Crazy Transit Pitches

[vanshnookenraggen]

Here is my question: what is a better investment, the Blue Line along Storrow Dr to take over the Riverside branch or to build out the Huntington Ave subway and divert the D branch through the Huntington Ave subway. What I mean is would the Blue Line extension serve the city better by acting as a bypass around the Back Bay or would an expanded Green Line through the heart of the Back Bay be better? And what would end up being cheaper?

http://goo.gl/maps/ahFml

 

[Proposition Joe]

Here is my question: what is a better investment, the Blue Line along Storrow Dr to take over the Riverside branch or to build out the Huntington Ave subway and divert the D branch through the Huntington Ave subway. What I mean is would the Blue Line extension serve the city better by acting as a bypass around the Back Bay or would an expanded Green Line through the heart of the Back Bay be better? And what would end up being cheaper?

http://goo.gl/maps/ahFml

Does this plan also eliminate the E Line, because the D Line would cover 95% of the E Line. If so, then a Green Line extension to Needham could be constructed without effecting current Green Line frequencies as the Needham branch would become the new E Line. (Although it would also mean giving up on the ~dream~ of a restored Arborway.)

A Blue Line extension that takes over the Riverside branch would make a rapid transit expansion to Needham more expensive and more complicated due to the street crossings on the Commuter Rail right of way. This would also make extending the Orange Line out to West Roxbury more difficult as I assume that would never happen until Needham got a replacement for its Commuter Rail service.

The stations along the Riverbank Blue Line look a lot more useful than the new Stuart Street stations though. Heavy Rail going to Fenway Park is extremely appealing and even though many have complained about the usefulness of a transit station adjacent to the Charles River, the Hatchshell station seems fine and even the second Riverbank station looks better than the two on Stuart Street as they are sandwiched in between the Boylston Subway and Orange Lines.

An interesting possibility is continuing the Huntington/Stuart Green Line trolleys to the Seaport District, which would open up the Central Subway to a potential F Line to Dudley Square/Franklin Park. But that may be outside the scope of the question.

The Blue Line could also be extended to Kenmore and either terminate there or go somewhere else (Beacon Park/West Station/Barry's Corner/Beyond???) so these two projects are not theoretically at odds.

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

The Stuart St/Huntington Ave Ext subways also have the added benefit of breaking the Copley station bottleneck. This combined with added capacity in the "High Spine" area of the city would greatly speed up operations and allow for more growth in the small area of the city where tall buildings are allowed (and are going up). The Blue Line extension would only act as a bypass around the Back Bay and if this is the case it should be asked whether commuters who use the Riverside branch need such a thing. Are the majority traveling to the Back Bay or to Govt Center/Financial District. If most are going to the Back Bay then the Green Line is the way to go but if more are going to Govt Center/Financial Dist OR looking to transfer to the Red or Orange Lines then the Blue Line extension makes more sense.

So the next step is to ask if anyone has this ridership data?

 

[George_Apley]

Here is my question: what is a better investment, the Blue Line along Storrow Dr to take over the Riverside branch or to build out the Huntington Ave subway and divert the D branch through the Huntington Ave subway. What I mean is would the Blue Line extension serve the city better by acting as a bypass around the Back Bay or would an expanded Green Line through the heart of the Back Bay be better? And what would end up being cheaper?

http://goo.gl/maps/ahFml

I think the Green Line would be a better investment and cheaper (with only my understanding of the engineering/politics involved to back me up).

Green would be cheaper if you took the Tremont Street tunnel to Eliot Norton Park, transfer with OL at a Green Line "Tufts Med" (rename it South Cove or Bay Village whydontya) and then go to Back Bay via Marginal and along the Pike retaining wall. That all should be easy tunneling (except for the footings of the Back Bay garage), much easier than under Stuart. Only a short bit of Stuart would need to be tunneled this way to get the line joined up with the current Huntington subway.

I don't know that I would divert all D trains that way. Either add a branch that splits headways to Riverside with one taking the current Fenway route and the other taking Huntington, or add a branch that shares the new tunnel with the E and turns at Brookline Village or Reservoir. Extend this line to Needham whenever that happens.

Using Tremont Tunnel to TMC also allows you to split off there to both South Station/Transitway and a Washington Street surface-line, and have through service between SST and BBY.

Does this plan also eliminate the E Line, because the D Line would cover 95% of the E Line. If so, then a Green Line extension to Needham could be constructed without effecting current Green Line frequencies as the Needham branch would become the new E Line. (Although it would also mean giving up on the ~dream~ of a restored Arborway.)

You wouldn't necessarily have to end Heath Street service if you tunneled under Huntington to Brookline Village, but your options become either a) convoluted, or b) expensive.

First of all we have to consider how to link up a buried Huntington Ave subway to the Riverside Line at Brookline Village.

My fantasy map - which, FTR, hasn't been EIS'd or studied for being remotely feasible - assumes that the Riverside Line would need to be depressed in a cut beginning around Aspinwall and coming back to the level ROW around White Place or Cameron Street. Brookline Village station would be in that cut, roughly between Pearl Street and Washington Street. The Huntington Ave subway (at this point Route 9) would need to turn north off of Route 9 to Pearl and junction with the Riverside. An at-grade junction like the Copley Junction would be cheaper. A flying junction would be much more complicated and expensive. (Note that my map also allows for a connection from the west-bound Riverside to Huntington east-bound, which requires a separate junction under Washington Street to rejoin the line. This could also be used to short-turn trains, but significantly adds to costs).

Back to Heath Street:

Option 1 would involve some sort of portal on Pearl and surface running along Pearl, to Route 9 to South Huntington. Basically involving a backtrack to get to Heath Street.

Option 2 would be building a junction under the Huntington/SHuntington intersection. Flying-junction would be better for service, but much harder to fund and engineer. The line would then follow under SHuntington to Heath Street where it could either a) turn around underground, b) portal to the surface and turn around, or c) surface at Heath, keep the short-turn and continue to Forest Hills as a street-car.

A Blue Line extension that takes over the Riverside branch would make a rapid transit expansion to Needham more expensive and more complicated due to the street crossings on the Commuter Rail right of way. This would also make extending the Orange Line out to West Roxbury more difficult as I assume that would never happen until Needham got a replacement for its Commuter Rail service.

Yup. Needham probably won't happen unless it's Green. Too many grade-crossings to deal with.

Orange needs to go to Roslindale Square yesterday, but yeah, it can't get further West to the other Needham Line stops in WRox without being paired with a GLX to Needham.

The stations along the Riverbank Blue Line look a lot more useful than the new Stuart Street stations though. Heavy Rail going to Fenway Park is extremely appealing and even though many have complained about the usefulness of a transit station adjacent to the Charles River, the Hatchshell station seems fine and even the second Riverbank station looks better than the two on Stuart Street as they are sandwiched in between the Boylston Subway and Orange Lines.

Kenmore is arguably the only useful stop on BL riverbank subway, and it is very useful for Fenway events. An Esplanade station near the Hatch Shell would also be nice for Beacon Hill and Esplanade events, and for tourists. Any intermediate stops in the Back Bay would be fought by wealthy denizens of Beacon Street and beyond, and wouldn't be as close to useful destinations as a parallel Green Line south of Boylston. Green Line at Back Bay station is more useful than Blue Line at Exeter Street on the Charles.

EDIT: This is also setting aside the political battle of downgrading/eliminating Storrow, which is what would be needed to make way for a riverbank BLX. Green adjacent the Pike is way easier politically.

An interesting possibility is continuing the Huntington/Stuart Green Line trolleys to the Seaport District, which would open up the Central Subway to a potential F Line to Dudley Square/Franklin Park. But that may be outside the scope of the question.

Totally. That's how my map does it. It would allow routings from Back Bay and points west to South Station and points east without a transfer.

The Blue Line could also be extended to Kenmore and either terminate there or go somewhere else (Beacon Park/West Station/Barry's Corner/Beyond???) so these two projects are not theoretically at odds.

I terminate BL at Kenmore too. Leaves more options open for potential service to Allston/Watertown/blah, particularly since my map uses the "BU->Kenmore->BV->Brigham" boomerang for the Urban Ring, precluding Riverside's conversion to HRT.

 

[novitiate]

Looking at the shorter Huntington subway from Copley-> Brookline Village on its own, it seems iffy at best- you lose Longwood and Fenway, which are busy stations, Newton loses a one-seat ride to Fenway Park, the outer E line loses service, and the D line is probably slower downtown when routed that way. At least Blue -> Kenmore doesn't negatively affect service for some people, though I doubt it's necessary outside of game night.

However, if the Huntington Subway is used to make a parallel subway link through to the Seaport it would solve a lot of connectivity issues and I think would be very worthwhile. But you don't really need a Huntington extension to do that...

 

[bigeman312]

If the "D" were rerouted through the Huntington subway (which is not a great solution in my mind), you would need to extend the Blue Line to Brookline Village with a transfer between Green and Blue at a Brookline Village Station, to avoid having many useful trips disappear. But still some one-seat rides would turn into two-seat rides.

 

[davem]

If the "D" were rerouted through the Huntington subway (which is not a great solution in my mind), you would need to extend the Blue Line to Brookline Village with a transfer between Green and Blue at a Brookline Village Station, to avoid having many useful trips disappear. But still some one-seat rides would turn into two-seat rides.

Have the D go it's usual way via Longwood and Fenway, and create a new line, originating at Reservoir, go down the Huntington subway.

Also, I'll go ahead and re-post this:

I've got a newer version with the routing to South Station cleaned up, but my computers being wonky.

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

/\ That is a very interesting proposal but a few things jump out at me.

An alignment along the Pike would solve a lot of issues including any junction that could be built to allow for trolleys to the South End. Reusing all of the Tremont St tunnels would cut costs. So that seems like a better alternative.

But then what to do about connecting the Green Line to South Station? The route you've proposed is pretty convoluted and not one that would most effectively serve riders. The point isn't to connect Park St to the SBW via some long route, it's to connect the Back Bay to SBW. It seems to me there are only two viable options for this: extending the new Green Line tunnel under Kneeland St or building a deep bore tunnel from Boylston under Chinatown via Beach St to South Station.

The Kneeland St route would obviously be cheaper but it would only connect South Station to the Huntington Ave subway and I'm not sure that would be the best way to go. Boylston to South Station would allow riders to hit much more important stations on their way too and from the SBW. It would be much more expensive to do a deep bore under Chinatown but it would have a higher return.

Also there is the question of how much Chinatown is going to grow in the next generation. Already we are seeing new towers going up and while they haven't left the drawing boards we all know the designs to build over the Pike and South Bay Interchange. If Chinatown moves in that direction it may make sense to go with a more southern route via Oak St (similar to what davem proposed).

http://goo.gl/maps/PG87l

What I feel like we are getting into is the same problem that became of the Silver Line: we are trying to fit two different projects together that may end up being a bad compromise in order to fit.

 

[davem]

At least one line would run SBW to Brookline, so you can get to Back Bay station (which I believe has many hotels, and gets you access to the Copley Plaza / Pru gerbil tunnels). If one really needed to get to Boylston a same platform transfer allows you to get on an inbound Dudley train. If you want to take a look at my insane transit map, you can see how I envision the green line service patterns utilizing the new junction at Bay Village/Tufts.

You can see here where each train would platform. A center platform would be better, but I wanted to have grade separation on at least one junction, which makes it impossible. The turn radii are tight, but not as bad as Boylston. Basically, by setting up the junction this way, any train coming from anywhere can go almost anywhere. (Dudley trains can't go to SBW and vice-versa, although I don't see that ever being an issue.)
-SBW>Boylston or Back Bay
-Dudley>Boylston or Back Bay
-Boylston>Dudley, Back Bay or SBW
-Back Bay> Dudley, Boylston or SBW
-Additionally, trains from Boylston can loop and head back north.

Also, while I don't see scheduled service doing it, by turning the Copley Junction tracks into a wye (lefternmost portion of my diagram further up), it would be possible to route trains SBW>Back Bay Station>Copley>Boylston>Park and then back again in a big loop. I could see convention center specials doing this.

As development in Chinatown creeps south, and the former NY streets development seems to be taking off, the area may begin to be as much if not more of a destination. A hotel getting built over the pike could be a possibility.


Building along the Pike trench also gets you recently cleared urban renewal land: something possible to cut-and-cover. An impossible task basically anywhere in the city. So while its slightly circuitous to get to SS, its one hell of a lot cheaper and easier. And it still gets you the critical SBW>Back Bay connection.

 

[George_Apley]

Haven't posted my "Full Build" map in a while. I'm often making adjustments here and there. I haven't had the motivation to build it in a pretty graphic design program, so it's just in MapsEngine (though it should be viewable to everyone). Edit: You can toggle the layers on and off to see the stations.

Here she be

Here it is in mini .png form:

I have had some nutty motivation to finish a write-up on my reasoning... it's definitely a tl;dr sort of thing, but if anyone's at all interested in my thought process here you go:

Blue Line to Kenmore Extension

• 
  
  
  [*]Phase 1:
  [*]Stations: Charles/MGH
  [*]Cut-cover Cambridge Street from Bowdoin to Charles/MGH with Red Line transfer.
  [*]Subway station sits just east of Longfellow pilings. Tail tracks straddle bridge to north and south. Access from current mezzanine and headhouse on Cambridge Street.
  [*]Close Bowdoin. Blue only Govt Ctr headhouse between current Green/Blue headhouse and New Sudbury Street.​
  
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 2:
  [*]Stations: Esplanade, Dartmouth Landing, Charlesgate, Kenmore.
  [*]Pair with downgrade/elimination of Storrow Drive. Cut-cover box-tunnel along Back Street retaining wall.
  [*]Bore under Muddy River, and Beacon Street to Kenmore. Blue Line station under Green Line station.​

This extension provides the coveted Red/Blue direct connector. It also a parallel HRT subway from downtown to Kenmore Square, freeing up capacity on the Green Line Central Subway by providing an alternate route for commuters.


Blue Line to Salem Extension

• 
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 1:
  [*]Stations: Oak Island, Cedar Point, South Lynn, Lynn Station
  [*]Follow right-of-way to Oak Island. Before Cedar Point, track Blue to the Eastern Route. Oak Island access from Oak Island Street.
  [*]South Lynn stop about 1/8ml east of Riverworks CR stop. Big ReDev and TOD opportunity. Run alongside the Eastern Route to Lynn Center. Elevated station that allows for a Commuter Rail transfer.​
  
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 2:
  [*]Stations: East Lynn, Swampscott, South Salem, Salem
  [*]Run parallel to Eastern Route to mouth of Salem train tunnel.
  [*]East Lynn Station between Fayette Street and Chatham Street; may require sound wall for neighbors. Swampscott assumed from Commuter Rail. South Salem stop at Ocean Ave in Salem. Reconnect Ocean Ave across the RoW, redevelop parcel to the west into a park and ride TOD. Redevelop parcels to the east into TOD, Salem State buildings? Place Salem stop at Mill Street by entrance of the rail tunnel.​

This extension serves the transit starved North Shore cities of Lynn and Salem. The overwhelmed buses that serve these area we be able to more efficiently funnel passengers to rapid transit stops, and allow commuter trains to bypass metro-area stops

The completed Blue Line provides large amounts of relief to the Green Line, as well as on the Park Street/Government Center by completing the Red-Blue connector. It frees trains from the Eastern Route to speed their trips to Salem and points north.


Red Line to Burlington Extension

• 
  
  
  [*]Phase 1:
  [*]Stations: Arlington Center
  [*]Cut-Cover Minuteman Trail to Arlington Center.
  [*]Headhouses on Mass Ave and Mystic Street.
  [*]Cut-Cover trail to Russel Street. Use as tail tracks.​
  
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 2:
  [*]Stations: Arlington Heights.
  [*]Cut-Cover Minuteman Trail to portal between Russell and Mill Street, run parallel to Minuteman to Arlington Heights.
  [*]Station at current bus terminal. Access from Mass Ave, Park Ave.​
  
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 3:
  [*]Stations: Follen Heights, Lexington Center, Hanscom/I-95
  [*]Run parallel to Minuteman Trail. Grade crossings eliminated.
  [*]Possible station at Follen Heights at Maple Street hinging on local politics. Limited TOD potential. Walking distance to Wilson Farm.
  [*]Depending on politics, tunnel under bike trail in Lexington Center.
  [*]Bridge over 128. Hanscom/I-95 station on parcel south of Hartwell Ave. Park and Ride. Access from I-95, Bedford Street, Hartwell Ave.​
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 4:
  [*]Stations: Burlington/Route 3
  [*]Run along utility right-of-way to Middlesex Tpk.
  [*]Elevated station over Turnpike and Mall parking lot. Direct ped access to Mall.
  [*]Park and Ride on west side of Turnpike. Access from Middlesex Tpk.​

This phased extension provides needed rapid transit first to Arlington, where the 77 and 79 busses are over-capacity, then to Lexington, especially the technology development on Route 128. A later extension to Burlington and Route 3 allows a transit connection to the Mall and retail along Middlesex Turnpike. This takes traffic off of I-95 in Burlington and Lexington, and traffic off of Route 2 in Lexington and Arlington. Opens up capacity at the Alewife garage. Lexington stations can tie in to the MBTA busses as well as the LexExpress community bus service. 77 bus is maintained while the 79 is discontinued or rerouted.


Red Line to Dedham Extension

• 
  
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 1:
  [*]Stations: Cedar Grove, Milton Village, Mattapan
  [*]Convert Mattapan High Speed Line to Heavy Rapid Transit.
  [*]Relocate Cedar Grove Station to Adams Street.
  [*]Close Butler Station. Ped bridge to Milton from Butler.
  [*]Consolidate Milton and Central into one Milton Village stop on Eliot Street
  [*]Close Valley and Capen stations.
  [*]Surface terminal at Mattapan.​
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 2:
  [*]Stations: Mattapan, Neponset Field, Hyde Park/Fairmount, Readville
  [*]Portal at Mattapan Station east of Blue Hill Ave. New subway Mattapan Station under Mattapan Square.
  [*]TBM from Mattapan Square to the Fairmount right-of-way. Portal out and run parallel to Fairmount Line to Readville.
  [*]Station at Neponset Field near PriceRight. Access from Le Fevre Street and Poludras Street
  [*]Station at Fairmount. Transfer with Fairmount/Indigo Line. Close Hyde Park Commuter Rail station.
  [*]Elevated terminal station at Readville over Northeast Corridor angling towards the Dedham ROW.​
  
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 3
  [*]Stations: Whiting, East Dedham
  [*]Follow Dedham right-of-way.
  [*]Whiting Station at Walnut Street.
  [*]Elevated terminal station at High Street and East Street​

This extension serves Milton, Mattapan, Hyde Park and Dedham. It provides a one seat ride downtown for riders of the current Mattapan-Ashmont Line, which is discontinued. Hyde Park and Mattapan are given better transit coverage. Allows the closure of the Hyde Park commuter rail station and frees that much more time on the NEC. The extension to Dedham would come later, and give the residents of this transit-quirky town a one seat ride to downtown.


Red Line to Anderson Extension

• 
  
  
  [*]Phase 1
  [*]Stations: None
  [*]Complete the North-South Link allowing through service between North and South stations. Complete two, two-track tunnels. Immediately begin service for MBCR and Amtrak trains. Reserve two tracks for rapid transit.
  [*]Provision for a rapid transit Aquarium Under station.​
  
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 2
  [*]Stations: Andrew, Broadway, South Station, Aquarium, North Station, Community College, Twin City, Brickbottom, Gilman Square, Magoun Junction, Ball Square, Tufts University, Mystic Valley.
  [*]Splitting from the N-S Link to the south, tunnel to the upper level of Broadway Station (old streetcar level).
  [*]Tunnel to the Cabot Yard lead tracks. Use these leads to connect with the Red Line system at Columbia Junction, build twin Andrew stop under Southampton with connection to current platform.
  [*]Build Aquarium Station for a connection with the Blue Line.
  [*]Split off of the N-S Link to the north and connect with Orange and Green at the currently vacant upper deck of North Station.
  [*]Buddy with the Orange Line under the Charles River and emerge from the same portal. Stop at Community College.
  [*]Cross over the B&M to the New Hampshire Main RoW. Run parallel to the the NHM tracks to Route 16 assuming all of the GLX stations, plus an infill at Twin City connecting with the UR.​
  
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 3 (when demand on the New Hampshire Main reaches a peak)
  [*]Stations: West Medford, Winchester Center, Winchester Highlands, Montvale Ave, Mishawum, Anderson/I-93
  [*]Grade separate West Medford. Widen rail bridge over Mystic River. Widen all grade crossings north to Anderson to 4 track.
  [*]Run parallel to NHM to Winchester. Consolidate Wedgemere with Winchester Center.
  [*]Subway under Winchester Center viaduct; subway station.
  [*]Emerge on eastern side of the NHM tracks. Run to Anderson.
  [*]Add stops at Winchester Highlands at Cross Street and at Montvale Ave in Woburn. TOD at Mishawum or close station.
  [*]TOD at stations as land and zoning permits. Re-zone where possible.​

This extension allows the Red Line to double its headways on existing branches while maintaining current headways through the existing downtown subway. By alternating trains between the different terminals, using Columbia Junction as a sorter the number of branches on the Red Line will increase by at least two-fold. This extension will also allow trains coming from Lowell, Haverhill and points north in New Hampshire to bypass the stops within Route 128, greatly speeding those trips, by flipping those stops to rapid transit. Park and Ride at Anderson removes traffic from I-93.


Orange Line West Roxbury Extension

• 
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 1
  [*]Stations: Roslindale Village
  [*]Run parallel to Needham line tracks to Roslindale Square. Take over CR station, build temporary prefab CR station alongside.​
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 2 (hinges on a coordinated Green Line Needham extension)
  [*]Stations: Bellevue, Highland, West Roxbury
  [*]Electrify the Needham Line tracks to West Roxbury. End the Needham Line Commuter Rail, replace with stop for stop Orange Line.​

This extension provides rapid transit to Roslindale and West Roxbury neighborhoods that are currently relying on the slowly choking Needham Line for transit to downtown. It also makes bus routes through Roslindale much more efficient by being able to terminate at Roslindale Village instead of have redundant routes running from Roslindale to Forest Hills.

Orange Line Reading Expansion

• 
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 1
  [*]Stations: Rivers Edge
  [*]Reroute all Haverhill bound trains from the B&M Western to the Lowell Line and Wildcat Branch.
  [*]Move North Wilmington station to Salem Street.
  [*]Prime Reading - North Station with DMU service.
  [*]Add Rivers Edge stop in Malden at Medford Street.​
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 2 (when scheduling issues reach a peak for the Western Route)
  [*]Stations: Wyoming, Melrose Highlands, Greenwood, Wakefield, Quannapowwitt, Reading.
  [*]Eliminate grade crossings to from Oak Grove to Reading.
  [*]Electrify the Western Route to Reading.
  [*]Consolidate Wyoming Hill and Melrose Cedar Park
  [*]Add a park and ride at I-95 at Quannapowwitt. Access from North Ave.
  [*]Activate the express 3rd track for rush hour service to North Station.​

This extension comes into play when northside rail traffic puts the pinch on the Reading Line (commuter train or DMU). Additionally, the cost of duplicate electrification to Oak Grove may not be worth the cost of zapping the grade crossings and flipping Reading to rapid transit. Politically, the communities would ultimately need to make a choice between poor commuter service, or accepting rapid transit. Once built, this OLX opens up more slots for North Station through-running and terminating trains, by removing Reading Line trains from the schedule. The park and ride at I-95 will take pressure off of both that highway, and the 93/95 interchange (which hopefully will be redesigned by this point in any case...).

The completed Orange Line would also feature the proper number of cars to operate effective headways. The main line would run through end to end, with short turns possible at Wellington and Forest Hills. The express track from Sullivan Square to Reading may be activated for hastening the trip for key stops on the northern leg of the line.


Indigo Line to Westwood/I-95

• 
  
  
  [*]Phase 1:
  [*]Stations: Newmarket, Four Corners/Geneva, Blue Hill/Cummins
  [*]Complete the Fairmount Corridor upgrade with new stations.
  [*]Prime the corridor with frequent commuter rail headways​
  
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 2:
  [*]Stations: Westwood/I-95
  [*]Begin running DMUs on the line at 15 minute peak headways. Use Charlie for fares.
  [*]Extend the line on tracks alongside the NEC from Readville to the existing Route 128 Amtrak station. Rename Westwood/I-95. TOD.​
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 3:
  [*]Begin electrification of the line. Swap out DMUs for EMUs when completed.​

This project remakes the Fairmount Commuter Rail Shuttle into a transit mode more suited to all day transit. Although this corridor cannot maintain true HRT, a DMU or EMU line that is capable of running at 18 minute peak headways will serve the communities of Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan and Hyde Park well, especially with an complementary Red Line extension. An extension to the Park and Ride station at I-95 on the Westwood/Canton Line further captures drivers, and removes some cars from of the Expressway.


Indigo Line to Riverside

• 
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 1:
  [*]Stations: Allston, Brighton Landing/New Balance, Newton Corner, Riverside
  [*]Build stations at Everett Street in Allston, Newton Corner at Washington Street, and Riverside at the western end of the existing station.
  [*]Rebuild the Newton stations to provide a better experience for riders.
  [*]Build passing tracks and crossovers in key locations along the route where space allows.
  [*]Begin running frequent local commuter rail trains from Riverside to South Station hitting all the Newton stops, new stops and the three existing Boston proper stops.​
  
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 2:
  [*]Begin running DMUs in lieu of commuter trains at 18 minute peak headways. Use Charlie for fares.
  [*]If demand suggests and time slots allow, build Faneuil station at Parsons Street.​
  
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 3:
  [*]Begin electrification of the line. Swap out DMUs for EMUs when completed.​

This project remakes the Framingham Line corridor in Newton and Boston into a transit mode more suited to all day transit. Although this corridor cannot maintain true HRT, a DMU or EMU line that is capable of running at 18 minute peak headways will serve the communities of Fenway, Allston/Brighton and Newton well, paired with frequent rapid transit transfers in Newton and Allston/Brighton from Riverside, Newton Village, Allston Landing.


Green Line to Watertown

• 
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 1
  [*]Stations: Conway, Wilson Square, Porter Square
  [*]Shift Fitchburg line tracks and widen the Washington Street bridge.
  [*]At Wilson Square, incline the Fitchburg tracks down several feet.
  [*]Run Green Line tracks alongside the Fitchburg tracks to Wilson Square. Sink Green tracks underneath the Fitchburg around Beacon Street with the Green tunnel underpinning the Fitchburg trackbed.
  [*]Conway station just west of the Park Street grade-crossing at Conway Park.
  [*]Porter station on a level beneath the Commuter Rail with transfer to Red.​
  
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 2
  [*]Stations: Danehy, Fresh Pond, Mount Auburn, East Watertown
  [*]Shift Fitchburg tracks to the junction at Fresh Pond Mall.
  [*]Continue the tunnel beneath the Fitchburg line out of Porter to the west, emerging on the south side of the ROW around the Walden Street overpass.
  [*]Place Danehy station just west of the Sherman Street grade crossing. Provide access to Danehy Park from the station.
  [*]At the junction, follow the Watertown Branch to the south. Elevate the tracks upon entering the Fresh Pond Mall parking lot. Run elevated over the ROW across the Fresh Pond Parkway and the Fresh Pond Tudor Park until after the water treatment plant driveway where it dips back to the grade separated ROW.
  [*]Place elevated Fresh Pond station astride the Parkway with access to both the Fresh Pond Mall and the Fresh Pond reservation.
  [*]Continue along ROW to Arlington Street in Watertown.
  [*]Place Mount Auburn Station at the Mount Auburn Street overpass with access from Mount Auburn and Holworthy Streets.
  [*]Either elevate, underpass or grade cross the square created by Arlington Street, Nichols Ave, Crawford Street and Coolidge Hill Road. Place East Watertown Stop at the western side of that intersection, access to the square and the Watertown Greenway. Best stop for access to the Watertown Mall.​
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 3 (hinges upon the city of Watertown consolidating the properties on the path of the ROW)
  [*]Stations: Arsenal, Watertown Square, Watertown Yard
  [*]Run alongside the Watertown Greenway until Taylor Street.
  [*]Place Arsenal Stop at School Street crossing with access to Arsenal Street and the Arsenal Center for the Arts complex.
  [*]At Mount Auburn Street street run through Watertown Square and across the bridge to Watertown Yard. Place Watertown Square stop between Taylor and Mount Auburn streets. Place Watertown Yard stop off of Galen Street in the yard’s entrance.​
  
  
  
  [*]Phase Whenever
  [*]Stations: Lincoln
  [*]If redevelopment builds along the stretch between Union Square Station and Conway station, connect Church Street across the ROW and place Lincoln station serving both Lincoln Park and the Market Basket.​

This extension reactivates the Watertown railroad for rapid transit as well as community path purposes. It connects Union to Porter and the Red Line as well as western neighborhoods in Cambridge and eastern Watertown. This extension serves the Arsenal Street corridor in Watertown and connects the Watertown Mall and the Arsenal Center with Watertown Center as well as Cambridge and Somerville.


Green Line to Belmont/Waltham

• 
  
  
  [*]Phase 1:
  [*]New Stations: Warrendale, Weston Junction
  [*] Begin running frequent DMU service between North Station and a new park and ride station west of I-95 on the Waltham-Weston line. Close Kendal Green.
  [*]Add a stop at Beaver Street in Warrendale to better serve the Bentley community.​
  
  
  [*]Phase 2:
  [*]Boot the Fitchburg Line commuter rail to the Central Mass ROW after Warrendale.
  [*]Build a new Waltham stop for the Fitchburg Line between Lexington and Bacon streets. CR trains transfer to DMUs at Weston Junction. The Central Mass ROW will need a junction to join the Fitchburg Line.
  [*]DMUs assume full use of the Waltham Center and Brandeis/Roberts stop​
  
  
  [*]Phase 3:
  [*]New Stations: East Belmont, Beaver Brook, Riverview
  [*]If politics in Belmont can be handled, extend the Green Line out of Danehy west parallel to Fitchburg ROW. Stop at Brighton Ave in East Belmont, stop at Belmont Center. The ROW through Waverley may need to be expanded to fit both Green Line tracks and platforms, and commuter rail passing tracks.
  [*]Install overhead catenary and replace DMU service with Green Line to Waltham Center and Weston Junction. No redundant tracking is necessary, the Green Line will assume the current ROW.
  [*]Add Beaver Brook stop at Main and Massasoit streets and Riverview stop at Prospect Street.​

This extension serves the communities of Belmont and Waltham. The DMUing of Fitchburg between North Station and Route 128 is politically the easiest way to connect growing Waltham to the city. Should Belmont’s NIMBYs ever concede, the Green Line can run alongside the Commuter Rail through Belmont to Waverley, and take over the ROW to Waltham Center. Rapid transit service better integrates these communities within the metro area. The park and ride that displaces Kendal Green serves as a Commuter Rail, Green Line transfer, and drivers from Route 128, as well as Weston, Waltham and Wayland.


Green Line to Oak Square/Watertown Yard (+ Comm Ave Subway)

• 
  
  [*]Phase 1:
  [*]Stops: BU East, BU Central
  [*]Bury the existing B-Line from Kenmore Square to BU Bridge. Consolidate stops. West out of Kenmore, stops at: BU East at Granby Street, BU Central just west of BU Bridge.​
  
  
  [*]Phase 2:
  [*]Stops: BU West, Packards Corner
  [*]Bury the existing line to Packards Corner with an underground junction. Consolidate stops. West out of BU Central, stops at: BU West at Pleasant Street, Packards Corner just east of the Comm Ave, Brighton Ave split.
  [*]Build portals on Comm Ave and Brighton Ave at Thorndike and Fordham respectively.​
  
  
  [*]Phase 3:
  [*]Possible Streetcar Stops: Allston Village, Union Square Allston, Saunders Street, St Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Brighton Center, Lake Street, Oak Square, Cufflin Street, Waverley Ave, Newton Corner, Morse Street, Watertown Yard.
  [*]Run Boston College trains as they are from Packards.
  [*]Street run Oak Square/Watertown bound trains in a reservation on Brighton Ave. On Cambridge Street and Washington Street, run in a reservation where possible and in mixed-traffic where not.
  [*]Build a short turn loop at Oak Square.
  [*]Street run on Tremont Street to Newton Corner, elevated stop over the Mass Pike with a transfer to the Indigo Line.
  [*]Street run up Galen Street to Watertown Yard.​

This extension recreates the A-Line through Brighton Center, Oak Square, Newton Corner and Watertown’s South Bank. It assumes control of the 57 bus route, which may remain for more local service than the trolley provides. Riders can also transfer to the Indigo Line at Newton Corner and other Green Line trains at Watertown Yard.


Green Line to Needham

• 
  
  [*]Phase 1
  [*]Prepare the ROW from Newton Highlands to Station Street for light rail service, double tracking and installing overhead catenary.​
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 2
  [*]Stations: Newton Upper Falls, Needham Highlands/I-95
  [*]Build Upper Falls station at Oak Street
  [*]Build Needham Highlands/I-95. Potential for a park and ride by purchasing existing private parking lot parcels. Station either at Station Street or Gould Street​
  
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 3
  [*]Stations: Needham Heights, Needham Center, Needham Junction
  [*]Prepare the ROW from Needham Highlands to Needham Junction
  [*]Assume the existing Commuter Rail stations and turn at Needham Junction.​

This extension replaces the Needham half of the Needham Commuter Rail line by running north through Needham and then through Newton rather than the West Roxbury route. It provides another stop servicing Route 128 as well as the Needham/Highland corridor through Newton Upper Falls/Needham Highlands. The line would serve inter-community transit between Needham and Newton, as well as Needham-Boston commuters.


Green Line to Tufts Medical Center

• 
  
  
  [*]Single Phase Build
  [*]Stations: Tufts Medical Center
  [*]Reactivate the Tremont Street tunnel out of Boylston Station. Modernize the tracks, signals, connections, etc.
  [*]Station bore Tufts Med Ctr stop under Eliot Norton Park. Provision for four tracks.
  [*]Connect to OL via a pedestrian tunnel connecting by the South Cove OL exit.
  [*]Provision for future routings to the east under Tremont and the west under Shawmut with two island platforms.
  [*]Consider station renaming - South Cove or Bay Village.​

This build is the first phase of replacing the Silver Line bus service through Downtown and the South end. This extension sets up further service extensions to South Station, Back Bay, Dudley Square and beyond.


Green Line to South Station/World Trade Center

• 
  
  [*]Phase 1
  [*]Cut-Cover from TMC beneath Shawmut Ave to Marginal Road.
  [*]Cut-Cover Marginal Road along the curve as it changes into Curve Street and Hudson Street.
  [*]Tunnel beneath Chinatown Park to Essex Street and Atlantic Ave.
  [*]Punch through the retaining wall of the transitway beneath the intersection.
  [*]Back at Shawmut/Marginal, provision for a tunnel split heading beneath the Pike.​
  
  
  [*]Phase 2
  [*]Stations: South Station, Courthouse, World Trade Center
  [*]Lay track in the transit way pavement from the bus turn to World Trade Center
  [*]Lay track on the surface to Silver Line Way turn for a loop.
  [*]Run both Green Line trolleys and Silver Line busses through the Transitway between South Station and Silver Line Way.​
  
  
  [*]Phase 3
  [*]Stations: Seaport
  [*]Split a tunnel off of the incline to D Street. Run under D Street to a station and loop beneath Silver Line Way. Use for trolleys and busses to loop.​

This extension connects the Transitway to the Green Line system, allowing trolleys and busses to share the tunnel to the Seaport. It greatly improves connectivity to the Seaport, especially from points west that currently do not have a direct rapid-transit connection to the Transitway Silver Line busses.


Green Line to Back Bay/Brookline Village

• 
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 1
  [*]Stations: Back Bay
  [*]Off of the western split of TMC, Cut-Cover under Tremont Street to Marginal Road.
  [*]Cut-Cover Marginal Road along the Pike retaining wall to Clarendon Street
  [*]Turn towards Trinity Place to weave around the Clarendon Street Garage footings.
  [*]Tunnel under Stuart Street to Huntington Ave.
  [*]Join the Huntington Ave Tunnel at the curve from Exeter to Huntington.​
  
  
  [*]Phase 2
  [*]Stations: Brookline Village
  [*]Continue street-running tracks from Huntington Ave across the Emerald Necklace to Pearl Street. Join the Riverside ROW at Brookline Village.​
  
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 3
  [*]Stations: Northeastern, Longwood Area, Brigham Circle, Riverway, Brookline Village
  [*]Bury the Huntington Ave streetcar from the current portal to Brigham Circle. New subway stops are Northeastern at Forsyth Street, Longwood East between existing MFA and LMA stops (Evans Way?), Brigham Circle.
  [*]Depress the Riverside Line tracks for about 800ft around Brookline Village station.
  [*]Bury the streetcar from Brigham Circle to Brookline Village with a portal at the end of Pearl Street. In order to have enough room for trains to join and split off of the ROW, bury connecting tracks to Brookline Village under Pearl Street, Washington Street and Boylston Street. Place Riverway stop at Colburn Street.​

This project increases the capacity along Huntington Ave and renders the Copley Square pinch moot. It creates a parallel subway through the Back Bay that can more easily disperse the load, and rejoins the Riverside line ROW at Brookline Village, allowing Riverside and Needham trains to either head toward Kenmore or toward Brigham Circle.


Green Line to Forest Hills

• 
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 1:
  [*]From the buried Huntington Ave subway, junction (at-grade or flying) to follow underneath South Huntington. The line is buried to the current Heath Street stop, where a portal will spill trains out to street-run on South Huntington.
  [*]Trains will follow their historical route (current 39 bus) to Forest Hills, with several possible stops. Stops should be culled from their original service pattern to allow swifter service, with the 39 bus providing more local service.​

This extension recreates the E-Line to Forest Hills. The speed of the route to downtown is greatly increased by the Huntington subway. Jamaica Plain and Forest Hills are well served by this extension.


Green Line to Dudley/Franklin Park

• 
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 1
  [*]From Shawmut/Marginal, continue the tunnel straight perpendicular to the MassPike.
  [*]On the far side of the highway turn east and run parallel to the Pike between the highway and Herald Street.
  [*]Portal and incline between Shawmut Ave and Washington Street, coming to the street level at the Washington Street overpass.​
  
  
  [*]Phase 2
  [*]Stations: East Berkeley, Union Park, Blackstone Franklin, Mass Ave/Boston Med Center, Melnea Cass, Dudley
  [*]Turn south onto Washington Street and streetrun.
  [*]Where Washington becomes 2-way, run in a reservation in the center of the roadway.
  [*]Run trolleys through the Dudley Station terminal. Loop back via Warren Street.​
  
  
  [*]Phase 3
  [*]Possible Streetcar Stops: Warren Gardens, Martin Luther King Boulevard, Elm Hill, Grove Hall, Seaver Street, Franklin Park
  [*]Follow Warren Street in a central reservation and street-running to Blue Hill Ave.
  [*]Run in a central reservation down Blue Hill Ave to Columbia Road with a loop just south of Franklin Park Road.​

This extension realizes the “equal or better” service promise that came from the closure of the El through the South End and Roxbury. The Silver Line is supplanted by the Green Line through the Washington Street corridor. The route through Roxbury to Franklin Park opens up more of the transit-starved neighborhoods of Boston to a simpler connection to the city center. Also connects the zoo to the rail network.


Green Line Urban Ring Airport - Kenmore Square

• 
  
  [*]Phase 1
  [*]Stations: Sullivan Square, Assembly Square
  [*]From Lechmere, follow the Fitchburg tracks to the western end of the BET. Tightly turn east flying over the tracks to follow the ROW linking Somerville to Charlestown.
  [*]Meet the Orange Line at Sullivan. Green Line station either elevated over, or subway’d under the existing station.
  [*]Run parallel to the B&M tracks until the Eastern Route junction. Fly over the Orange Line and the Western Route and build an Assembly Square station with a pedestrian connection to the Orange Line station and Assembly Row.​
  
  
  [*]Phase 2
  [*]Stations: Gateway, Santelli Circle, 2nd Ave, Mystic Mall, Chelsea Center, Bellingham
  [*]Build a new rail bridge across the Mystic for the Eastern Route using the old bridge footprint. Recycle the current Eastern Route bridge for the LRV.
  [*]Place Gateway stop at Horizon Way and adjacent to the Home Depot. Run parallel to the Eastern Route with stops at Santelli Circle and 2nd Ave.
  [*]In the vicinity of 2nd Ave, fly over or duck under the Eastern Route tracks and proceed parallel running on the southern side.
  [*]Stop at the Mystic Mall, meeting the Silver Line.
  [*]Take over the Silver Line from Mystic Mall to Chelsea Center and a Bellingham stop between Bellingham and Cottage.​
  
  
  [*]Phase 3
  [*]Stations: Bennington, Airport
  [*]Either street run trolleys along the Chelsea St Bridge, or construct a new span for trains parallel to the existing bridge.
  [*]Follow the Silver Line route to a stop at Bennington - complementing Wood Island, and terminating at the Airport Station shuttle drive.​
  
  
  [*]Phase 4
  [*]Stations: Twin City, East Cambridge, Galileo, Kendall, MIT, Cambridgeport, BU Central, BU East, Kenmore
  [*]Over the BET lead tracks, build a junction for the Chelsea branch, the Union Square branch and the Kenmore Branch. Build an elevated station serving Twin City Plaza and the Inner Belt, east of the O’brien Hwy overpass.
  [*]Double track the Grand Junction line. Dive the tracks beneath the O’Brien overpass and run along the GJ with an East Cambridge stop at Cambridge Street, a Galileo stop at Galileo and Binney.
  [*]Street crossings will be at grade and signalized.
  [*]Kendall Square stop at Main Street, with a pedestrian tunnel to the western end of the Red Line station, underpinned if possible to allow a connection to both inbound and outbound sides.
  [*]MIT stop at Mass Ave, Cambridgeport stop at Putnam.
  [*]Refurbish the Charles River crossing.
  [*]After crossing to Allston, portal into a tunnel and junction with the underground Commonwealth Ave line.
  [*]Run to BU Central, BU East and Kenmore. These trains could either turn at Kenmore, or continue through the Central Subway.​

This project connects radially multiple nodes around the metro-area. Specifically it connects Chelsea and parts of Everett to East Boston, Somerville, Cambridge, Allston and the Fenway. This service takes pressure off of the Red Line and Central Subway.

The Airport-Chelsea connection could initially connect at Lechmere before the construction of the N-S Link allows the Grand Junction to be taken over by rapid transit.


Green Line Urban Ring Kenmore-Ruggles-Dudley

• 
  
  [*]Phase 1:
  [*]New stations: Ruggles
  [*]At Kenmore, build a turn to connect the Comm Ave branch, with the Riverside branch.
  [*]Follow the Riverside branch to Brookline Village. At the station, turn into the Huntington Ave subway. This zig-zag avoids the need for a costly cross-Brookline/LMA tunnel.
  [*]In the Huntington Ave subway, junction at to the Southeast at Ruggles Street.
  [*]Tunnel under Ruggles, cross beneath the Orange Line and turn Northeast under Columbus Ave extension adjacent to the current Ruggles Station. Transfer for Orange Line here.
  [*]Tunnel to run beneath Melnea Cass and then portal up to run in a reservation to Washington Street.
  [*]At-grade junction with the Washington Street line south to Dudley.​

This phase of the Urban Ring connects Dudley and the LMA to Fenway, BU, MIT and points north and east.


Green Line Urban Ring Dudley-South Boston-Seaport

• 
  
  
  
  [*]Phase 1:
  [*]Stations: Marine Industrial Park, South Boston
  [*]Out of Seaport Station (subway’d version of SL Way) portal to the surface and cross Massport Haul Road to Channel Street.
  [*]Surface run or elevated to Marine Industrial Park.
  [*]Run on, or adjacent to Summer Street across the Reserved Channel. Street run, or new, parallel span.
  [*]Street run on Summer Street to 1st Street, turn east onto first street and loop at the bus terminal. The goal of this stub is to begin to prime Southie for streetcar service.​
  
  
  [*]Phase 2:
  [*]Stations: Roundhouse Square, Newmarket Square, Andrew Square
  [*]Continue the at-grade line on Melnea Cass to Roundhouse Square.
  [*]Turn east onto Southampton. This will require some reconfig of Southampton.
  [*]Stop at the Fairmount Line overpass for an indigo Line connection and access to South Bay.
  [*]Loop around Andrew Station.​
  
  
  [*]Phase 3:
  [*]If/when political and cultural situation in Southie becomes amenable, connect Andrew to the Seaport via street-running along Dorchester Street, East Broadway and L Street to Summer Street.
  [*]Remove the 1st Street stub.
  [*]Possible stops at E8th, Dorchester Street, Emerson Street, L Street, and E1st Street​
  
  
  [*]Phase 4:
  [*]If feasible within given demand and operational realities, continue the EBroadway line east of L Street to City Point, and continue the L Street line south to Carson Beach.
  [*]This may mess up the ability to dispatch the streetcar lines to Dudley/Ruggles.​

This extension of the Urban Ring allows South Station and the Seaport to connect to the Urban Ring through South Boston. It provides service to the South Bay and Andrew Square from the Seaport, Dudley and the Fenway. South Boston receives the return of trolleys and the end of transit isolation of the core of the neighborhood. Some Urban Ring routings could terminate at Dudley, while others continue to Southie and beyond.


Green Line to Harvard

• 
  
  [*]Phase 1:
  [*]At the BU Bridge, junction the buried line to the north west towards the existing Grand Junction turnaround loop.
  [*]At-grade, cut, subway or elevated options abound through the Beacon Yard redevelopment and Pike realignment mess.
  [*]Easier Option to North Harvard Street:
  [*]Follow the Grand Junction ROW through Allston.
  [*]Out of the loop, follow old freight ROW to Hague Street and Batten Way.
  [*]Portal down somewhere behind the Harvard soccer fields to North Beacon.
  [*]Harder Option to North Harvard Street:
  [*]Follow the Framingham Line vector through Beacon Yard.
  [*]Angle northwest toward the end of North Harvard Street at the Cambridge Street intersection.
  [*]Street run, subway or elevated over North Harvard Street to Barry’s Corner (subway allows for a less difficult portal somewhere in Harvard’s Allston Campus).
  [*]Tunnel under North Harvard Street to Harvard Stadium.
  [*]Tunnel under the Charles River to the old Red Line yard site at the JFK School of Government.
  [*]Meet the old Red Line tunnel through Brattle Square, converted for LRV and terminate with a transfer to the Red Line at Harvard Square.​

This branch is a supplement to the Urban Ring and connects Harvard and Boston University, while also connecting Harvard’s Cambridge and Allston campuses, and providing service to Cambridge and Fenway for Lower Allston residents. Trolleys could either be routed through the central subway at Kenmore, or follow the Urban Ring path to LMA and Dudley.


The completed Urban Ring takes pressure off of the downtown transfer stations and allows passengers to radially travel around the central business district. Few riders would ever need to ride end to end, but radial trips are greatly sped up by this service. The routes ought to be primed by CT Busses or BRT-type service.


Waterfront Heritage Trolley: Dewey Square - Spaulding Rehab Hospital

This service could be a joint venture between the MBTA and private entities, primarily to serve tourists, but also capable of service as an additional transit line. The Heritage Trolley could either use the PCCs from the Mattapan Line, or older Green Line cars that are no longer in revenue service for the T. These trolleys could be able to connect with the LRV system by reopening the Canal Street portal just west of Haymarket. This service would involve laying track along the CA/T surface arteries that form the bounds of the Greenway. The trolleys would run in a loop from Valenti Square between the North End and the Bullfinch Triangle, to Dewey Square at South Station.

• 
  
  
  [*]Phase 1 Stops North-South-North:
  [*]Valenti Square, Haymarket, Faneuil Hall, High Street, Financial District, Dewey Square, Independence Wharf, Rowes Wharf, Long Wharf, and Hanover Street.​

This service could be expanded to the North to Charlestown, by laying parallel track on North Washington Street and with a reservation on a rebuilt Charlestown Bridge. The service could then follow under the Tobin Bridge, or elevated over Chelsea Street.

• 
  
  [*]Phase 2 Stops:
  [*]Causeway, City Square, Navy Yard, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital​

This service could be further expanded to the Seaport district along Summer Street.

• 
  
  
  [*]Phase 3 Stops:
  [*]Fort Point, Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Marine Industrial Park, Boston Design Center​

[Sooo yea... I should probably get some actual work done...]

 

[Shepard]

Red Line branching after Broadway taking over both the North-South connector and the current GLX is an interesting idea.

 

[George_Apley]

Red Line branching after Broadway taking over both the North-South connector and the current GLX is an interesting idea.

Done mostly because I didn't think the South Station to Andrew stretch could handle double the peak headways. They wouldn't necessarily have to both be "Red" but the ability to ping trains between the four termini via JFK/UMass marks them as siblings. All of the branches could potentially expect the same headways the current Alewife-Andrew stretch gets. For naming purposes, keep them Red but with MTA-style route numbers.

 

[asap_mozart]

What if we triple-tracked the Red Line? Have 2 southbound tracks for the Ashmont and Braintree Lines and 1 Northbound track for all alewife trains. As I am typing this I am realizing that actually might be a completely ridiculous idea and it would also mean rebuilding most of the red line stations and tunnels

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

Any mention of extra track space is rendered moot when you realize that the only place where it would be needed is where it would be most expensive and unlikely to be built: the inner core of the system. Look at the 3rd track on the Orange Line Haymarket North extension. Even if it was built out to Reading it would be kinda useless. Had they built the Southwest Corridor with a 3 track Orange Line it may have made more sense but since both route run along commuter rail lines the CR acts as the "express" train.

Boston isn't really big enough to need express and local service. If anything you could do skip-stop service on the Green Line to speed up service. But it would be a much better investment to update the signal system and rebuild choke points.

One of the big ones is between Park St and Gov't Center, which then brings me back to my original point of being only needed where it would be the most difficult to build. This is why I think it would be better to build the Red-Blue Connector or a branch of the Green Line to South Station to divert traffic around the Park-GC bottleneck. It would probably end up costing the same but being more beneficial.

 

[Charlie_mta]

One of the big ones is between Park St and Gov't Center, which then brings me back to my original point of being only needed where it would be the most difficult to build.

A (mostly) deep bore two-track tunnel along this alignment (light green dashed line) would be buildable, and not require huge utility relocations. The dark green lines are the existing Green Line tunnels.

The one tricky part would be the cut-and-cover tunnel under the Center Plaza building, but it's a relatively new low-rise building so it's probably feasible.

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

That is similar to the MTA proposal from the 1940s.

 

[Charlie_mta]

Here's a "think outside the tunnel" idea for the Red-Blue Connector: build it as an elevated line:

Link to article: http://amateurplanner.blogspot.com/2014/03/red-blue-connector-think-outside-tunnel.html

 

[cbrett]

Not sure where this is coming from, but Im under the impression that there are some kind of tracks out of north station already built where the green line could head back towards government center. Not sure where I'm getting this from, but it keeps popping into my head.

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

Not sure where this is coming from, but Im under the impression that there are some kind of tracks out of north station already built where the green line could head back towards government center. Not sure where I'm getting this from, but it keeps popping into my head.

Nothing like that. What you might be thinking of is the third track used for turning trains at North Station but that isn't designed for expansion. Also the original North Station (elevated) had a loop at street level for similar service. But there isn't any unused spur for expansion.

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

Here's a "think outside the tunnel" idea for the Red-Blue Connector: build it as an elevated line:

Link to article: http://amateurplanner.blogspot.com/2014/03/red-blue-connector-think-outside-tunnel.html

That is certainly a more affordable option but comments on that blog bring up the good points of stub end terminals and NIMBYs. Although on paper I'm all for it, this plan would render moot any possibility of extending the Blue Line further (not that that is a real possibility but ya know...)