The most viable, cost efficient, safest plan to bring a transit system to the Southcoast of Massachusetts, the monorail, has been eliminated from consideration. In Boston's South Station, which is the hub of the rail system in Boston, there is no rail for a new line to enter and exit from. Governor Deval Patrick says he plans to spend hundreds of millions to tear down the Fort Point U.S. Postal Building (relocating) as part of the construction plans to accomodate the new rail. Why?

If the powers that be would consider the monorail for the alleged Southcoast Rail Project, they would have the flexibility of bringing the rail to many of the MBTA stations for the commuters to then engage the local transit in Metro-Boston. They would avoid pedestrian fatalities, collisions with motor vehicles, land disputes with environmental activists, leasing costs to CSX, dangers to wildlife and, of course, the high cost of traditional ground track upkeep. An elevated rail is cheaper in the long run.


According to The Monorail Society, "The Tokyo-Haneda Monorail has been operating since 1964. This eight-mile dual-beam system is privately owned and TURNS A PROFIT each year. The Seattle Center Monorail, built in 1962 for the Century 21 exposition, is run by a private corporation. In return for the concession to operate the 1.2-mile system, the corporation pays the city $75,000 every year. What private business would take on a contract like this unless profits were guaranteed? Profit is indeed an oddity in the transit world, as most transit technologies require enormous subsidies from taxpayers. Building monorail does not guarantee profit, but operating costs are almost always less.

Now lets talk about the route of the South coast Rail Project. While plans are being made to do battle with the NIMBYs, the environmental cases (intergalactic defenders of the salamanders etc) and land leasing negotiations are being hammered away by attorneys, the best route is already cleared and the people of Massachusetts own it. A corridor for the monorail is waiting on Routes 195, 24, 128 and 93 and is a perfect route for the needs of Southcoast commuters. Stations in Wareham, Mattapoisett, Fairhaven, New Bedford, Dartmouth, Fall River and Taunton are logical and over-due. The monorail can travel over bridges and overpasses with ease as it travels over the cars, vans, buses, trucks and SUVs stuck in the legendary traffic inside of the 495 urban belt of Greater Boston. It would be the envy of the rail systems in the United States and would show the world that Massachusetts is still trail blazing in technology with a 21st century innovative creation.



Imagine the traffic to New Bedford by commuters looking to get to the Whaling Museum, Buttonwood Park Zoo or Island Ferry Services which would no doubt have to be expanded to New Bedford once again. Fall River is investing in tourism and mass transit access is the perfect catalyst for the "Southcoast Renaissance". The tourism, real estate, hotel and restaurant industries would see a windfall and so would be the case for all the Southcoast.

More benefits, according to the Monorail Society is that monorails are environmentally friendly. Since most are electrically powered, monorails are non-polluting. Most run on rubber tires and are very quiet. Monorails are the most aesthetically pleasing of all elevated rail systems. Their sleek design blends in with modern urban environments. Quick construction time results in less disruption to the surrounding environments, whether protected wertlands, business or residential.

So outside of another wild cash windfall for contractors, attorneys and unions why on earth would Massachusetts eliminate the best, most exciting solution for the rail to the Southcoast? Don't get me wrong, the construction for such a project would create tens of thousands of jobs for nearly a decade. I'm talking about the opportunity to eliminate the maintance hack jobs and the unneccesary legal battles.
I would love to learn that Wareham, New Bedford, Fall River and Taunton's governments would get behind my idea and urge a reconsidering from the Governor's plans. In a last ditch effort, this article is being forwarded to elected officials that are instrumental to making this a reality. Call it "Montigny's Monorail", build "The Ted Kennedy Station", do whatever it takes by putting real and meaningful value into the Southcoast.