Federal Funds for South Station Expansion

Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

New renderings released: http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/b.../more-south-station-expansion-renderings.html

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) today published a futuristic-looking view of a South Station interior in which the coffered ceiling of the historic Boston transportation hub has been replaced by high-arching glass panels.

A MassDOT spokesman hastened to note that these are conceptual drawings. The state is in the midst of a $43 million, construction-free preliminary planning phase with South Station. It's part of an $850 million expansion of the transit hub, budgeted in Gov. Deval Patrick's transportation spending package.
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South-Station-Interior-Design-2013.jpg
 
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Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

Those renderings seem to preclude the SST from ever being built... right? Hmmmm.
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

To my understanding,The SST is a separate development by heins, also to include "mirroring" the current bus terminal layout on the other side of the area where the escalators are.
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

I don't understand what all those escalators are for. Isn't there a pretty natural circulation all on one level?
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

This is fucking retarded. No glass, no fancy aesthetics. Just expand the damn terminal with more tracks, platforms and better access to the bus terminal. Maybe pull a North Station and expand the waiting room out a bit, but that's it.

I am SO TIRED of the plans for "fixing" South Station focusing on a fancy headhouse when the current one works fine, and simply needs more tracks. The only thing that is really "broken" with it right now is the egress to the red line level, which is just a bit narrow going through the doors after the escalator.
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

Arlington said:
I don't understand what all those escalators are for. Isn't there a pretty natural circulation all on one level?
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I think that when the tracks are expanded, that's how you'll have to get to the new ones, by going up and over the current ones. I've seen schematics somewhere around here sometimes to that effect.
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

Will they be adding more Men restrooms? A Man shouldn't have to wait in line...
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

The only thing that is really "broken" with it right now is the egress to the red line level, which is just a bit narrow going through the doors after the escalator.
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+zillion, it's like swimming against a flood of salmon if you go reverse peak.

Why they built it this way, who knows?
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

I stopped in South Station the other day for the first time in a while. They have completely RUINED the Dewey Square entrance by boxing in the Red Line escalators in drywall. Seriously, WTF? That part used to be just as beautiful and airy as the main concourse, but now it's more like Penn Station. An absolute disgrace.


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EDIT: A member has informed me that the drywall is temporary. They are sealing off a construction zone so they can install the escalators up to CVS on the second floor.
 
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Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

Maybe the escalators are for the bus terminal?

That actually could make a lot of sense, as it might free up some space where the current walkway to the bus terminal is.
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

datadyne007 said:
I stopped in South Station the other day for the first time in a while. They have completely RUINED the Dewey Square entrance by boxing in the Red Line escalators in drywall. Seriously, WTF? That part used to be just as beautiful and airy as the main concourse, but now it's more like Penn Station. An absolute disgrace.


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EDIT: A member has informed me that the drywall is temporary. They are sealing off a construction zone so they can install the escalators up to CVS on the second floor.
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Construction has started on the new and improved Mens Room in place of all existing restrooms and the new ladies room to be built within the Clarkle's footprint\

Next year there will be lots of temporary walls in various places

Note -- there was nothing about South Station in Patrick's talk to the Boston Chamber -- perhaps the USPS facility is no longer to be available soon?
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

whighlander said:
Note -- there was nothing about South Station in Patrick's talk to the Boston Chamber -- perhaps the USPS facility is no longer to be available soon?
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It could also mean that he's been told not to press the USPS people by telling the public that expansion is a done deal. I could imagine negotiations being a bit harder if one side has already declared victory before they even start.
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

Equilibria said:
It could also mean that he's been told not to press the USPS people by telling the public that expansion is a done deal. I could imagine negotiations being a bit harder if one side has already declared victory before they even start.
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Patrick cherry-picks what he wants to cherry-pick. That's nothing new. He chewed up half his speaking time spinning yarns about how Fall River's going to have a 45-minute ride to Boston (oddly, only 5 minutes longer than a current Stoughton trip) on magic teleporting trains.


Don't forget Amtrak is wielding the big stick here with SS expansion. The NEC Infrastructure Master Plan bullseyes terminal capacity as the #1 east-of-New Haven issue for them. If the state and BRA are going to go limp lifting any finger, Amtrak is going to voice its displeasure loudly. Just like they have about yard storage, and just like they may have already done on the Track 61 plan that has disappeared from discussion almost as fast as it was announced. Amtrak ain't gonna pay the whole way, but a fed entity has pull with other fed entities. They and USDOT can always take it to USPS directly. The city and state might not like the result if that means the facility withdraws entirely from the area instead of getting spiffy new Southie digs, but if push comes to shove the feds can keep it entirely in-house booting the Postal facility.

Plus, Amtrak is going to heavily pressure the track expansion plans to move forward (final track/platform design is pretty much locked down) even if it has to be built on bare concrete exposed to the elements until they get their shit together on the glass-palace headhouse. Those platforms are for the Old Colony, Fairmount, and the NEC branches; Amtrak spreads out on the existing platforms, so they don't give a shit if the T-only platforms get rained on. Lack of cooperation and state funding can significantly delay it, but the state doesn't have infinite leverage here to walk away from a commitment they entered into as partner to the NEC improvements spelled out in that report. Amtrak's going to get its slots even if it has to take slots away from the T by force.
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

No Pinkberry blocking entrances in the new station?
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

I was organizing my files and found this gif I made animating the railroads that contributed to South Station.

1bIWefL.gif



HEY ITS MY 1000th POST!
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

Transit gifs like this are utterly hypnotizing for some reason.
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

Davem, I love you. Great gif!
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

Looking at that animation suggested a way to connect the northside and southside lines.

If I may be so bold:
v1rk.jpg


/crazytransitscheme
 
Re: Fend Funds for South Station Expansion

^ But it still requires a slow approach due to the stub-end nature of the plan, and you have to do a reverse move. Considering it would be either just as costly (if not more so, with proximity to the Charles) or very divisive (if you go the trench/surface route (which is unfeasible nowadays anyway, due to development)).
 
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