Travel options expanding

By ROB MARINO
Special to Essex County Newspapers

Across America, everyone relies on trains, planes and automobiles. But transportation issues affect North Shore communities and businesses differently.

Here, car travel, while important, is taking a back seat to rapidly expanding train and air service. Although there are plans to expand Route 128 on the South Shore and points west of Boston, there are no current plans to expand the route on the North Shore.

"Basically we have no immediate plans to do any expansion of Route 128 up in the North Shore towns at this time," says Douglas Cope of the Massachusetts Highway Department.

"We don't really have any capacity problems up there in terms of traffic. But if the traffic demand does show a need in the future, certainly we would re-examine the situation and perhaps look at some possibilities."

For now, expansion of the Boston commuter rail holds the most promise for business executives and vacationers who want to avoid heavy traffic. In October 1998, an extension of the line north to Newburyport began, adding two more stops to the Boston-Ipswich line: Rowley and Newburyport.

The number of people who use the train increases every year, according to Joe Pesaturo, spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. "It never declines, it's always increasing," he says. "We just have normal growth every year."

As of June 30, an average 5,000 people rode the commuter rail from Newburyport to Boston on a typical weekday, says Pesaturo.

In fiscal year 1998, more than 4,200,000 people rode the Newburyport-Rockport line. In fiscal year 1999, more than 4,900,000 people used the railway. "That's almost 700,000 additional passengers that we've added within a year on that line," Pesaturo says.

Most Newburyport businesses have not been affected by the increase in passengers, according to William Piercey, president of the Newburyport Chamber of Commerce.

"It's going to take some time," he says. "Even though plenty of businesses and an industrial park are near the train, the community is still trying to promote businesses to commuter rail-users."

Newburyport's center is not as close to the train as some would like. "One of the problems we've been experiencing is sometimes people aren't where they want to be," says Piercey.

Although there is shuttle service during the train's peak hours, the city is currently working with the MBTA to provide better service between the train and the center of town, says Joan Bouchard, of the Chamber. The town's emergency management team has been giving passengers free rides into town when shuttle service is not available.

As for airport service in Newburyport, Air Plum Island currently offers weekend flights. "There's quite a lot of corporate traffic that comes in from an airport this size, whether people realize it or not," says owner Cathy Hordon, adding that a lot of people fly in to do business at the nearby industrial park.

The airport provides transportation to the park and also offers flight lessons. "We teach a lot of people how to fly," says Hordon. "People learn simply because they want to get to their business meetings faster."

Hordon says the airport has a "substantial impact on the businesses in Newburyport," adding that area businesses use the service. The Bartley Machine Co., of Amesbury, for example, uses the airport for frequent flights to New Jersey.

"I think we're very happy with the service and obviously we would like them to stay there," says Tom Pendergast, general manager of Bartley. "It's very convenient for people living in the Newburyport area, including Amesbury. The airport works very well for us and our needs."

As for Beverly Airport, air service has been increasing. "It's starting to get back up there," says Bob Mezzetti, airport manager. "Aviation in general is on the rise." In the mid-'90s, there were 72,000 arrivals and takeoffs combined. Last year, there were 86,000 arrivals and takeoffs.

Companies at nearby Cherry Hill Industrial Park use the service frequently, Mezzetti says, adding, "Any airport helps out businesses in the community, because people can fly in here to service their clients."

"There's no coincidence that Cherry Hill is that close to the airport," says Pam McGrath, executive director of the Beverly Chamber of Commerce. Increase in private airport services seems to be "the wave of the future," she adds, noting that the airport and commuter rail have helped boost Beverly's economic development.

"There's no question that the airport is useful. It's an incredible time-saver," agrees Vinnie D'Alessandro, vice president of corporate communication at Osram-Sylvania.

The company uses the airport primarily to fly employees out to other locations. "There are some occasions when a large group of people are going to the same location," he says. "So we do it cost-effectively."

Cyrk, a Gloucester-based company, often uses the airport to transport clients back and forth between New York and Chicago.

"It makes economic sense for us," says Mary Ann McCormick of Cyrk corporate communications. "Most business people do not want to drive to Logan Airport. It's just more work than they need to do. It's a little more money, but it's worth the convenience."

And what does the future hold for North Shore transportation? The MBTA will soon conduct a $1 million North Shore transportation study.

"It's going to provide a comprehensive look at the transportation needs of the North Shore," says Lydia Rivera, deputy press secretary for the MBTA. "We're going to take all of the past studies that we've done and review them again so we can make a final decision on what the transportation needs in that area are."

The study will investigate several options, including the extension of the MBTA Blue Line beyond Wonderland in Revere, a connection of the Newburyport-Rockport commuter rail to the Blue Line, and changes to the express bus service.

"Community involvement is key to bringing extended service to the area," says Rivera. "Community involvement will allow us to bring the most effective transportation service to that area."