General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

fattony said:
In North America, yes. See post above. A fleet of 500 or so FRA compliant DMUs would absolutely be a niche product, if you could even convince anyone to build them.
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And considering that EMU orders in the U.S. can number as many as 200+ when NJT, SEPTA, or Metra is doing an order and 600+ whenever the MTA is doing cycled replacement of LIRR/MNRR electric stock...procurements of 6-12 units apiece is a pittance. It also doesn't help that the incumbent FRA-compliant stock (CRC & N-S) are morbidly overweight and don't do the supposed acceleration benefits of a DMU any favors.

Blame "Buy America", too. It's just not profitable to do an assembly factory for this stuff. And that's why Nippon-Sharyo's shocking Amtrak bellyflop hurts their seemingly unrelated DMU business: the AMTK coach order is what would've provided the scale at a pop-up factory to rip out a few quick orders of DMU's. The non-compliant Stadlers (which are top-notch product) are able to proliferate a smidge more because those waivered systems can usually get a BA waiver as part of their exemptions, and be able to buy an off-shelf import faster. It's why a handful more of those systems are moving forward while the FRA market is--for the moment--actively declining.

It won't stay like this forever. N-S's big fall and SMART being such a corruption dumpster fire threw a big chill over the vehicle market and over other FRA-compliant system proposals. That'll probably last a couple more years then abate. The thing to look out for is what Euro models can get re-certified as FRA-compliant under the new U.S. crashworthiness regs recently passed. It might be wishful thinking to hope something as super-lightweight as a Stadler GTW can get re-badged unmodified for mixed U.S. traffic, but even a lightly modified Stadler or competitors could ultimately blow the door wide open. We'll just have to wait and see. Right this second, unfortunately, is not a good time to be making grand plans around that vehicle type.
 
F-Line, how the hell do you know so much?? It's truly impressive, I learn an immense amount from each of your posts. Wish there was a way to connect you with Maura Healey so you could be our next Secretary of Transportation..
 
Seriously, your wealth of knowledge of all things transit is staggering. I don't know what you do for a living but I hope it is put to good use.
 
fattony said:
In North America, yes. See post above. A fleet of 500 or so FRA compliant DMUs would absolutely be a niche product, if you could even convince anyone to build them.
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There is sort of a chicken and egg issue. Every major transit system in the country could benefit from DMU on some lines, and many would like one, but no one wants to go first.

We need a PCC style national initiative.
 
F-Line to Dudley said:
.

  • TEXRail, Tarrant County, TX -- 8 Stadler FLIRT3's
  • A-Train, Denton County, TX -- 11 Stadler GTW 2/6's
  • Capital MetroRail, Austin, TX -- 6 Stadler GTW's
  • Sprinter, San Diego, CA [considered diesel light rail] -- Siemens Desiro VT642
  • NJ Transit RiverLINE [considered diesel light rail] -- 20 Stadler GTW 2/6's
  • Ottawa O-Train Trillium Line [considered diesel light rail] -- 6 Alstom Coradia LINT 41's
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There is also eBART, using Stadler GTW coupled pairs in Contra Costa County, CA
 
tysmith95 said:
If anything I think North Wilmington should be the stop replaced by a new I93 station. North Wilmington is in a low density neighborhood, with no TOD and only 20 parking spots. Adding a garage to Wilmington train station, plus a new I93 train station could serve people from that neighborhood.

Plus North Wilmington gets its last train of the morning at 630 AM and doesn't get another one until 930. A 3 hour gap at the peak of rush hour. This is because the two rush hour trains just past 7 and at 8 am go onto the Lowell line.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5907999,-71.1638484,1613m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

This is where the Haverhill line crosses I93. I'm not sure if there are any wetland restrictions there that would preclude the building of a new transit station (F-Line probally knows more). But that stop would be closer to North Wilmington than it would be to Ballardvale.

I'm not sure why you'd get rid of one of the Andover stations, they aren't close together and they do get healthy ridership. It's not like Winchester where stations are within easy walking distance.
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That's down the street from the earlier Lowell Junction stop. Eons before I-93 was built there was a Wilmington Junction stop there siphoning up traffic off the Western, off the Wildcat, and off the long-defunct Salem & Lowell RR which is more or less traced by the Exit 41 loop ramps. Same general problem as LJ: too 9-5'er centric and in a sprawled-out industrial park that's in a bus desert. All-day utilization would be poor, which is a no-no for RER planning. And the traffic impacts on 93 around the exits would be yucky...and "not-yucky 93" should be a standard to uphold at this location when Anderson RTC is only 5.5 miles south. I really can't see this more or less 1.5 mi. stretch of track getting its locational flaws pounded out well enough to support a stop unless those flanking industrial parks take on a new life and quick.


As described in threads over the past week, Salem St. on the Wildcat would displace N. Wilmington on the Western Route if Reading and Haverhill schedules were sheared off from each other. Salem St. has a somewhat better neighborhood walkup profile and less duplication with Wilmington station down the street, while not sacrificing any real utility over the current stop.

The highest-leverage parking sink infill is Quannapowitt/128 halfway between Wakefield and Reading, which sits by a booming industrial park on a golden TOD parcel (Subaru of Wakefield/128 Volvo), has good bus access, excellently-positioned highway ramps, and Wakefield neighborhood walkup to boot. After that it's probably the South Lawrence and Ward Hill infills, which help defray 93 traffic coming out of NH via 1 exit north on 495 or the length of MA 213 + 1 exit north on 495. Each with the TOD potential, neighborhood walkup, and area bus routes to tap for a diverse profile.

Tackle those load relievers first and we can talk about pounding square pegs in the far north of Wilmington.
 
jass said:
All this talk about improvements, and it looks like many bus routes are getting hidden service cuts.

http://milesintransit.com/2019/03/07/guide-to-the-mbtas-spring-2019-service-changes/
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To my untrained eye it seems to be more adjusting the schedules to match reality on most routes, things like buses coming every 11 minutes instead of every 10, and the silver line trips getting more spaced out etc don't really signal a loss in buses and operators as much as the reality of how the service runs. That being said there are definitely a few routes that distinctly lose out and are dropping trips this time around.
 
tysmith95 said:
Yep fare increase is finalized.

I regret voting for Baker.
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So in November you thought that Baker would oppose a fare increase? I thought it's been pretty clear for years that Baker supports periodic incremental fare increases.
 
JumboBuc said:
So in November you thought that Baker would oppose a fare increase? I thought it's been pretty clear for years that Baker supports periodic incremental fare increases.
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In November I had a different job and didn't take the train to work. So frankly I didn't study the position on this issue.

I guess looking at history he isin't any worse than Patrick.
 
I too am shocked that a member of the Republican party would push for transit fare hikes well about the rate of inflation while holding the gas tax low. Shocked
 
TallIsGood said:
T needs more revenue, right? Then it’s a good decision.
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My issue with this is why does the state keep pouring more money from the general fund and from local tax dollars into roads, while the gas tax has basically stayed the same since 1991? Well 21 cents then, 24 cents now, but cars are more fuel efficient so per mile likely less.

Also MBTA pensions are the more lucrative than any other state agency. Why should I have to pay higher fares so bus drivers can retire at 55?

Another thing, reverse commute trains go out pretty empty, why can't the MBTA lower prices a bit for reverse commutes to stimulate ridership like they did for the weekends?
 
Kinopio said:
Then we should triple the gas tax. Make people who use the road actually pay for it. It'll still be cheaper than most advanced countries.
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With Massachusetts being one of the only states with a flat income tax, and increased use taxes, you basically have a regressive tax structure.

I understand why voters are against things like the gas tax. For the most part the gas tax is regressive. But raising MBTA fares is also regressive. MBTA fare increases should have to be approved by the legislature like gas tax increases.

Something like the millionaires tax did have lots of support, and likely would have passed (and eliminated the need for T hikes).
 
Red Line was awful this morning coming from the North. Apparently there was a "track issue" between Harvard and Central and the trains were "running at reduced speeds out of an abundance of caution." The first I've seen "out of an abundance of caution" used in a T alert. By about 8:45, the apps and announcements were saying 10 minute delays, but it was nearly 50 minutes from Davis to Charles this morning. That's close to the worst I've experienced.

The small silver lining for a nerd like me is that it appears the old abandoned Harvard station is the staging area for whatever they're doing to alleviate the track issue. So it was all lit up as we creeped through. Really kind of neat.
 
Lrfox said:
Red Line was awful this morning coming from the North. Apparently there was a "track issue" between Harvard and Central and the trains were "running at reduced speeds out of an abundance of caution." The first I've seen "out of an abundance of caution" used in a T alert. By about 8:45, the apps and announcements were saying 10 minute delays, but it was nearly 50 minutes from Davis to Charles this morning. That's close to the worst I've experienced.

The small silver lining for a nerd like me is that it appears the old abandoned Harvard station is the staging area for whatever they're doing to alleviate the track issue. So it was all lit up as we creeped through. Really kind of neat.
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They've been bustituting on the weekends north of Harvard to replace the concrete under the rails. Wonder if today is related to that.

https://www.mbta.com/projects/red-line-floating-slab-maintenance
 
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