https://www.rtands.com/passenger/commuter-regional/mbta-studying-feasibility-of-building-rail-tunnel-connecting-north-south-networks/
Not much but back bay could not be served which would terminate Wocester service unless trains go to BON. NEC trains would have to reach BOS by the non electrified Franklin line.
Will leave rest to others
It would seem that MBTA would need to electrify all lines using the deep tunnel.
Could not a subway shuttle or a people mover monorail connect the stations? People have to get between the stations not nessarly the trains.
blue streak 1,The article states that Worcester service would have to terminate west of Back Bay station only during construction: "Additionally, construction of the Back Bay portal would prevent any trains from accessing South Station from the west and most from accessing it from the south (other than the Fairmount and Old Colony Lines) during the roughly two-year construction phase of the portal [emphasis mine]. This means the termination of Worcester Line service west of Back Bay and the potential rerouting of Amtrak Northeast Corridor, Franklin Line and Providence Line service via the Fairmount Line for two years."Also, please note that the line the NEC would use during construction is not the "Franklin Line" but instead is the Fairmount Line. While it is true that a few Franklin trains use the Fairmount line due to congestion on the 3-track RoW north of Readville, the large majority of Franklin trains use the NEC.
BTW, the NEC being re-routed over the Fairmount line is exactly what Amtrak and the MBTA did during the early-to-mid-1980's when the Southwest Corridor was being built. In fact, the Fairmount commuter service is a direct result of this, being promised to the local residents in exchange for putting up with passenger traffic for most of a decade on a line that hadn't seen passenger trains since the Great Depression.
CandOforprogress2,The subway does connect...sort of. It's a two seat ride. Hop on the Red Line at South Station and transfer to a Green Line trolley at Park St., or go to Downtown Crossing and transfer to the Orange Line. It's not a quick trip. Wait times can be 20 minutes (off peak) at both South Station and either Park St. or Downtown Crossing. Also tough to do with luggage.
The big deal in doing the North/South Rail Link is that it would negate the need for major expansion of South Station and North Station which would also cost millions and millions. South Station is pretty much at capacity now, and handles more trains per day than the station did in 1940 on half the number of station tracks (13 today vs. 26 back then). Running the train sets through Boston would dramatically increase the amount of service across the system without adding a single loco or car to the roster. It would also allow people to go from Providence to Rockport or Plymouth to Fitchburg with ease (depending on the routes the T chooses).
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