Airport Haul Road

[Commuting Boston Student]

Phase IV
12. Logan Terminals El. Can do it hugging the second level of the parking garage the next time 30 years when Logan's up for a total renovation like it got in the early 90's. Buffer exists for ROW next to the Pike. Make it a dual busway with rail in pavement so both light rail and Silver Line from SS can share it grade-separated. Sort of a Terminal Transitway.

If I understand this correctly, it would turn out to be something like the AirTrain JFK and move between the Terminals and Airport Station?

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

If I understand this correctly, it would turn out to be something like the AirTrain JFK and move between the Terminals and Airport Station?

Yes, except it would be a dual-mode setup with pavement for the SL and in-pavement tracks for light rail, and would connect to the rest of the system on both modes instead of being its own isolated thing.

 

[gooseberry]

They should bring back the elevated loop road that went around from the T stop to the terminals instead of the convoluted zigzag route with stop lights they replaced it with.

 

[Shepard]

I don't know, because I think the Urban Ring study site the state set up has been taken down. But it did have ridership studies, at least through the BRT Phase II. It was mega. There's definitely justification for a rail line through there. Frankly I think that should be the first leg done, as light rail. The Grand Junction obviously can't be done until there's some replacement (N-S Link or new connecting track) for the northside/southside equipment shuttle, but you can definitely do a Green Line branch off Lechmere. The new carhouse location for GLX traces out the ROW on trajectory to Sullivan. To make it a revenue track you would:

Phase I (really easy...this really should be a future tack-on to GLX that they do at same time as a Union-Porter extension)
1. Reconfigure yard switches and whatnot so it's a thru track.
2. NOT do something stupid like making the flyover ramps to the yard leads single-track or something (the drawings are vague about that, so reason to be nervous).
3. Do a very quick duck-under tunnel under the freight wye. Duck-unders aren't hard with trolleys because they can handle steep grades (see the B/C/E inclines).
4. Plunk new platforms on the double-track freight storage tracks next to Sullivan.

Phase II
5. Figure out where you're getting across the Mystic, and widen either the Eastern Route bridge or the Orange/Haverhill bridge. They want to hit both Assembly and Wellington. I think that's going to be too expensive, too tight a fit, and too hard to EIS around the Mystic wetlands. Parallel-spanning the Eastern Route bridge is a lot more straightforward. The old draw span that existed there until the 1980's still has preserved approaches on the south side of the current span. What you could do it build the parallel span, relocate commuter rail onto that, and put the trolleys on the existing span (see next bullet on why they need to stay on north side of the RR tracks)
6. Stay on the north side of the Eastern Route tracks (Everett terminal freight tracks are on the south side), stop at Gateway Ctr. Also provides Saugus Branch accessibility for the trail and (maybe, but I doubt it) some spur 50 years from now.
7. Chelsea station, displacing the CR station. That's also the only grade crossing that's near-impossible to eliminate, so that's why I'm skeptical this could ever be heavy rail.
8. Duck-under or flyover to the abandoned wye. Station at Griffin Way. Make this the turnback for now.

Phase III
9. Merge onto Chelsea St. bridge in mixed traffic.
10. Peel off onto the Haul Road ROW. Haul Road shifted over so both can fit, narrow bridges like Bennington widened to their former width.
11. Continue on to Airport station on the currently trailed portion of the ROW. It's a block-wide linear park, so trail doesn't go away.

Phase IV
12. Logan Terminals El. Can do it hugging the second level of the parking garage the next time 30 years when Logan's up for a total renovation like it got in the early 90's. Buffer exists for ROW next to the Pike. Make it a dual busway with rail in pavement so both light rail and Silver Line from SS can share it grade-separated. Sort of a Terminal Transitway.


I mean, this is like 30 years total so it's not as awe-inspiringly complicated as it would look as a monolith. Figure you're picking off 1 phase per decade, with II and III following each other in quicker succession like the GLX Phase I to Medford Hillside and Phase II to Route 16.

But wouldn't a simple Blue Line branch to Chelsea over the existing ROW branching off near the airport be nearly as stellar, cheaper, and all in a single phase?

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

But wouldn't a simple Blue Line branch to Chelsea over the existing ROW branching off near the airport be nearly as stellar, cheaper, and all in a single phase?

If you can figure out how to eliminate this grade crossing while staying under Route 1: http://goo.gl/maps/JqSOe.

Difficulty: underground stream nearby, so you can't depress the ROW without hell to pay wrestling with the water table.


I'm gonna say you probably need a light rail vehicle to get across this one. All the other ones are easy eliminations, but there's no way to do this one as an overpass without open heart surgery on Route 1 overhead.

 

[Ron Newman]

Blue Line vehicles have pantographs to get power from overhead wires. No need for grade separations at all.

 

[rdeastcl]

Is there anything wrong with the blue line trains just having the right of way here?

 

[Shepard]

I'm confused F-line - I think that the BLX spur to Chelsea would terminate before that intersection, at the current CR stop.

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

Blue Line vehicles have pantographs to get power from overhead wires. No need for grade separations at all.

Yes, you do. All the electrical transformers and batteries are exposed under the car, and they're not shielded from side impact like trolleys and RR cars are. A car that rides close to the ground, or motorcycle, or bike could plow right into something that makes a big sparky kaboom. Chicago L may be the last system left with grandfathered grade crossings for its Red Line-like cars. NYC Subway has long since zapped its last ones. NTSB has stiffened up the rules in the 4 decades since the Orange Line Reading extension was proposed with a gradual instead of immediate phase-out of the 15 grade crossings to Reading. Not gonna fly any more. The T wouldn't even run Boeing LRV's past Brigham Circle after 1985 because the poorly placed battery compartments energized the carbody exterior during one side impact incident. The E has been Type 7's and 8's only for 26 years.

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

I'm confused F-line - I think that the BLX spur to Chelsea would terminate before that intersection, at the current CR stop.

If you're spurring off Airport it could stop there. But it would be a very, very limited service on such a short spur that wouldn't justify the ridership of building a whole parallel span to the Chelsea St. bridge (can only intermingle with autos on a trolley, not heavy rail). It's the other side where the bigger ridership is going to come from because of the transfer options. There isn't a lot of room under Route 1 to shift the platform to the other side. You can fit 2 RR tracks, 2 rapid transit tracks under the viaduct abutments, but you're not fitting platforms too and station structure is really constrained by that looping entrance ramp onto 1.

I think it's gotta be all or nothing around the Eastie-Chelsea-Everett-Somerville circuit to realize the robust ridership projections the UR plan had for those stops. And if you do that your only mode choices are BRT or LRT. Unless there's highly unnecessary construction to the 1 viaduct.

 

[Shepard]

Just close off the intersection making Arlington and 6th Streets discontinuous - it wouldn't kill the grid. These aren't primary arteries. The platform can remain between Route 1 and Washington Ave.

Am I missing something?

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

Just close off the intersection making Arlington and 6th Streets discontinuous - it wouldn't kill the grid. These aren't primary arteries. The platform can remain between Route 1 and Washington Ave.

Am I missing something?

The screaming and angry mobs with pitchforks in Chelsea, for one. Very highly unlikely that'll be allowed to happen. Plus you have to lose the 1 South onramp from Arlington, which they'll also scream about.

Besides, is heavy rail really that important for the UR that we are required to drop hundreds of millions zapping all grade crossings on the Eastern Route and Grand Junction that'll function OK with light rail. I mean, surely Mass Ave. and the easy-to-eliminate ones west of Chelsea station will go. But we want to get something reliable running here in our lifetimes, so why shoot for absolute infallible mode perfection when good enough is good enough? Cities build light rail for a reason: barrier of entry is so so much lower than heavy rail perfection.

 

[Shepard]

I just find that the light rail option (Green Line branch past Sullivan, I imagine?) goes through such a wasteland before downtown Chelsea that it almost isn't worthwhile. That's why I favor a single BL branch terminating at downtown Chelsea and going no further.

 

[Commuting Boston Student]

Besides, is heavy rail really that important for the UR that we are required to drop hundreds of millions zapping all grade crossings on the Eastern Route and Grand Junction that'll function OK with light rail. I mean, surely Mass Ave. and the easy-to-eliminate ones west of Chelsea station will go. But we want to get something reliable running here in our lifetimes, so why shoot for absolute infallible mode perfection when good enough is good enough? Cities build light rail for a reason: barrier of entry is so so much lower than heavy rail perfection.

It depends on two things, I think.

If you can bring the Urban Ring from Chelsea Station all the way to Maverick or Airport, and if you can easily scale up to 3- or 4-car trains as soon as it becomes necessary, then no, heavy rail is not that important.

However, if you're stuck with the 2-car trains of today and the light rail is unable to be brought into Maverick or Airport, then it's important to push for heavy rail.

I just find that the light rail option (Green Line branch past Sullivan, I imagine?) goes through such a wasteland before downtown Chelsea that it almost isn't worthwhile. That's why I favor a single BL branch terminating at downtown Chelsea and going no further.

That's going to be prime real estate for development once you connect it into transit.

At least, that's how it's supposed to work.

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

It depends on two things, I think.

If you can bring the Urban Ring from Chelsea Station all the way to Maverick or Airport, and if you can easily scale up to 3- or 4-car trains as soon as it becomes necessary, then no, heavy rail is not that important.

However, if you're stuck with the 2-car trains of today and the light rail is unable to be brought into Maverick or Airport, then it's important to push for heavy rail.

Quads are really only a constraint on the E where it's street-running and Heath Loop is narrow. And maybe on the B where the platforms on the hill get squeezed on width and don't have much lengthening room. On the grade-separated lines it's no problem. Maybe not on the C either. Grade crossings are no big deal on a dedicated ROW. Every spot has room for platforms that can fit 2 quads back-to-back. 3rd St. Everett can be closed today if somebody cared to. 2nd St., Everett Ave., and Spruce are easy to bridge because there's no buildings or driveway turnouts within 50 feet of the tracks, and are planned for elimination with UR Phase II BRT. Underneath Route 1 is literally the only one that can't go without lots and lots of pain and suffering.

I mean, Mattapan has had grade crossings since 1928 and nobody clutches their pearls about Central Ave.

 

[cybah]

FYI.. this road is just about complete. I saw them putting the finishing touches on the brickwork near the Chelsea Street entrance. At some point I'll swing by and snap more pictures..