Options multiply for south coast rail

State's broad study seeks local voices

State Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen was met in February by students protesting plans for a Southeastern Massachusetts rail extension, which the state is now reevaluating. (SARAH BREZINSKY GILBERT for the BOSTON GLOBE/FILE)

Not long ago, there was one proposal on the table for extending commuter rail through Southeastern Massachusetts to Fall River and New Bedford. Now there are 40 public-transit alternatives to consider.

The new proposals, authored by citizens across the region, include a monorail along the Route 24 right-of-way, enhanced bus service, a combination bus-and-train system, and several configurations of traditional commuter rail service. The four main public transportation corridors include Route 24 and three alternative rail configurations that were studied in the late 1990s.

State officials began gathering those ideas after Governor Deval Patrick this year announced his intention to take a completely fresh look at the controversial issue.

The state's original plan for extending the Stoughton rail line through Easton and points south was set aside, as South Coast Rail manager Kristina Egan and her team of experts began holding "civic engagement" meetings, gathering suggestions from residents.

"One of the things I have been happily surprised about is that the people are willing to help us think this through," Egan said last week. "They have offered thoughtful comments."

Greg Guimond, a transportation specialist with the Southeast Regional Planning and Economic Development District, a planning agency serving more than 20 Southeastern Massachusetts towns, said the mood of the civic engagement sessions has depended on where they are held.

At a recent hearing in Berkley, residents did not oppose having rail tracks through town, but were eager to make sure they got a station, too, Guimond said. Residents in New Bedford were enthusiastic.

In January, the public sessions may become more contentious, as residents are asked to offer opinions on all the various alternatives at meetings in, among other places, Easton and Norton - both of which adamantly oppose having tracks through their towns.

The original Stoughton extension, which Easton vehemently opposed, is still among the competing alternatives on Egan's list.

"I think there is still significant opposition to the Stoughton extension, but residents are taking a wait-and-see attitude," Easton Town Administrator David Colton said on Monday.

The Stoughton extension would result in eight or nine at-grade crossings in Easton, Colton said, and the track would pass through the environmentally sensitive Hockomock Swamp and a portion of the protection zone for a municipal well.

That plan was originally delayed by funding uncertainty, and, during the delay, opposition built. Easton residents, Colton said, are waiting to see how this new study proceeds. Their civic engagement meeting is set for Jan. 14.

Norton already has an active citizens group opposing the so-called Attleboro expansion plan that would bring the rail through that town. Group founder Heather Graf said the Citizens Concerned About Tracks is expected to come out in force during the town's civic engagement session with state rail officials on Jan. 15.

"We don't wish to interfere with commuter service to New Bedford and Fall River," Graf said. "However, we are adamantly opposed to the Attleboro alternative. And we will continue to oppose it until it's dropped."

The state Executive Office of Transportation has hired the engineers at Watertown-based Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. to handle an in-depth analysis of all the proposals. Egan said officials will evaluate alternatives by weighing whether they meet the ultimate goal of networking transportation through Southeastern Massachusetts, if their build-out and operation will be feasible, and if they impact the environment.

Egan said the list will be narrowed from more than 40 alternatives to between two and six by March. Southeastern Massachusetts residents will then have a chance to comment on those finalists during civic engagement sessions in Attleboro, Lakeville, and Freetown.

The lengthy environmental review process of all serious contenders will begin in April, but the final route for the rail expansion won't be selected until 2010. Two years of permitting will then follow, and construction is expected to begin in 2012.

Patrick is committed to a $1.4 billion rail expansion in the southeast region, saying it is critical to the area's economy. The new service is not expected to be up and running until December 2016.

During a session in Stoughton last week, Egan referred to the casino proposed for Middleborough as well as the governor's plan for three geographically placed casinos as "the elephant in the room." She said consideration of the casino issue and rail issue are currently independent of each other.

Guimond pointed out that rail already runs from Boston down to Middleborough, with a station nearby on the Lakeville line.

"There's actually a potential to have two casinos in this region, with another being in Raynham, Fall River, or New Bedford," Guimond said. "We would want public transportation to large facilities like that."

Christine Wallgren can be reached at CLWallgren@aol.com.