MetroWest495 Biz

MetroWest495 Biz | August 2014 19 "Particularly those from Europe are surprised we don't have as good a public transportation network as they do in England or France or Italy," said Jean Poteete, the school's senior campus planner. Poteete would like to see that change. Together with town officials, regional transit planners and others in the local business community, she's working to offer new transportation options. In particular, she says, a bus stopping at the school would provide an easier way to reach Worcester and connect the campus with the adjacent Grafton MBTA commuter rail sta- tion, making train travel from the east more practical. The arguments for more and better public transportation are obvious: It can reduce roadway congestion, cut pollution and improve mobility for people who can't or don't want to drive, among others. But — particu- larly in the less urban areas of Mas- sachusetts — it's not always easy to make trains and buses into appealing choices for more people. Among the challenges? Providing service fre- quently enough that people can travel when they want, and helping passen- gers get all the way to their destina- tions, not just the one train station in town. These aren't minor issues, but officials and businesses in the Me- troWest area and I-495 corridor are addressing them. Among the most significant public transit projects happening in the area are improvements to two MBTA commuter rail lines. The Fitchburg line — which has been plagued in the past by poor reliability — is in the middle of a multi-year, multi-phase project designed to get trains moving faster and showing up when they're supposed to. The improvements include a new train station in Littleton with added parking that opened last year, and a new South Acton station, scheduled for completion by the end of 2015. Meanwhile, earlier this year, the Worcester-Framingham line complet- ed its own upgrade, which came with the addition of three new departures from Worcester and four from Boston to Worcester, bringing the line to a total of 20 trips in each direction every weekday. From Framingham, there are 24 trips each way. Still, there's a long way to go to make public transit a more popular option. Speaking in Framingham in June, MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott said the percentage of the population using public transpor- tation has fallen over the past decade. In 2012, less than 10 percent of Mas- sachusetts workers over age 16 used public transit to get to work, and those who did were highly concentrated in the Boston area. One place to look for hints on improving ridership is Westborough. CoMMUTINg To WoRk s page 24 Holiday Inn Boxborough • 30,000 Square Feet of Meeting Space • 13 Meeting Rooms of various sizes • 13,200 square foot, Fully Carpeted Exhibit Hall with no pillars and direct-area load in "The Place to Meet" • Corporate Meetings • Trade Shows • Holiday Parties • Exit 28 off 495, Boxborough MA 01719 • (978) 889 - 1714 www.holidayinn.com/boxboroughma Contact us for Special Deals for WBJ Readers Enjoy the best in private club privileges while keeping your CFO smiling. To learn more, please call General Manager Brian Lynch at 508-869-2000. 369 CROSS STR E ET BOYLSTON, MA T H EH AV E NC O U N T RYC LU B. C O M Morning passengers board a bus on a weekday morning at the Westborough commuter rail station. "(younger workers) want to see viable public transportation options, so I think there's going to be more pressure exerted by them ... ." - stephen o'Neil, Administrator, Worcester regional transit Authority

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