F-Line to Dudley
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Better images: http://www.somervillestep.org/files/Assembly_Square_station_011210.pdf
That overpass with the corrugated roof looks like one of the toolsheds they sell at Home Depot. I dunno...looks kind of appropriate for the square bunkers on that portion of the Orange Line. Just glassier...because, you know, EVERY station structure the T builds today has to be 75% glass that'll look like crap when it's never been cleaned for 20 years.
That said, looks appropriately functional and not some overbuilt monument. I kind of wish they'd do more builds like this that don't overreach for the sky. Little more modest than even the Yawkey commuter rail headhouse.
Though not depicted in the renderings, looks like the rightmost express track is staying completely untouched (can see it on the overhead view coming off the bridge, un-highlighted). I doubt that would've ever been blocked...would've required more money than worth the trouble reconfiguring the signal system. Plus they need it to test the next car order. Inbound track is the only one that moves at all, getting shifted over a few feet to sandwich in the platform. They've already announced bustitutions for the construction, but do they really even need it with 2 tracks completely untouched? Why not shift service rightward by 1 track each weekend and use the express platforms at the 3 current stops?
Island configuration is the same as CC, Sullivan, and Wellington. And positioning of the station is before the bridge approach where there's 50 extra feet of ballasted ROW on the other side currently used as a park maintenance yard. If they ever need to drop in the extra island for using the express track in revenue service a la the other 3 stations, they're fully provisioned. Looks like the interior walkway has this vestigial lookout jut on the Mystic River side that presumably would be where the overpass to the next platform would get grafted on. Also doable if they ever need a commuter rail platform at the station, because they can move back the 2-to-1 track merge about 100 feet and have all the platform space they'd ever need.
Like it. Operationally looks good, and you get 100% unobstructing long-distance view to both Wellington and Sullivan to see the next train coming. Even better than the pretty decent northbound look-see Sullivan offers.
