Greenbush etc and freight?

[NRGeep]

When they were revitalizing lines like Greenbush and other south shore lines was there any consideration of allowing freight traffic on the lines? In particular, I noticed a cement plant that manufactures large pipes etc near the Greenbush station and it seemed that a short spur could service the place, but alas, no spur. Of course most of the online freight that bordered the lines in their previous New Haven existence is long gone, but was just curious if the T is open to freight traffic.

[GP40MC1118]

Seriously doubt if the T would be open to more freight on a branch like Greenbush.
Hingham would probably sue!

D

[Gerry6309]

Seriously doubt if the T would be open to more freight on a branch like Greenbush.
Hingham would probably sue!

D

Especially if the tunnel had to be enlarged! Not a bad idea as long as we assess it to the abutters...

[BandA]

From what I read on here, there isn't enough passenger service to justify the line. If they can add some freight, why not? Also, why run FRA compliant trains if you ain't gonna have now freight?

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

There's no potential customers to be had, anyway. Freight went kaput past East Braintree in 1984 when the military base on the Cohasset spur closed. It's just the daily Fore River Transportation jobs that do the reverse.


Plymouth I could see maybe fetching some *slight* interest if CSX dumped all Old Colony territory between Braintree Yard and Attleboro Jct. to Mass Coastal to complete it's hand-washing of the South Coast area, and Mass Coastal found an interested enough customer to make a bid to the MBTA for rights. As a shortline they can make that kind of low-margin biz for 1 or 2 small customers at off-peak hours on passenger line trackage rights work for them. And Plymouth is long enough to serve up a couple of potential sites. Nothing earth-shattering, but doesn't need to be at shortline margins. And the T would probably consider that since it's operationally inocuous and a little bit of trackage rights revenue.


That's the only scenario where a line that currently has no designated freight operator whatsoever could have a future where one makes a bid. Needham no longer even has a track connection to somebody's freight rights with Medfield Jct. severed and CSX having no rights between Hyde Park and Back Bay. Beverly and the North Shore branches no longer have any potential customers on the rights Guilford abdicated outright in the 80's. And It's definitely not going to happen on the Stoughton Line anywhere north if South Coast Rail is built because Easton and the swamp are a freight dead zone. CSX is probably going to be gone off the branch entirely when that last customer in Stoughton inevitably goes away, and everything north of the current Dean St. Industrial Track end-of-track is swamp and residential so Mass Coastal won't have any need for it. Or any need for Stoughton as a thru interchange route when it hits CSX just fine at real interchange yards.

[jonnhrr]

Back in the 1970's there was still a fair amount of freight going into the Hingham Shipyard area which was an industrial park at the time. Even back them hardly anything went through downtown Hingham, except an occasional car of lumber to a lumber yard near Nantasket Jct. I understand the shipyard area is now a mall so it is unlikely that traffic will return.

Jon