WORK plan
Cape Rail Study
November 5, 2020
Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Office of Transportation Planning (OTP)
Principal: Marty Milkovits
Manager: Ben Dowling
MassDOT SPR contract
Schedule and budget details are shown in Exhibits 1 and 2, respectively.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) are considering a commuter rail service connection to the Cape Cod region. This service would connect with Phase 1 of the South Coast Rail (SCR) Project, which is an initiative of MassDOT and the MBTA to bring public transportation to the South Coast region. A connection between the Cape region and the SCR Project would increase transit ridership, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support economic development and smart growth. Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) has conducted or participated in several studies of potential railroad passenger service extensions to Cape Cod towns in the recent past. MassDOT has asked CTPS to assist in developing and analyzing up to two alternatives of Cape Rail service.
The objective of this study is to support MassDOT in its effort to plan for the future of commuter rail service to Buzzards Bay. To provide this support, CTPS will work towards the following three objectives:
The following tasks describe the work that CTPS will perform for this study.
CTPS will work with the MassDOT project team throughout the study, including participating in up to three stakeholder meetings.
CTPS anticipates an initial public meeting to be held early in the project to define the two alternatives and key metrics and that there will be approximately four months to complete the modeling work following this meeting.
In addition to the public meetings, CTPS will participate in project team meetings and fulfill data requests from the project team when the data are readily available. CTPS will provide a memo summarizing the modeling methodology and results of the analysis that can be incorporated into a project report developed by MassDOT’s consultants.
CTPS will review previously conducted studies that analyze the extension of commuter rail service to the Cape region. CTPS will review studies that it has conducted and contributed to and studies conducted by the Cape Cod Commission and MassDOT to gain an understanding of project background and context. CTPS will also visit the site of the study area to better understand the roadway and transit operational context of the project.
Internal review, summary of previous studies, and site visit notes
The study area geography for this project is the meeting point of the Massachusetts South Coast and Cape Cod. CTPS will evaluate the application of the statewide travel demand model, which covers the entire study area geography, and the Federal Transit Administration’s STOPS model, which is well suited to evaluating transit service extensions from established transit markets such as the Boston region. Depending on stakeholder recommendations, one of these tools may be more applicable. This task will include the assembly of recent data to evaluate the model performance, the assessment of each tool for application to this project, and the calibration of a model for use in future year build and no-build analysis.
A fully functioning travel demand model calibrated to the study area
CTPS will develop and model a no-build scenario for the year 2040. The transportation network used for this scenario will assume the implementation of transportation projects and programs as documented in the Boston MPO’s current Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), Destination 2040, as well as the canal area improvements that MassDOT has committed to construct and the preferred alternative bridges from the US Army Corps Major Rehabilitation Evaluation Study. The no-build scenario will include South Coast Rail Phase 1. CTPS will also consult the LRTPs of the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District and the Cape Cod Commission to ensure the networks used in the model reflect anticipated 2040 conditions in the study area.
CTPS will model up to two build scenarios developed from meetings with stakeholders for the 2040 forecast year. MassDOT or its consultants will provide the service plans to be included in the build scenarios. CTPS will work with MassDOT and its consultants to define the scenarios, including schedule frequency and runtimes, station locations and amenities, parking availability and cost, and fares. Metrics produced by each scenario could include commuter rail ridership by line, station, and mode of access as well as roadway conditions, depending on the modeling approach and stakeholder interest. Initiation of this task is dependent on the stakeholder meeting schedule.
Tabular summaries of metrics as recommended by public meetings
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) operates its programs, services, and activities in compliance with federal nondiscrimination laws including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and related statutes and regulations. Title VI prohibits discrimination in federally assisted programs and requires that no person in the United States of America shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency), be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity that receives federal assistance. Related federal nondiscrimination laws administered by the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, or both, prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, and disability. The Boston Region MPO considers these protected populations in its Title VI Programs, consistent with federal interpretation and administration. In addition, the Boston Region MPO provides meaningful access to its programs, services, and activities to individuals with limited English proficiency, in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation policy and guidance on federal Executive Order 13166. The Boston Region MPO also complies with the Massachusetts Public Accommodation Law, M.G.L. c 272 sections 92a, 98, 98a, which prohibits making any distinction, discrimination, or restriction in admission to, or treatment in a place of public accommodation based on race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or ancestry. Likewise, the Boston Region MPO complies with the Governor's Executive Order 526, section 4, which requires that all programs, activities, and services provided, performed, licensed, chartered, funded, regulated, or contracted for by the state shall be conducted without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, disability, veteran's status (including Vietnam-era veterans), or background. A complaint form and additional information can be obtained by contacting the MPO or at http://www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination. To request this information in a different language or in an accessible format, please contact Title VI Specialist |
| Task |
Month | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
1.
Coordinate with Project Team and Support Public Meetings |
From Month 1, Week 1 to Month 8, Week 4.
|
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2.
Review Background Documentation and Visit Site |
From Month 1, Week 1 to Month 1, Week 2.
|
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3.
Assess and Calibrate Available Tools for Project Application |
From Month 1, Week 3 to Month 3, Week 1.
|
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4.
Model Future-Year No-Build |
From Month 3, Week 2 to Month 4, Week 1.
|
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5.
Model Two Future-Year Build Scenarios |
From Month 4, Week 1 to Month 5, Week 2.
|
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| Task |
Person-Weeks | Direct Salary |
Overhead (106%) |
Total Cost |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-1 | P-5 | P-2 | Total | ||||
1.
Coordinate with Project Team and Support Public Meetings
|
2.2 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 4.8 | $8,908 | $9,442 | $18,350 |
2.
Review Background Documentation and Visit Site
|
0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.9 | $1,414 | $1,499 | $2,913 |
3.
Assess and Calibrate Available Tools for Project Application
|
1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | $8,063 | $8,547 | $16,611 |
4.
Model Future-Year No-Build
|
0.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 3.0 | $4,589 | $4,865 | $9,454 |
5.
Model Two Future-Year Build Scenarios
|
1.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 5.5 | $8,621 | $9,138 | $17,760 |
Total
|
4.9 | 7.5 | 6.8 | 19.2 | $31,596 | $33,492 | $65,088 |