By CHARIS ANDERSON
SouthCoastToday.com
June 19, 2010
NEW BEDFORD -- Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray on Friday said Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker and his running mate's continued dismissal of the South Coast Rail project reveals their Boston-centric establishment mindsets.
Murray was reacting to critical comments about the project made Friday by Baker and Richard Tisei, who is running for lieutenant governor, in different media outlets.
"I think it reflects Beacon Hill arrogance ... two guys who have been at the Statehouse for a long time who really have little understanding about what transportation investment means for places like Southeastern Massachusetts," Murray said.
A spokesman for the Baker campaign did not return calls for comment on Friday.
On Thursday, Gov. Deval Patrick, Murray and other elected officials announced the purchase of 30 miles of CSX Transportation rail lines south of Taunton, a development they called a critical milestone for the South Coast Rail project.
The tracks, which run south from Cotley Junction to New Bedford and Fall River, are a crucial piece of infrastructure not only for the commuter rail project but also for the region's freight rail system.
"We know that where you have train and commuter rail service that are dependable, you have economic development and job creation," Murray said.
"That's what we're trying to do here. ... It's unfortunate that Charlie Baker and Richard Tisei don't think that Southeastern Massachusetts should be able to participate."
Overall funding for the total project, which will cost about $1.5 billion, has yet to be identified, but Murray said the Patrick administration has been up front about the project's costs and the need to explore different funding mechanisms, such as district improvement financing, value capture and public-private partnerships.
"We're going to have to look at all those things if we're going to move this project along, and we may have to move it in phases, but we're going to move it," Murray said. "And what we did (Thursday) demonstrates that."
In addition to identifying a funding source, the other major hurdle the project must clear is an environmental review by the Army Corps of Engineers that will identify a preferred route for the commuter rail line.
That report is expected this fall, Murray said.
Meanwhile, work can begin on discrete parts of the project, such as the reconstruction of three rail bridges in New Bedford, which is being funded with $20 million in federal grant money and went out to bid last week.
The 30 miles of track south of Taunton, which will be used regardless of which route is chosen, will need improvements, and now that the state owns those rail lines, work can start once funds are secured, Murray said.
New Bedford Mayor Scott W. Lang said the Patrick-Murray administration demonstrated a firm commitment to the project from their first day in office.
"We have heard empty promises and rhetoric regarding the rail project for Southeastern Massachusetts for close to 25 years," Lang said.
"The governor and the lieutenant governor have moved the rail project further along in 3½ years than has been done in all of the previous 22."
The rail project is a priority for economic growth in the region, Lang said.
"For anyone to sit down and say, 'Well, this can wait. We're not interested in it,' is just missing the entire concept of what we need to do to maintain a competitiveness in the state," he said.
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