Last modified: Thursday, November 20, 2008 9:58 AM EST South Coast Rail Another way for MBTA's plans BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF Attleboro and Norton are once again safe from the threat of a new commuter rail line crossing their streets. The state Department of Transportation informed local legislators Wednesday that it has dropped an Attleboro-Norton route as a possible way of bringing commuter rail to the South Coast cities of New Bedford and Fall River. A draft study found that the route would be too costly and cumbersome because it would necessitate a third railway to be built along Amtrak tracks going toward Boston, the lawmakers said. The decision mirrors one made several years ago when South Coast rail service was first seriously considered. State Rep. John Lepper, R-Attleboro, noted that the rail issue was one of the first he dealt with as a freshman lawmaker 14 years ago. Now it is one of the last he will deal with as he retires from the House. "I'm relieved - again. It is a good way to go out of office," he said. Attleboro already has rail service, but the South Coast line would have cut through the city without making any stops. The proposal has generated considerable opposition because it would cut through an environmentally sensitive area of Norton and cross about 15 streets in Attleboro, Norton and Taunton. Taunton officials said it would have cut their city in half during rush hour and make it impossible for traffic and emergency vehicles to get around. State Rep. Jay Barrows, R-Mansfield, said he got the good word at a briefing in Boston. Like Lepper, he said the decision was a case of "history repeating itself." He said it was obvious to him and other area legislators that the Attleboro-Norton route would have been a poor choice. "You didn't need to be a rocket scientist or a railroad scientist to figure it out," he said. The Attleboro-to-Boston line currently in use by the MBTA and Amtrak is at capacity. Adding New Bedford-bound trains would require additional tracks. He also said there was a lot of local opposition. The state, however, is still considering other routes for South Coast trains and is forwarding some other recommendations to the Army Corps of Engineers for environmental study, Barrows said. There are Stoughton and Middleboro routes under consideration, along with enhanced bus service, he said.