401 Park Drive (née Landmark Center) | Fenway

[JohnAKeith]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

The commuter rail stop will be redesigned and renovated as part of the Fenway Center project.

 

[Equilibria]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

The Green Line station is a mess, though. Those platforms need to be wider and longer, and there needs to be some way to cross the tracks without cutting in front of trains. I'd say to incorporate a station directly into Landmark, but the portal is positioned badly for that.

A better idea could probably be placed a little closer to Landmark, and a direct indoor connection to the mall would be nice. It still annoys me, though, that the Yawkey stop is being rebuilt without a direct transfer to the Green Line. There still is no clear mass transit stop for Fenway Park.

 

[Arborway]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

The Fenway T station should be transformed into an actual T station, as opposed to a sidewalk next to the Green Line, especially considering how crowded it gets after games.

The plan was to roll Fenway upgrades into the Urban Ring project - including building an underground bus station.

Obviously that's not happening anytime soon.

 

[jass]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

The Fenway T station should be transformed into an actual T station, as opposed to a sidewalk next to the Green Line, especially considering how crowded it gets after games.

I dont understand, the Fenway T stop, is one of the nicer surface stops. Covered, charlie machines, benches, flooring (not just asphalt), bump strips, etc

 

[atlrvr]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

I think the problem is the sheer number of people crossing infront of the trains.....they hold up the trains quite a bit, and there is that sketchy feeling that if you walk behind the outbound train that is still in the station, that you are going to get smacked by an inbound that overshoots the station or whatever......just watch how nervous people act when crossing there.

And lets face it, it looks like shit.

That said, there isn't much room to do anything else that I can imagine off the top of my head.

 

[bdurden]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

The Landmark station is just fine, but an upgrade with an overhang, especially in the winter months, would go a long way in making it more comfortable (same goes for the Longwood stop) -- like a mini airport station.

Edit: In fact, the Longwood T Stop is the one that really needs some work. It should connect directly to Longwood Ave -- as it stands know pedestrians must walk around to the side street (by the Longwood Towers) in order to access the platform. A direction connect should be made to the Longwood Ave/Brookline Ave area.

 

[Beton Brut]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

...the Longwood T Stop...should connect directly to Longwood Ave -- as it stands know pedestrians must walk around to the side street (by the Longwood Towers) in order to access the platform. A direction connect should be made to the Longwood Ave/Brookline Ave area.

The cost associated with moving the station about 200 yards west and constructing two elevators to bring the station to ADA compliance (it's a 20' drop from the bridge over the tracks) would likely preclude this upgrade.

 

[Shepard]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

There still is no clear mass transit stop for Fenway Park.

Kenmore. It's not ideal but it's the clear mass transit stop (ahead, I'd argue, of the Fenway stop).

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

And technically the Yawkey CR stop is across the street. Name another major stadium with a transit stop INSIDE the stadium.

 

[Shepard]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

The North Station Garden!

 

[Equilibria]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

Inside, no, but Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park both have dedicated and named stops on the CTA Red Line, the New Yankee Stadium came with a new station, Citi Field has a dedicated stop on the property, Oakland Coliseum has a BART stop, I think, Seattle's stadia share a light rail stop, and so on.

Kenmore has never been the "Red Sox" stop to me, because I grew up out the D-branch from Fenway, though I realize the stop is Kenmore for most people. Nonetheless, if an out-of-town fan wanted to find Fenway Park on the train, is there any indication to use Kenmore, and is there any clear directional signage from the station (Fenway has some, I think)? The walk from both stations to the park is somewhat complex.

 

[Justin7]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

There are banners, but it definitely could and should be marked more clearly. Though I wouldn't call the walk from Kenmore to Fenway complex, by any means, I suppose walking over the pike could be considered unpleasant. The far side of the street will be fixed hopefully soon.

 

[jass]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

Inside, no, but Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park both have dedicated and named stops on the CTA Red Line, the New Yankee Stadium came with a new station, Citi Field has a dedicated stop on the property, Oakland Coliseum has a BART stop, I think, Seattle's stadia share a light rail stop, and so on.

Kenmore has never been the "Red Sox" stop to me, because I grew up out the D-branch from Fenway, though I realize the stop is Kenmore for most people. Nonetheless, if an out-of-town fan wanted to find Fenway Park on the train, is there any indication to use Kenmore, and is there any clear directional signage from the station (Fenway has some, I think)? The walk from both stations to the park is somewhat complex.

Theres a shitload of signs.

At Gvt cnt and park instructions on which trains to take to kenmore.
At kenmore, theres a giant sign pointing people to the left exit.
Outside the stop, theres a sign pointing people to take a left.

And of course, theres the mass of people you can follow.

It is much harder to find the fenway station than it is to find kenmore.

 

[kennedy]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

It is much harder to find the fenway station than it is to find kenmore.

True, I've never used Fenway simply because I don't know where it is, and Kenmore is easier. I always used the Kenmore stop going to Sox games. I guess that's why I always think Kenmore Square is so much more urban than everyone says; I'm hardly ever there when it's not filled with throngs of Sox fans.

 

[blade_bltz]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

Oakland Coliseum has a BART stop, I think.

Oakland's BART stop requires a relatively long walk across an elevated concrete structure crossing train tracks/industrial wasteland. It's not much shorter (if at all) than the walk from Kenmore, and much less pleasant. There's also copious parking, and if you don't want to pay for the lots, there's always street parking in friendly East Oakland! (I've done this about three too many times...pushing my luck)

I had a great experience taking the train to see the Hanshin Tigers @ Koshien Stadium in the Osaka/Kobe area. The sheer number of trains and variety of service (ie express, semi-express, local, etc.) helped funnel the crowd of 45k so efficiently that I was on a train - sitting in my own seat - in a matter of minutes.

Kenmore has never been the "Red Sox" stop to me, because I grew up out the D-branch from Fenway, though I realize the stop is Kenmore for most people.

True that.

 

[Ron Newman]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

The North Station Garden

Railroad yes, subway not quite (until an indoor connector is someday built to the Green/Orange Line entrance). But if we're counting arenas as stadiums, Madison Square Garden Penn Station certainly qualifies.

 

[ledjes]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

I always marveled that they built that great connector from the T station under Causeway Street and then stopped it 50' short of the vestibule into North Station.

Does anyone know the rationale for this?

 

[commuter guy]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

When and if development occurs on that vacant lot in front of TD Garden (site of the old garden), I would imagine a direct connection will then exist.

 

[Ron Newman]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

The T's assumption was that the Old Garden site would be developed and that its first floor would include a railroad station lobby. That didn't happen, which eventually caused the T to expand the lobby the other direction (towards the tracks).

 

[briv]

Re: Landmark Center Expansion

A new rendering is posted in this week's Courant with an article entitled "Landmark Expansion Plan Worries Neighbors". I'll try to get around to posting it later maybe.

Here's another one from a couple month's ago I never go around to posting: