Green Line Extension to Medford & Union Sq

Yay,
both companies bidding for the GLX can include all 6 extra projects under budget. Looks like the bike path and extended maintenance yard are going ahead.... hopefully
 
The winner is 'GLX construction'. They reckon they can get the whole thing done for $950m
 
Ruairi said:
The winner is 'GLX construction'. They reckon they can get the whole thing done for $950m
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GLX Constructors is the apparent winning bidder for the GLX design build contract at a price of $954,618,600, which includes ALL of the “additive options” including the full extension of the Somerville Community Path from Washington Street to Lechmere Station.
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https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10154898549941681&id=53151441680

If GLX Constructors bids $955m and they'd allowed $1.3b, does that mean there's $350m in savings that could return $ that was taken from Phase II (MVP terminus)?
 
Arlington said:
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10154898549941681&id=53151441680

If GLX Constructors bids $955m and they'd allowed $1.3b, does that mean there's $350m in savings that could return $ that was taken from Phase II (MVP terminus)?
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That was my exact thought. The Fed New Starts $ (plus Cambridge and Somerville's contribution) could be re-redirected back to Phase II. I'll be making that point at the FMCB meeting on Monday (where the contract will be awarded), and at the public meeting for the new EIS.
 
FitchburgLine said:
That was my exact thought. The Fed New Starts $ (plus Cambridge and Somerville's contribution) could be re-redirected back to Phase II. I'll be making that point at the FMCB meeting on Monday (where the contract will be awarded), and at the public meeting for the new EIS.
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It should be the case, yes. Return the money for Phase II, or put it toward Red/Blue or Fairmount Urban Rail.
 
Man, when was the last time we heard good news regarding a transit construction budget? A weird feeling, but I could get used to it...

These new relatively-low bids certainly strengthen my belief that the $3 billion number being kicked around a couple years ago was the result of pure exploitation by the previous contractors... Obviously the numbers aren't an apples-to-apples comparison, but still.
 
So what exactly were the all of the additive options? I have poked around and can't seem to find an actual list of them.
 
bakgwailo said:
So what exactly were the all of the additive options? I have poked around and can't seem to find an actual list of them.
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The "additive options" were prioritized in the following order:

1. Platform canopies.
2. Additional elevators at select stations.
3. Public art.
4. Additional community connection to the community path located on Chester Street in Somerville.
5. Extension of the community path between East Somerville and Lechmere Stations.
6. Enhanced Vehicle Maintenance Facility in Somerville

It still baffles that art was 3rd and not 6th, but now that we're getting them all (by paying 1,080M instead of $955M vs $1,300M budgeted), I guess/hope it doesn't matter.
 
Arlington said:
The "additive options" were prioritized in the following order:

1. Platform canopies.
2. Additional elevators at select stations.
3. Public art.
4. Additional community connection to the community path located on Chester Street in Somerville.
5. Extension of the community path between East Somerville and Lechmere Stations.
6. Enhanced Vehicle Maintenance Facility in Somerville

It still baffles that art was 3rd and not 6th, but now that we're getting them all (by paying 1,080M instead of $955M vs $1,300M budgeted), I guess/hope it doesn't matter.
Click to expand...

Based on this list, is it safe to assume fare control gates are still out?
 
Arlington said:
The "additive options" were prioritized in the following order:

1. Platform canopies.
2. Additional elevators at select stations.
3. Public art.
4. Additional community connection to the community path located on Chester Street in Somerville.
5. Extension of the community path between East Somerville and Lechmere Stations.
6. Enhanced Vehicle Maintenance Facility in Somerville

It still baffles that art was 3rd and not 6th, but now that we're getting them all (by paying 1,080M instead of $955M vs $1,300M budgeted), I guess/hope it doesn't matter.
Click to expand...

Ah, thanks. Yeah, the art thing was... odd. I guess I already knew of those - I was hoping there was more (like full fare gates).
 
All this essentially proves what I've harped about for years: The GLX never cost $3b. It never even cost $2b (or barely $1b). It was all artificially inflated by the previous contractor via the lack of oversight involved with CM/GC procurement and the state's reaction was inappropriate and reckless instead of just rebidding the job as designed as design-build.
 
Arlington said:
The "additive options" were prioritized in the following order:

1. Platform canopies.
2. Additional elevators at select stations.
3. Public art.
4. Additional community connection to the community path located on Chester Street in Somerville.
5. Extension of the community path between East Somerville and Lechmere Stations.
6. Enhanced Vehicle Maintenance Facility in Somerville

It still baffles that art was 3rd and not 6th, but now that we're getting them all (by paying 1,080M instead of $955M vs $1,300M budgeted), I guess/hope it doesn't matter.
Click to expand...

At the last meeting, they explained that their did their ordering by "if there is money, they will prioritize to upgrading the GLX stations first". Thus the platform canopies, elevators, and public art being 1, 2, and 3 and those are the stuff about the GLX stations.

I speculate that outside the prioritization of direct GLX station items, there is a prioritization based on cost. Which is by #5 is where it is and #6 is at the bottom as was the mostly costly.
 
datadyne007 said:
All this essentially proves what I've harped about for years: The GLX never cost $3b. It never even cost $2b (or barely $1b). It was all artificially inflated by the previous contractor via the lack of oversight involved with CM/GC procurement and the state's reaction was inappropriate and reckless instead of just rebidding the job as designed as design-build.
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I don't disagree. The rebidding part they did, but they jeopardized the Federal grant by freaking out. I'm not sure there was more delay than there would have been with a simple rebid, though, and the managerial changes on the MassDOT end (hiring a PM and staff) were going to take time and needed to happen.
 
bakgwailo said:
Ah, thanks. Yeah, the art thing was... odd. I guess I already knew of those - I was hoping there was more (like full fare gates).
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We'll have all-door boarding without expensive faregates thanks to barrier-free fare collection.

And then barrier free fare collection, when applied to all surface stops on the Green (Comm/Beacon/Riverside/Huntington) will speed service across the whole system. Stephanie Pollack turned a capital budget crisis into an operational win on speed, cost and convenience.

Faregates necessitated headhouses necessitated elevators & escalators: hundreds of millions in capital costs that produces no better fare compliance and no net speed improvement vs proof-of-payment systems in use on most transit systems worldwide and and most new light rail in the USA too.
 
There needs to be a serious investigation into the failures of the previous contract. I suspect a good deal of criminal corruption.
 
Arlington said:
We'll have all-door boarding without expensive faregates thanks to barrier-free fare collection.
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Is there any substance to that assertion, or just wishful thinking? I don't recall hearing that we are implementing PoP. Or is barrier-free collection something else entirely?
 
fattony said:
Is there any substance to that assertion, or just wishful thinking? I don't recall hearing that we are implementing PoP. Or is barrier-free collection something else entirely?
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In Oct 2016, they said the new system was coming in "approximately 2 years"

Most stories focused on a tap-point at all doors, but I haven't seen specifics. A tap point being barrier-free but not quite proof-of-payment (as I understand it)

RFQ 88-16 and RFI 199-15 seem to be where the action is (or isn't)
 
Arlington said:
In Oct 2016, they said the new system was coming in "approximately 2 years"

Most stories focused on a tap-point at all doors, but I haven't seen specifics. A tap point being barrier-free but not quite proof-of-payment (as I understand it)

RFQ 88-16 and RFI 199-15 seem to be where the action is (or isn't)
Click to expand...

There's a lot of details on how the new fare system is going to work on different modes in this recent (9/18/17) meeting: https://www.mbta.com/events/1152 (see the AFC 2.0 Procurement document at right)

Short explanation: All door entry for Green Line/Bus, tap payment only (no cash, nothing magnetic/mechanical like a CharlieTicket). Should work pretty well, IMO.
 
millerm277 said:
Short explanation: All door entry for Green Line/Bus, tap payment only (no cash, nothing magnetic/mechanical like a CharlieTicket). Should work pretty well, IMO.
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All of this can be implemented with current Charlie Card technology. None of these improvements need an "AFC 2.0" project. If the front door of the bus and Green Line can read Charlie, why can't the back door? And if fare inspectors can carry handheld Charlie readers, why can't CR conductors (especially on the Fairmount Line)?

I'll never understand why they're kicking this stuff down the road to AFC 2.0. Why not implement them today instead of waiting for an entire fare system redesign?

We really need a dedicated AFC 2.0 thread, so I'm not going to get into the details, but whenever I hear about AFC 2.0 I get fearful of significant mission creep. The T seems to have some grand vision of redesigning payment systems as we know it with AFC 2.0. I'd rather them take the (good!) Charlie system that we have and focus on incremental improvements.
 
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