"The project change does not extend the GLX project beyond the limits previously reviewed. The stations and vehicle maintenance facility are reduced in size as a cost saving measure"--Page 2.

Research was conducted on the proposed Green Line Extension, a light rail corridor from Cambridge through Somerville and Medford, Massachusetts. The project is being undertaken by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Due to legal commitments and agreements, the line must be in revenue service by December 31, 2014, or the state faces penalties. Interviews, literature review and personal experience come together to explore the process behind completing such a large, complex infrastructure project. It is theorized, and confirmed, that a strong articulated and utilized policy statement will help the state complete this project with greater speed and efficiency. In order to confirm this hypothesis, each problem facing the project process is broken down and examined for the ability to improve the project process. Findings include the need for greater accountability, organizational reform and regulation overhaul. The research is applicable not only to the current work on the Green Line Extension, but to similar infrastructure projects state- and nation-wide. Finally, the thesis proposes that trust in planners has failed in a variety of ways. This lack of trust manifests itself in poor projects and a poor process. Generating a greater level of trust in planners and the planning process will create significant improvements to future endeavors.

"The Somerville Community Path Extension along MBTA Green Line Extension (CPX) is a 1.8 mile bicycle and pedestrian path that will run from Lowell Street to the Inner Belt area of Somerville, MA ... The Path will be built in concert with and run alongside the upcoming Green Line Extension, a planned Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) transit service extension project in the cities of Somerville, Cambridge and Medford, MA."--Page 3.

What are the best transit cities in the US? The best Bus Rapid Transit lines? The most useless rail transit lines? The missed opportunities? In the US, the 25 largest metropolitan areas and many smaller cities have fixed guideway transit—rail or bus rapid transit. Nearly all of them are talking about expanding. Yet discussions about transit are still remarkably unsophisticated. To build good transit, the discussion needs to focus on what matters—quality of service (not the technology that delivers it), all kinds of transit riders, the role of buildings, streets and sidewalks, and, above all, getting transit in the right places. Christof Spieler has spent over a decade advocating for transit as a writer, community leader, urban planner, transit board member, and enthusiast. He strongly believes that just about anyone—regardless of training or experience—can identify what makes good transit with the right information. In the fun and accessible Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated Atlas of US Transit, Spieler shows how cities can build successful transit. He profiles the 47 metropolitan areas in the US that have rail transit or BRT, using data, photos, and maps for easy comparison. The best and worst systems are ranked and Spieler offers analysis of how geography, politics, and history complicate transit planning. He shows how the unique circumstances of every city have resulted in very different transit systems. Using appealing visuals, Trains, Buses, People is intended for non-experts—it will help any citizen, professional, or policymaker with a vested interest evaluate a transit proposal and understand what makes transit effective. While the book is built on data, it has a strong point of view. Spieler takes an honest look at what makes good and bad transit and is not afraid to look at what went wrong. He explains broad concepts, but recognizes all of the technical, geographical, and political difficulties of building transit in the real world. In the end,Trains, Buses, People shows that it is possible with the right tools to build good transit.

The familiar image of Los Angeles as a metropolis built for the automobile is crumbling. Traffic, air pollution, and sprawl motivated citizens to support urban rail as an alternative to driving, and the city has started to reinvent itself by developing compact neighborhoods adjacent to transit. As a result of pressure from local leaders, particularly with the election of Tom Bradley as mayor in 1973, the Los Angeles Metro Rail gradually took shape in the consummate car city. Railtown presents the history of this system by drawing on archival documents, contemporary news accounts, and interviews with many of the key players to provide critical behind-the-scenes accounts of the people and forces that shaped the system. Ethan Elkind brings this important story to life by showing how ambitious local leaders zealously advocated for rail transit and ultimately persuaded an ambivalent electorate and federal leaders to support their vision. Although Metro Rail is growing in ridership and political importance, with expansions in the pipeline, Elkind argues that local leaders will need to reform the rail planning and implementation process to avoid repeating past mistakes and to ensure that Metro Rail supports a burgeoning demand for transit-oriented neighborhoods in Los Angeles. This engaging history of Metro Rail provides lessons for how the American car-dominated cities of today can reinvent themselves as thriving railtowns of tomorrow.