MBTA Construction Projects

F-Line to Dudley said:
Precast is pretty much standard these days for new Commuter Rail full-highs, so they are definitely making extensive use of it. I don't know if it works too well for repairs/resurfacing on top of old foundations, though. You'd probably have lots of alignment issues to pound out that way.
Click to expand...
Yeah - seeing the precast on the CR stations makes me wonder why they're not trialling this out on the BL with the current shutdown. I've seen precast seemingly work fine in France, Italy, and Germany - even in some areas with as decrepit metro/suburban transit infra as we have here in New England.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FK4
^Btw, according to CRA monthly staff report (posted via CRA site here), the delay with opening the head house has something to do testing delays due to problems with an MBTA generator...once the generator is fixed they can resume whatever needs to be done to get this thing open.
 
Quincy Bus Garage (plus an annoying sidewalk with overgrown vegetation):

20250920_151134.jpg

20250920_151144.jpg

20250920_151447.jpg

20250920_151627.jpg


20250920_151652.jpg

20250920_151445.jpg
20250920_151455.jpg
20250920_151458.jpg
 
1000041864.png
1000041862.png

More bad news from the MBTA bidding site as Columbus Ave bus lanes phase is delayed another 6 months, on call bus is delayed 2 months, BET roofing is delayed 3 months, escalator repairs delayed 5 months, etc. delays all down the list.

Perhaps more concerning, D Branch Accessibility, Commuter Rail AFC 2, D Branch traction power for increased capacity, Newton Highlands, Hynes and on call bus 2 have all fallen off the list entirely.

New to the list is Green Line Type 10 Dedicated High Speed Test Track.
To create a more efficient way of performing dynamic vehicle testing during passenger service hours, this project will install a series of track crossovers along the D Branch to allow safe single tracking operation and testing. The scope includes track modifications, interlockings and signal work. A high-speed test track is required for acceptance testing of the Type 10 vehicles.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
HelloBostonHi said:
Perhaps more concerning, D Branch Accessibility, Commuter Rail AFC 2, D Branch traction power for increased capacity, Newton Highlands, Hynes and on call bus 2 have all fallen off the list entirely.

New to the list is Green Line Type 10 Dedicated High Speed Test Track.
Click to expand...
Of those a few went out to bid. D Branch Traction Power Design and On Call Bus II went out to bid and I believe awards - they're probably sized in GM authority range. D branch accessibility I believe was probably a typo, or since superseded by the E branch accessibility effort, for which design is currently in bidding.
1000041498.jpg


AFC 2 for CR I would expect to have been sold sourced, skipping the bid process, as it doesn't make sense for it and we're already seeing the new gate installation at S. Station. I would also say Newton Highlands and Hynes aren't surprising - the Dec 2024 SWA report noted that Newton Highlands needs new crossovers for constructability so station reconstruction had been pushed to 2027, and Hynes paused at 30% design for want of funding.
1000041496.jpg


In other projects, the T is doing GL Central tunnel signal replacement and rebuilding Reservoir yard trackage to accommodate type 10s.
1000041485.jpg
1000041487.jpg
1000041500.jpg
 
Stlin said:
Of those a few went out to bid. D Branch Traction Power Design and On Call Bus II went out to bid and I believe awards - they're probably sized in GM authority range. D branch accessibility I believe was probably a typo, or since superseded by the E branch accessibility effort, for which design is currently in bidding.
View attachment 67185

AFC 2 for CR I would expect to have been sold sourced, skipping the bid process, as it doesn't make sense for it and we're already seeing the new gate installation at S. Station. I would also say Newton Highlands and Hynes aren't surprising - the Dec 2024 SWA report noted that Newton Highlands needs new crossovers for constructability so station reconstruction had been pushed to 2027, and Hynes paused at 30% design for want of funding.
View attachment 67182

In other projects, the T is doing GL Central tunnel signal replacement and rebuilding Reservoir yard trackage to accommodate type 10s.View attachment 67183View attachment 67184View attachment 67186
Click to expand...
You are conflating professional services bidding (design or PM/CM contracts) and construction contract bidding. This list is construction contracts, and any recently awarded contracts would be listed here: https://bc.mbta.com/business_center/bidding_solicitations/awarded_contracts/ None of the removed ones have gone to bid yet.

E branch design is a totally different project than D Branch Accessibility construction. The D Branch project was for full rebuilds of Waban, Eliot, Chestnut Hill, and Beaconsfield

AFC2 for CR was installation of platform fare validators at all 143 stations along with solar payment machines. The materials were to be sole sourced (from cubic naturally) but the installation was to be done by a contractor. This was always separate from the terminal station fare gates projects.
 
HelloBostonHi said:
You are conflating professional services bidding (design or PM/CM contracts) and construction contract bidding. This list is construction contracts, and any recently awarded contracts would be listed here: https://bc.mbta.com/business_center/bidding_solicitations/awarded_contracts/ None of the removed ones have gone to bid yet.

E branch design is a totally different project than D Branch Accessibility construction. The D Branch project was for full rebuilds of Waban, Eliot, Chestnut Hill, and Beaconsfield

AFC2 for CR was installation of platform fare validators at all 143 stations along with solar payment machines. The materials were to be sole sourced (from cubic naturally) but the installation was to be done by a contractor. This was always separate from the terminal station fare gates projects.
Click to expand...
The screenshot from July you referenced had all those projects under the future category, with the estimated opening date as TBD. It appears the future category has been omitted from the website as there is no definite timeline for those projects. I would not say they are cancelled.
 
HelloBostonHi said:
You are conflating professional services bidding (design or PM/CM contracts) and construction contract bidding. This list is construction contracts, and any recently awarded contracts would be listed here: https://bc.mbta.com/business_center/bidding_solicitations/awarded_contracts/ None of the removed ones have gone to bid yet.

E branch design is a totally different project than D Branch Accessibility construction. The D Branch project was for full rebuilds of Waban, Eliot, Chestnut Hill, and Beaconsfield

AFC2 for CR was installation of platform fare validators at all 143 stations along with solar payment machines. The materials were to be sole sourced (from cubic naturally) but the installation was to be done by a contractor. This was always separate from the terminal station fare gates projects.
Click to expand...
Perhaps, but unless they're explicitly a D-B procurement, the general expectation is that these projects would be Design-Bid-Build. Therefore, in the vernacular, I would consider something like contracting design for D Branch Power as advancing that project, as without it you don't even get to the bidding for construction.

Either way, @cubbe8 is likely correct, and that upcoming contracts section of the website is simply missing in action- looking at the wayback machine, its disappeared before.

That said, for D branch accessibility, you are correct, I misread the contract numbers which are quite close. However, I would point out that the D Branch project had been listed on the bidding site since at least 2021, and under the same contract number (A26CN02) since at least 2023, well before the interim upgrades went in during fall 24 that made those stations accessible, (presumably using an on-call contract) at which time they also pushed full rebuilds to 2027. And while I'll I'd concede that Im uncertain of the nature of the cited upcoming CR AFC2.0 contract, I'd point out that AFC2.0 has its own on-call contract explicitly for installing new AFC hardware in stations.
 
Stlin said:
Perhaps, but unless they're explicitly a D-B procurement, the general expectation is that these projects would be Design-Bid-Build. Therefore, in the vernacular, I would consider something like contracting design for D Branch Power as advancing that project, as without it you don't even get to the bidding for construction.

And while I'll I'd concede that Im uncertain of the nature of the cited upcoming CR AFC2.0 contract, I'd point out that AFC2.0 has its own on-call contract explicitly for installing new AFC hardware in stations.
Click to expand...
The point stands that removing them from the construction bidding page is a further delay to already delayed projects.

That other on call was for "transit" AFC 2 which in MBTA terms is bus/subway, as we have seen being installed around the system in the past 3 years. CR was/is a standalone contract.
 
Possibly involved in position verification for the buses to ensure that they are in position for charging.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top