Grafton – State Sen. Michael O. Moore (D-Millbury) and State Rep. David K. Muradian Jr. (R-Grafton) recently submitted a letter to the general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) highlighting ongoing parking capacity issues at the Grafton Commuter Rail station.
Both legislators have received numerous messages from area residents detailing the current need for increased parking at the local station. In their letter, Moore and Muradian inquired whether any current plans exist for the MBTA to expand the availability of Commuter Rail parking at Grafton station and, if so, the timeline for the expansion. If no plans exist, the legislators requested that an “expansion be considered and prioritized.”
“Some of the things we’re interested in learning are the metrics used by the MBTA to determine whether to expand parking capacity at a Commuter Rail station,” Moore said. “Clearly, there is a high volume of riders using the Grafton station and it’s important to alleviate this source of frustration for commuters who rely on this method of public transportation.”
“I am confident that this letter will bring to attention the multitude of benefits surrounding an expansion of the Grafton Commuter Rail parking lot,” Muradian noted. “We want to emphasize the importance of sustaining the economic and infrastructural growth, and lessening the traffic congestion of Grafton and its surrounding areas. Generally speaking, we want to simply assure our people that they have a way to get to work every day.”
The letter also highlighted Grafton’s active economic development efforts including residential expansion initiatives that could lead to up to 176 new housing units in close proximity to the Grafton Commuter Rail station.
Recently, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation released a comprehensive transit study detailing issues of congestion on the commonwealth’s roadways, which has continued to worsen in recent years. One of the primary solutions cited in the study is to increase the capacity of public transportation systems including the MBTA.
According to Moore and Muradian, expanding parking access at Grafton station would complement the economic growth within the town and the surrounding region, relieve time and economic burdens which impede some residents from working in Greater Boston, and allow increased Commuter Rail ridership to help relieve roadway congestion.
