Prospects of a greener railway

Corporate representatives, university affiliates and Boston residents gathered Friday morning to discuss further plans for the South Coast Rail project.

The South Coast Rail project would create a railway between Boston, Fall River and New Bedford. Southeastern Massachusetts is the only region within a 50-miles radius of the city that does not have a commuter rail running through.

Kristina Egan, South Coast Rail manager at the Executive Office of Transport and Public Works presented the most recent plans and findings. “My feeling, in the United States, is that we need to build a lot more transit,” Egan addressed the 50 or 60 people in the room.

Aside from updates on railway plans, Egan introduced the Smart Growth Corridor Plan. The new railway is an effort to revitalize the southeastern cities of Fall River, New Bedford and Taunton.

The new transit is essential in aiding economic growth and job creation while simultaneously lessening traffic congestion in one of the fastest growing regions in the state.

“How can we grow without wrecking things?” Egan asked. The project emphasizes efforts to make the transit green and environmentally friendly. Egan discussed possibilities of green stations, solar-paneled parking lots and running the rail on electricity rather than diesel fuel.

Many of the proposed routes for the rail would disrupt wetlands. Since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is funding the project, they require that the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative is used.

Only two representatives at the meeting grew up on the South Coast and a handful were current residents. One Berkley resident expressed concerns with station placement and disruption of emergency services. Egan responded that the plan is not concrete.

The meetings are held monthly to create dialogue and promote discussion about the project.

The goal is to open the service by 2016, Egan said. “We know there’s a real need for this kind of construction.”