By Bill Forry

An MBTA-funded study is now underway to determine feasibility of transforming an existing commuter rail line that slices through Dorchester and Mattapan into a mass transit route modeled on the Red Line. A series of community meetings is now underway to solicit input on the idea from neighborhood residents.

The next meeting will be held in Uphams Corner on Monday, December 10, at 6:00 p.m. at the Alexander Magnolia Coop, 36 Alexander Street. A second meeting will be held at the Boston Specialty & Rehabilitative Hospital at 249 River Street in Mattapan on Tuesday, December 18, at 5:00 p.m.

Preliminary findings of the corridor study will be released at the community meetings. A similar meeting was held last month in the Four Corners section of Dorchester, where community activists have been pressing for more rail service in recent years.

The Indigo Line, if adopted, would replace the current Fairmount commuter rail line that runs from Readville in Hyde Park to South Station. Currently, the Fairmount line uses only commuter rail cars and stops at just two points in Dorchester: Uphams Corner and Morton Street.

However, consultants hired by the MBTA have told advocates that as many as ten more station stops could be added to the existing rail corridor at several points in Dorchester, including: Newmarket/South Bay, Four Corners, Talbot Avenue, Columbia Road, Blue Hill Avenue, and River Street.

According to Noah Berger, a senior policy analyst for the MBTA Advisory Board, early findings by consultant KKO of Andover confirm what he and other proponents have been telling the T for years.

"In some ways, this line is like a gift for the T," says Berger.

"If you were to build this from scratch, it would be like the Big Dig, running nine miles through a developed part of city.

"Instead, you have the infrastructure already there," says Berger.

In fact, the rail corridor has been there since the 19th century and was one of the first lines into Boston. Many of the stations now being discussed as possible additions to the Fairmount line- such as at Four Corners and Newmarket- were once active stops on the rail system.

Critics of the current Fairmount Line say that the commuter rail is ill-suited for its urban environment. Trains do not run on weekends- and even on weekdays, cars make infrequent stops. Worse, neighbors say that many people do not even know that the two Dorchester stops are available to them right now. Poor signage and upkeep are to blame, according to nearby residents.

"I've lived here for nine years and I've never even been on the commuter rail," says Nicole Flynt, a community organizer for the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative. Flynt is helping DSNI turn out neighbors for the December 10th meeting in Uphams Corner- and expects most people will support the concept of making the line more accessible and convenient.

"It will take less than half the time to get downtown with the rail service than it does now with buses," says Flynt.

The prospect of an upgraded, more accessible stop is something that has the attention of the Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation as well. Dorchester Bay is a co-sponsor of the Dec. 10th meeting, along with the Uphams Corner Main Street group and DSNI.

"Our position is that the transportation needs of this community are not being met," says Dorchester Bay's Mark Norton. "It's undeserved and the obvious, easiest way to resolve that is to transform the Fairmount Line into a subway rapid transit line that connects to all the other MBTA lines."

"This part of town would really be well served by helping the job creation and economic development. The T has the real estate and the tracks are all laid. They don't have to buy a single square inch of land," says Norton.

"It's a big bang for the buck," he says.

As it stands now, Flynt says she and most of her neighbors feel like the commuter line stop that crosses Dudley Street in Uphams Corner is "just there." Most people just don't find it convenient enough because of the long wait between trains.

"It's spooky up there," Flynt says of the elevated platform. "It's definitely not inviting. There's a sense that it's not put there for us."

Marvin Martin knows that feeling quite well from his vantage point in Four Corners. The commuter trains that zoom through his neighborhood near Washington Street and Columbia Road haven't stopped there in years.

Martin, who is director of the Four Corners Action Coalition, says that neighbors in his area would like to see new stops at Eire-Washington, Norwell Street and Geneva Avenue. Right now, there are only two alternatives for people in those heavily residential communities: board a crowded bus for a long ride in traffic or get behind the wheel of your own car- if you own one.

"This is the one issue -other than reducing crime- that everybody seems aboard on," says Martin. "This is a win-win for everyone. And we have support from practically every elected official in the area."

One of the biggest supporters is Congressman Michael Capuano, who thinks that the MBTA's focus on extending commuter rail lines over the last decade has been misguided.

"I think way too much has gone into commuter rail and you get much more bang for your buck with mass transit," says Capuano, who says retrofitting the Fairmount line is a "easy hit."

"It runs right through an area that's underserved already. As far as I'm concerned- once they get it done- the Indigo Line could act as a model of how to use commuter rail lines. Every single community in my district has commuter rail lines- and virtually no stops."

Finding a way to finance the project- if it comes to pass- could prove to be a major stumbling block given the current fiscal malaise on Beacon Hill. However, Martin and other proponents of the Indigo Line are realistic in their expectations.

"The funding is not going to happen next year anyway," says Martin. "We're hoping that it happens no later than the year after next.

"We need to start fighting for it now and hopefully the study will be positive. At that point we hope our legislators on all levels will help push the T, but also help identify other money that may be used."

Noah Berger says that even if the Indigo line is not totally converted into a subway system right away- with new Red Line-like cars and platforms- there are some immediate measures that can be taken to upgrade service.

"This part of the study is focused on what we can do with the existing equipment in the relative short term, within the next five years. It would still use commuter rail equipment, but would run it on something more like the rapid transit model," says Berger.

"The technology wouldn't change, but the service would be more like the Red Line or Orange Line."

If that does in fact happen, that might make the Indigo Line that "nicest" subway ride in the city, melding the convenience of mass transit with the upholstered seats of the commuter rail cars.

Still, Berger and others say that the line can- and should- be converted into the conventional T subway model, with easy on and off doors and plenty standing room for quick entry and exit. Ultimately, Berger says, the important thing for neighbors in Dorchester and Mattapan is that they have the option to use a service that already cuts through their backyards.

"Riders don't care about the details of the technology. It could be an electric blimp. They care that they get the service that gets them where they want to go."

(For more information on all aspects of the Indigo Line, contact: Noah Berger at the MBTA Advisory Board: 617-426-6054 or Marvin Martin at Four Corners Action Coalition: 617-436-0289)