As one who remembers (and once rode) the temporary ferry connecting Lovejoy Wharf with Commonwealth Pier during the Big Dig, I am not surprised that it is being proposed again (“Ferry could link N. Station, Seaport,’’ Business, November 12 Globe). Workers arriving on the North Side commuter rail system bound for the growing South Boston Waterfront face mounting delays and congestion while being bused through downtown. They need a better way to reach their jobs.

Unfortunately, Jon Chesto’s article — especially the online headline “Forget the North-South rail link, how about a ferry instead?’’ — implies that a new ferry service would be a viable alternative to connecting North and South stations.

These two projects have different purposes. They would serve separate, if overlapping, needs — and largely different populations. The rail link would create a better transportation system for Boston and New England by linking our two rail terminals, more efficiently accommodating and promoting the continued growth of commuter, regional, and intercity rail. It would greatly reduce air and noise pollution from idling diesel locomotives at both stations. The overload on the Green and Orange lines of the MBTA would also be reduced by more efficiently distributing riders throughout downtown and by enabling many to walk to their destinations. Eliminating the need to transfer to the subway system would make the commuter trip more convenient and attract more riders.

Reinstituting the ferry connecting North Station with the Seaport is a worthy and likely cost-effective proposal in its own right, but it is no substitute for the North-South Rail Link.

John Kyper, Roxbury

The writer is the chairman of the transportation committee of the Massachusetts chapter of the Sierra Club.