MBTA "Transformation" (Green Line, Red Line, & Orange Line Transformation Projects)

[as02155]

kind of embarrassing

it's an election year

 

[as02155]

That press release says the the new higher speeds wouldn't start immediately after the shutdown. The upgrades they did were just a "major step" towards being able to go 55 mph, but there is still other work to be done. You shouldn't expect any speed-ups yet.

The T should really stop using "soon" or "major step toward" in their pressers - it's misleading at best and distrusting at worst for a skeptical public.

 

[The EGE]

it's an election year

There was also quite a bit of bad blood between Milton and the T about the station. The MBTA failed to properly maintain the staircase and closed it in 2018. After 4 years, Milton threatened to sue to get it repaired; instead, the MBTA demolished it rather than do a larger renovation. Never mind everything about the MBTA Communities Act. Sending Eng seems like a deliberate gesture of good faith.

 

[bakgwailo]

There was also quite a bit of bad blood between Milton and the T about the station. The MBTA failed to properly maintain the staircase and closed it in 2018. After 4 years, Milton threatened to sue to get it repaired; instead, the MBTA demolished it rather than do a larger renovation. Never mind everything about the MBTA Communities Act. Sending Eng seems like a deliberate gesture of good faith.

It was essentially the major entrance to the station from the street and shops there. Now that they have an ADA ramp does this mean they can finally restore the stair case? Should just move the station under the overpass, put in real entrances, and sell a bunch of air rights developments on top. Milton will love it.

 

[ritchiew]

The T should really stop using "soon" or "major step toward" in their pressers - it's misleading at best and distrusting at worst for a skeptical public.

I don't know.... I read the presser and it looks very clear to me. They say (a few different ways) that the eventual speed-up is contingent on other upgrades. This doesn't look misleading at all. And I appreciate it when the T is clear about the goals and purpose of the work they're doing, especially around shutdowns.

 

[RandomWalk]

A thought about the continuing use of longer shutdowns: They should trade the overnight windows for the longer shutdowns. Run overnight service on the core subways, with non-disruptive overnight work (e.g. light station maintenance) happening concurrently.

 

[as02155]

I don't know.... I read the presser and it looks very clear to me. They say (a few different ways) that the eventual speed-up is contingent on other upgrades. This doesn't look misleading at all. And I appreciate it when the T is clear about the goals and purpose of the work they're doing, especially around shutdowns.

There's a lot of good that is coming about right now at the T when it comes to connecting the dots - they frequently use "soon" to mean actually immediately after a shutdown. This one was a miss.

 

[JumboBuc]

A thought about the continuing use of longer shutdowns: They should trade the overnight windows for the longer shutdowns. Run overnight service on the core subways, with non-disruptive overnight work (e.g. light station maintenance) happening concurrently.

The relative value of overnight maintenance does decrease when regular shutdowns can be expected, but also overnight maintenance is used to prep/stage for longer shutdowns. E.g., materials are often moved into place during the overnights for a week or so before a shutdown starts, so everything is ready to go once the trains fully stop running. This is most obvious with rail replacement, as you can often see the new rail showing up staged in the right-of-way sitting right between the to-be-replaced rails in the days leading up to a shutdown.

 

[KCasiglio]

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority increases speed on part of the Orange Line

Orange Line trains will travel at 55 MPH between Oak Grove and North Station

www.wcvb.com

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has announced that starting Sunday, Orange Line subway service will run faster.

Interim Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said the slow zones between Assembly Station and North Station are gone, and signals have been upgraded.


That means trains can travel at 55 miles per hour on the line North of North Station.

The MBTA made similar upgrades between Oak Grove Station and Assembly Station in 2025.

Riders can expect "shorter trip times and 76% more service every weekday compared to Winter 2023," Eng said.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said she is grateful to Eng and MBTA workers, saying, "When we took office, we made a commitment to fix the T and deliver the faster, safer, and more reliable service that riders deserve. "

 

[RandomWalk]

Has the T stopped or drastically slowed installing TPS hardware on trains? My recent anecdotal observations are that a higher percentage of trains have zero cars with hardware. Earlier in the summer, it seemed like most daytime trains had at least one car with hardware.

 

[12345]

WBUR (@wbur.org)

More Red Line passengers can soon expect faster travel times. The MBTA will increase speeds from North Quincy to JFK to 50 miles an hour, MBTA General Manager and Interim Transportation Secretary Phil Eng said Thursday, as he also touted higher top speeds on the Orange Line. https://trib.al/kjvL0T4

bsky.app

 

[bakgwailo]

WBUR (@wbur.org)

More Red Line passengers can soon expect faster travel times. The MBTA will increase speeds from North Quincy to JFK to 50 miles an hour, MBTA General Manager and Interim Transportation Secretary Phil Eng said Thursday, as he also touted higher top speeds on the Orange Line. https://trib.al/kjvL0T4

bsky.app

That's a pretty long stretch - what would be ultimate max be, 55 mph or maybe 60 mph?

 

[Stlin]

That's a pretty long stretch - what would be ultimate max be, 55 mph or maybe 60 mph?

Honestly, I think it'll top out at 50. Worth remembering these speed increases are less "increase speeds from baseline" and more "restoring design speeds." I believe that large parts of OL were designed to operate at 55, while the RL extension was originally designed to operate at 50, and no higher. Increasing above 50 would probably take quite a bit more design and validation work that probably isn't in scope.

 

[HenryAlan]

That's a pretty long stretch - what would be ultimate max be, 55 mph or maybe 60 mph?

It's roughly 3.6 track miles from North Quincy to UMass. But the article also reveals that the T had already increased speeds to 50 mph from Braintree to N Quincy, which I had not realized. Taken together, that's 8.8 miles, which is very significant.

 

[BronsonShore]

This is why we can't have nice things. The MBTA is footing the entire bill for accessibility improvements at all Newton stations. And the response? An elected neighborhood council is complaining about the "historic character and neighborhood impacts" of a canopy, that is next to a large transformer, doesn't even touch the existing historic building, and is part of a transit line that isn't running "historic" vehicles. I hope this group isn't given the time of day, but until state leaders start calling out how ridiculous this type of behavior is, the T will struggle to make necessary investments as quickly or cheaply as they otherwise would.

What are they wrong about? They're not objecting to the improvements being built at all, they're objecting to the fact that this is a jarring and ugly addition to what is a beautiful existing station. And to their point: why is the canopy needed at all? There already is a canopy under the historic station building.

 

[Badusername]

WBUR (@wbur.org)

More Red Line passengers can soon expect faster travel times. The MBTA will increase speeds from North Quincy to JFK to 50 miles an hour, MBTA General Manager and Interim Transportation Secretary Phil Eng said Thursday, as he also touted higher top speeds on the Orange Line. https://trib.al/kjvL0T4

bsky.app

I'd really like to see some more focus on this for the green line. The Lechmere Viaduct renovation was specced for 40mph operation but trains are still limited to 25.

 

[JeffDowntown]

I'd really like to see some more focus on this for the green line. The Lechmere Viaduct renovation was specced for 40mph operation but trains are still limited to 25.

Other than the Riverside Line, I am not sure how much benefit there is on rated speed increases on the Green Line. Speed on much of the line is controlled by stop spacing and other safety factors like curves, slopes (tunnel to North Station, for example).

Also, are you sure you want this before GLTPS is fully implemented?

 

[Koopzilla24]

I'd really like to see some more focus on this for the green line. The Lechmere Viaduct renovation was specced for 40mph operation but trains are still limited to 25.

If I remember correctly I think thats a combination derailment issue with the Breda Type 8s and the heavier trainsets. I know they shored up the viaduct to support the increased weight but higher speeds would mean higher forces. And on the 8s they might be playing it safe on an old bridge structure with them to avoid even the derailment potential

 

[sneijder]

As far as easy speed increases go - really would hope the MBTA will address the Alewife crossover. I remember they embarked on a reconstruction project a few years ago to rebuild the crossover and support higher speeds and tighter headways. as of today, the crossover is still limited to 10mph for the train departing south from the north/inbound platform. You can clearly see this in the travel times causing every other train to take ~130 seconds to travel the stop compared to ~85 sec. I really wish they would at least communicate on why this rebuild did not allow trains to run at design speed and treat this as a slow zone.

 

[FormFollowsBudget]

Why is the canopy needed at all? There already is a canopy under the historic station building.

I have to guess the MBTA is making the canopy a requirement alongside the ramp to prevent primarily snow/ice from accumulating on the ramp, rather than relying on the reliability of maintenance and snow-clearing contracts to ensure the ramp remains clear and accessible at all times.. but the project probably doesn't have the budget for a nicer canopy than this off-the-shelf looking one..

Dealt with enough MBTA design comments to venture a guess at it...