Doesn't need rebuilding, four tracks or new tunnels.
Just surface station consolidation (and renovation), all door boarding, OPTO, and signal priority.
At some point we need power upgrades for common use of 3-car trains, a fix for the tight spots to satisfy off-the-shelf equipment, and a redone signal system for better frequency, speed and safety in the central subway.
The first four are cheap -- actually, money-saving -- and easy for the T to implement and can be done right away. They should be done, starting today. It's just a matter of implementing well-known, well-established techniques.
Exactly. I'm not even sure if Boylston is a limiting factor in getting "off the shelf" LRVs. The loop at Park is the tightest on the system, and there are a few other lightly used/non-revenue curves that are tighter. Even if it is, modifying the front end to tuck in a bit isn't exactly breaking the bank. It's not like "off the shelf" means that there are literally trolleys sitting in a warehouse somewhere, they still have to build/manufacture them. Any operator is going to require a couple of modifications here and there. The big savings is in being able to use the same proven guts as all the rest of the models: articulation joints, trucks, controls, motors, sensors, etc. Basically everywhere that Breda failed when building the Type 8s, and Boeing on the SLRV.
Not that I'm doubting what you just wrote, but - if these are cheap, money saving and can be done right away, why aren't they being implemented? I'm guessing someone/something is stopping it from happening.
Yup.
Power upgrades just take time, space, and money. It's been gradually happening for years.
Signal Priority on the surface? NO EXCUSE that this shouldn't have been implemented on the C when Brookline basically begged the T to let them hook it up, and the B directly after. I wish some budding journalist would do a piece on this.
Switching to POP for the surface lines is something they could do with little notice. All it requires is the installation of tap readers at the rear doors, which I believe was already piloted on one of the Type 8s. They already have the hand scanners they could issue to T Police and inspectors to check for compliance. Again, no excuse.
Once you have POP, switching to OPTO only takes a union negotiation. They were able to do it on the heavy rail lines, so they should be able to here too.
All of this (besides the power upgrades for logistical reasons) could be done in a year or less. POP could happen within a few months. On the D, it could happen tomorrow: they already have the pre-scanning machines.
Signals are tricky. So far, most similar systems that have upgraded have seen delays and backups far worse then it was before. While it does have to happen eventually, they need to very, very carefully plan out the system, and model the hell out of it. This is a place where spending a ton of money on consultants to review it wouldn't be a waste. If possible, they should keep the old system in place for a while after the new one gets installed just in case there are some horrendous bugs to work out. New signals, if improperly configured, could cripple the subway.
