MBTA Construction Projects

Foxboro

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“The MBTA completed the fastest permanent station construction project in its history.

Foxboro Station reopened with a new 800-foot accessible platform for the 2026 World Cup, where 20,000 fans per match can arrive by train.”

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KCasiglio said:
Well that's the kind of lesson I would want to be learned. That maybe said state law, just like many local ordinances we all regularly gripe about, is a net negative on outcomes. Outcomes are what we should be focused on.
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They circumvented fair bidding by appending the project as a change order onto a completely unrelated already-awarded project to the same bidder (Suffolk Construction). That's quite freaking not-okay, and quite freaking directly tied to the extremely bloated cost ($35M) of the renovation because no one else was allowed to compete and pitch something better. Foxboro cost exactly as much to renovate as Natick Center, with just 1 permanent platform, no vertical circulation, pre-existing egresses and utility hookups, no land acquisition, and no measures to retain existing service during construction. We don't know if anyone else could've met the deadline with a lower offer because there was no fair bidding process whatsoever.

That's a scandal, not a positive outcome to emulate.
 
F-Line to Dudley said:
They circumvented fair bidding by appending the project as a change order onto a completely unrelated already-awarded project to the same bidder (Suffolk Construction). That's quite freaking not-okay, and quite freaking directly tied to the extremely bloated cost ($35M) of the renovation because no one else was allowed to compete and pitch something better. Foxboro cost exactly as much to renovate as Natick Center, with just 1 permanent platform, no vertical circulation, pre-existing egresses and utility hookups, no land acquisition, and no measures to retain existing service during construction. We don't know if anyone else could've met the deadline with a lower offer because there was no fair bidding process whatsoever.

That's a scandal, not a positive outcome to emulate.
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Totally makes sense! Not having followed the project I was reacting exclusively to the speed headline.
 
Looks good tbh, the mbta has been making some attractive CR stations lately. On the temporary side it makes me wonder if they could throw some temporary high levels up in places like newtonville and other places planned to get a new station but its 5-10 years out. I’m sure one of those could easily last 5 years and itd be better than whats there. Just say they plan to break ground on the station in 2 years and then after its up they wont demolish it if its still sound and the station gets delayed right?
 
stick n move said:
Looks good tbh, the mbta has been making some attractive CR stations lately. On the temporary side it makes me wonder if they could throw some temporary high levels up in places like newtonville and other places planned to get a new station but its 5-10 years out. I’m sure one of those could easily last 5 years and itd be better than whats there. Just say they plan to break ground on the station in 2 years and then after its up they wont demolish it if its still sound and the station gets delayed right?
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Temp full-highs really wouldn't do anything for the Newton stops because you have the egress stairs leaving those stations just as completely inaccessible as before. It'd speed train boarding/alighting a little bit, which doesn't matter a whole lot right now when the Newton schedules are as sparse as they are, but it does bupkis for actual accessibility. Plus there's curves at Newtonville and Auburndale, so it would be especially expensive to prefab an erector set for those stops because the platform sections would have to be precisely custom-cut.

The T has been doing temp 1-car mini-highs at stops like Franklin, West Medford, and Wellesley Square where platform-only improvements were enough to make the stations accessible. The problem is an erector set like Wellesley might only have 5 years of reliable service before it starts to decay, so any delays in the Wellesley-Framingham tri-track + station rebuild project could leave the platform inaccessible again in a few years. Freestanding block platforms like West Med--which has no plans for a perma-fix--have maybe 12-15 years most optimistically before they start shifting out of alignment threatening continued accessibility status. So the temp jobs really aren't a substitute for having a systemic accessibility upgrade plan, CIP funding, and--most importantly--enough internal project management expertise to stop hemmorhaging soft costs on all these budget-buster renos.
 
Also I suspect the Foxboro temporary high-level will come down after the World Cup, as I believe Foxboro is a clearance route for CSX freight trains going from Framingham to Attleboro, and with high levels on both tracks there's no way for wide-load freight trains to go past. This was also likely why Mansfield was re-built as a low-level in 2019.

*high-level, not mini=high
 
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Apparently they just had a meeting the other day about the new newtonville station and construction is starting in november of this year, so thats awesome. Construction is expected to finish in 2029.


“On 6/24/26 the MBTA hosted a meeting at the Cooper Center for Active Living in Newton and discussed the plans to bring the busiest of Newton’s three commuter rail stations into compliance for accessibility with their $66 million project which will add elevators and a raised train platform to the Newtonville station. The work will begin in November of 2026 and it will result in the closure of the Newtonville commuter rail train station starting in December of 2026 for a period of time as the train tracks are moved 9 feet in order to accomodate the new platform.

Shuttle buses will be used to transport people while this work is being done. The project is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2029.

During the meeting there were comments and questions from several Newton City Councilors who attended. It was asked if sound barrier walls would be installed while this major project was being done, if the MBTA’s #509 bus service could be extended during the closure of the Newtonville commuter rail station, if additional parking could be added near the station. The proposed train station stop that might be added in Newton Corner at some point in future was also discussed.”

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$66 million MBTA’s Newtonville Commuter Rail Accessibility project | Facebook

$66 million MBTA’s Newtonville Commuter Rail Accessibility project It might surprise some to know that there are three MBTA Commuter Rail stations currently located in Newton. These trains travel...
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Newton Commuter Rail Stations Accessibility Improvements | Projects | MBTA

Official website of the MBTA -- schedules, maps, and fare information for Greater Boston's public transportation system, including subway, commuter rail, bus routes, and boat lines.
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4300th said:
Also I suspect the Foxboro temporary high-level will come down after the World Cup, as I believe Foxboro is a clearance route for CSX freight trains going from Framingham to Attleboro, and with high levels on both tracks there's no way for wide-load freight trains to go past. This was also likely why Mansfield was re-built as a low-level in 2019.

*high-level, not mini=high
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They are. It was a condition of their approvals; foxboro will revert to a single side platform after the world cup is over.
 
stick n move said:
Crazy timing, I just came across this on facebook, apparently they actually are doing that at newtonville and just discussed it in a recent mbta meeting.
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That's a permanent station reno, for a cool $66M. Elevators for accessibility, a second platform, full-high platforms, and up-and-over access. It's been in planning for over 5 years. The controversial aspect is that the current design iteration is trying to do only 4-car platforms in vain attempt to save money, when trains even on the off-peak run 5+ at that station.
 
F-Line to Dudley said:
That's a permanent station reno, for a cool $66M. Elevators for accessibility, a second platform, full-high platforms, and up-and-over access. It's been in planning for over 5 years. The controversial aspect is that the current design iteration is trying to do only 4-car platforms in vain attempt to save money, when trains even on the off-peak run 5+ at that station.
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Yea I realized this my bad, yall are too fast on the replies lol. I was looking on the mbta website if it was the full build and then edited the post and then there was already 2 replies. Ah well.
 
Another write-up about the Newtonville station reconstruction, as well as a full recording of the meeting. The render showing 5 cars with the fifth one extending past the platform does not inspire confidence.


www.figcitynews.com

Update on Newtonville Commuter Rail Project raises hope and concerns

The MBTA announced that construction of a new, accessible, fully bidirectional Newtonville Commuter Rail station will begin in November 2026. The station is expected to be closed December 2026 to April 2029. Currently, there are no plans to increase or reroute bus service for Newtonville...
www.figcitynews.com www.figcitynews.com
NewTV’s video of the meeting
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At least they are sticking with the side platforms that won't block platforms extension in the future rather than the center platform they were floating previously. They mentioned so many times in the presentation that they are struggling with funds and cutting other programs to fund this. The length is not great, but at least it's a stepping stone.
 
homenewshere.com

MBTA to start work on Cross Street bridge soon

WINCHESTER - Members of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority came by the most recent Select Board meeting to address work needed at the Cross Street bridge.
homenewshere.com homenewshere.com
The project manager noted it’s technically two bridges, both low clearance (as many truck drivers have found out over the years). The bridge was last inspected in the fall where the MBTA discovered missing anchor bolts.
The MBTA said it’s monitoring the situation and plans to start making repairs in two weeks. They would start sooner, but have to wait until the end of the World Cup (or at least the games in Foxborough). Once work begins, the MBTA will close one lane underneath the bridge.
The project should begin on July 19 and last for no longer than 90 days. The project manager actually said they could finish within 75-80 days. This puts the end date around mid-October.
[...]
Part of the project will include closing the western driveway of the soccer club. The MBTA will, though, maintain access for the Muraco culvert project. They will also maintain pedestrian access.
Proposed work includes bearing replacement, concrete repairs and bridge superstructure painting. Stage 1 involves repairs to the south half of the bridge while stage 2 involves repairs to the north half of the bridge.
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F-Line to Dudley said:
They circumvented fair bidding by appending the project as a change order onto a completely unrelated already-awarded project to the same bidder (Suffolk Construction). That's quite freaking not-okay, and quite freaking directly tied to the extremely bloated cost ($35M) of the renovation because no one else was allowed to compete and pitch something better. Foxboro cost exactly as much to renovate as Natick Center, with just 1 permanent platform, no vertical circulation, pre-existing egresses and utility hookups, no land acquisition, and no measures to retain existing service during construction. We don't know if anyone else could've met the deadline with a lower offer because there was no fair bidding process whatsoever.

That's a scandal, not a positive outcome to emulate.
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Thats why Suffolk Construction CEO John Fish was pushing so hard for Boston to host the Olympics. He was planning on stealing countless millions from taxpayers. There are only two types of people who want to host huge events like the World Cup or Olympics: billionaires and suckers.
 
Nothing too special, but they have "replaced" (aka plopping new tops on) the stairs at Science Park/West End. They did the outbound side last week.


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