stop." The 9.1-mile Fairmount line now runs from Readville to South Station with stops at Fairmount Avenue in Hyde Park, and at Morton Street in Mattapan and Uphams Corner in Dorchester. Indigo Line advocates—an alliance of local activists and transportation officials—want to add stations, increase the frequency of runs, and switch from diesel to electric trains.
Noah Berger, a transit policy analyst for the MBTA Advisory Board, said the need for the service is apparent on any Boston rapid transit map. "You can see a V radiating out between the Orange and the Red Lines representing the largest gap in rapid transit service within the City of Boston," Berger said. Proponents want a half dozen stations added to the line, at the South Bay shopping center/Newmarket, Columbia Road, Four Corners/Mount Bowdoin, Talbot Avenue, Blue Hill Avenue, and River Street. The cost is unknown; new stations typically cost $1 million to $2 million each. Much more costly would be converting from diesel to electric trains. Operating the line also would be expensive.
The MBTA has commissioned a study of the Fairmount line and held a series of public hearings. The T is not ready yet to consider an Indigo Line, according to MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. "It's an interesting concept, but right now the focus is on how we can improve the service as a commuter rail line, " he said. Advocates say better signs and improved conditions at the Uphams Corner and Morton Street stations would be a good first step, along with a simpler fare structure and free transfers to the Red Line at South Station.
Many Dorchester residents are unaware of the isolated Morton Street and Uphams Corner stations, according to Colin Riley, executive director of the Uphams Corner Main Streets program. "There is a perception of a safety problem at the station," said Riley. "If you are waiting for a train there, you most likely would be spending your time alone."
This story ran on page 5 of the Boston Globe's City Weekly section on 12/23/2001.
You're on the Indigo Line Website www.indigoline.org