Ride the Train to the Revolution Home Opener at Wyman-Gordon Field in Worcester

(Note: The train service to New England Revolution games discussed in this post is fictional. If you really do plan to attend the Revolution home opener in Foxboro this Saturday, March 26, 2011, and have come to this page looking for MBTA service from Boston or Providence, you are out of luck. Unlike Patriots games, the MBTA does not provide service to Gillette Stadium for Revolution games. Check out the Revolution website for driving directions to Gillette Stadium.)

This blog's most popular topic by a large margin are the posts discussing the development of a soccer specific stadium for the New England Revolution on undeveloped land owned and presently listed for sale by Wyman-Gordon in downtown Worcester.


The Pitch at Wyman-Gordon Field is Proposed for a large Undeveloped Parcel Owned by Wyman-Gordon and Located Just South of Downtown Worcester, MA (DCU Center is at top center of image)

 If an urban soccer stadium in Worcester is going to be successful, I believe that passenger train service to the games from Boston is a must, and service from Providence and Springfield, while not a must, would likely boost attendance and significantly reduce auto congestion and parking challenges downtown during events.

Proposed Passenger Service from Boston, Providence and Springfield to Worcester for Revolution Games at Wyman-Gordon Field

Let's take a look at each of these three lines in more detail starting with the Boston segment.

Boston

Proposed Passenger Service from Boston to Worcester for Revolution Games at Wyman-Gordon Field

The Boston line is actually two trains - one that departs from South Station and one that departs from North Station. Originally I was thinking that each train could depart at about the same time and couple up at CSX's Allston Yard for the trip to Worcester. Alternatively, we could have two trains of three cars each that depart at different times. (These special trains would be in addition to regular service to Worcester out of South Station, presently 12 round trips during the week and 5 round trips on the weekends, which is expected to increase to at least 20 weekday round trips by September 2012 when CSX relocates it's Allston Yard operations to Worcester). Let's use this Saturday's 4:30 pm game as an example. Let's assume we can get the trip down to one hour (more on this below). So we could have an early train, say a 1:30 pm train that departs North Station (direct connection to the Orange and Green lines) and arrives at Worcester's Union Station at 2:30 pm. This would get Boston area visitors to the game in time for the gates to open or allow sufficient time to meet up with friends or family for a meal and drinks Downtown, perhaps in the Canal District or on Shrewsbury St. We could then offer a late train, say a 2:30 pm train that departs South Station (direct connection to the Red Line) and arrives at Worcester's Union Station at 3:30 pm, just in time to join the Parade to the Pitch.


Boston Detail (South Station Line is Dark Green, North Station Line is Light Blue) of Proposed Passenger Service from Boston to Worcester for Revolution Games at Wyman-Gordon Field

Each line out of Boston will also have one urban stop, the North Station line will stop at Cambridge/MIT (connecting with the Red Line just two blocks east at the existing Kendall Square/MIT Station) and the South Station line will stop at Back Bay which provides for a direct connection to the Orange Line. The trains would depart Worcester following the game in a similar staggered fashion. One option could be the North Station train departing 30 minutes following the conclusion of the game and the South Station train departs 1 hour and 30 minutes following the conclusion of the game.

The next stop on the Boston line is proposed for Wellesley Hills/Route 128.
  

Wellesley Hills/Route 128 Detail of Proposed Passenger Service from Boston to Worcester for Revolution Games at Wyman-Gordon Field

The Wellesley Hills Station provides an option for metro Boston residents who don't necessarily have easy access to public transit, but can easily get to Route 128 by car. This stop is ideally located at the intersection of Routes 9 and 16, less than 2 miles southwest of the Route 16 exit off of Route 128. The challenge with this location is limited parking (just 51 spaces). One solution that offers potential here is to direct passengers to park at the existing 925 space lot at Riverside (end of D Branch of Green Line and just off Route 128 on Grove St.) and the T can then shuttle passengers by bus the approximately three miles to the Wellesley Hills Station.

The final stop on the Boston line to Worcester is in Framingham. This stop is a convenient option for MetroWest residents who would prefer not to drive to downtown Worcester.


Framingham Detail of Proposed Passenger Service from Boston to Worcester for Revolution Games at Wyman-Gordon Field

I spoke earlier about a one hour ride between Boston and Worcester, is this really possible? The Wikipedia page on the Boston & Albany Railroad lists the mileposts for the mainline. Worcester's Union Station is 44 miles from South Station. We have three stops (Back Bay, Wellesley Hills and Framingham) of let's say 5 minutes each, which leaves us 45 minutes of actual travel time to meet the one hour goal. Therefore, the train would need to average about 59 MPH to get to Worcester in one hour. This certainly seems feasible to me once the MBTA controls dispatching along the line.

Providence

Proposed Passenger Service from Providence to Worcester for Revolution Games at Wyman-Gordon Field

Service would start at the existing MBTA Station at TF Green Airport. Not only is the direct connection to TF Green itself convenient, but the station is convenient for Providence metro south residents who would arrive by car: it offers a 650 space parking garage and is just 1 mile off of Interstate 95. The train would then travel along the MBTA mainline with a stop at the existing station in downtown Providence and then at a TBD stop in Pawtucket, before it leaves the MBTA mainline and heads towards Worcester on the Providence & Worcester mainline. The final stop on the Providence line would be at a TBD location in Woonsocket.

Because the Providence line would travel mostly along the Providence & Worcester mainline, it is likely that the P&W would be the operator of this line. The P&W owns a number of working passenger coaches, running a number of special passenger excursions out of Worcester, including, I believe, a train or two out of Worcester to the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence. Because the line is not regularly used for passenger service, I'm not sure the train could safely sustain speeds of 60 MPH like the Boston line. But let's say it can achieve average average speeds of 40 MPH. The line is about 46 miles in length, so at 40 MPH we are looking at about 69 minutes, plus 15 minutes for three station stops, resulting in a total trip time of about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Assuming a 4:30 pm start, the train might leave TF Green at 2 pm, arriving at Worcester's Union Station at 3:25 pm.

Springfield

Proposed Passenger Service from Springfield to Worcester for Revolution Games at Wyman-Gordon Field

Springfield service would start at the existing Amtrak station in downtown Springfield. The only proposed stop on the Springfield line would be at a TBD location in downtown Palmer. The Palmer location is convienent for auto users as it is less than 2 miles off of Exit 8 of the Mass Pike and is a convienent connection to the Five Colleges area centered around Amherst. (The Five Colleges together with the PVTA operate an impressive free shuttle service connecting the colleges, I'm sure if there were enough interest, the PVTA would run a Revolution shuttle between Amherst and Palmer, connecting with the Springfield train).

Regarding what entitiy might operate this service, my first thought would be the MBTA. This could certainly be feasible if the T did extend service to Springfield, but this idea looks like it is many years away from becoming real. What looks more likely however, is to utilize the equipment that would be part of the planned New Haven to Springfield commuter rail line. This service, which is projected to commence in 2020, would normally terminate at Springfield, but perhaps we could have one train continue on to Worcester for Revolution games. This direct one seat connection to the Springfield, Hartford and even New Haven markets would make traveling by commuter rail from these areas to Worcester a viable alternative to traveling by car.

According to the Wikipedia page on the Boston & Albany Railroad, the distance between Springfield and Worcester by train is about 54 miles. We only have one stop on this line, so we have 55 minutes to complete the trip. This results in a minimum average speed of 59 MPH in order to complete the trip in one hour. Amtrak Lake Shore Limited trains presently make the run between Springfield and Worcester in about 1 hour and 10 minutes (no intermediate stops), so achieving a one hour goal certainly seems feasible.

Worcester

Once at Worcester's Union Station, visitors could complete their trip to the pitch by a variety of means. One option would be to walk the 1/2 mile throught the Canal District, perhaps even participating in the pregame Parade to the Pitch. The second option would be to jump on a historic Worcester built Osgood Bradley trolley which travels to the pitch through the Canal District via Kelley Square. The third option is to take the AIRLINE BRT towards ORH and get off at the first stop, Junction District, which allows you to enter the pitch from Madison St.

Those Arriving by Train at Union Station Would Connect Directly to Either the Proposed AIRLINE Bus Rapid Transit System or the Visitor Trolley for Service to Wyman-Gordon Field

Detail of Wyman-Gordon Field, Transit Connections and Proximity to Interstate 290