General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

[HenryAlan]

An OLX that goes beyond Roslindale Square would be at least four stops. Once you get past Roslindale, you are talking about full Needham Line replacement. That would mean OLX stops to replace service at Roslindale, Belvue, Highland, West Roxbury, with GLX handling Needham. I suppose you could combine Highland and West Roxbury, but it would probably make sense to build another station out by the VA hospital.

 

[Tallguy]

An OLX that goes beyond Roslindale Square would be at least four stops. Once you get past Roslindale, you are talking about full Needham Line replacement. That would mean OLX stops to replace service at Roslindale, Belvue, Highland, West Roxbury, with GLX handling Needham. I suppose you could combine Highland and West Roxbury, but it would probably make sense to build another station out by the VA hospital.

I think that replacing Highland and W. Roxbury with a station a little east of the present WR station would make for a stronger case for a VFW Parkway station

 

[bakgwailo]

I think that replacing Highland and W. Roxbury with a station a little east of the present WR station would make for a stronger case for a VFW Parkway station

Maybe. I think in general you shift all of them a bit to more align with Centre Street/busier areas. Bellevue shifts to the west between Belgrade and the current Belgrade Terrace (centering on the Parkway, I guess.

Highland shifts west to Centre/Bellevue St and Park St.

West Roxbury then gets a little funky, especially with a VFW stop. But probably closer to Temple St, with acces still from Lagranage? It is kind of in an awkward spot as-is over a block from Centre and in a more residential area. Also not sure if there is enough ROW to move it, but, yeah, I guess also moves a bit west.

 

[Tallguy]

Rozzie and Bellevue already have vertical circulation, saving upwards of $25 M per station

 

[Jahvon09]

I think they decided to add that stop since they were getting rid of the Old El, several then-new stops were added, but only recently they decided to make those stops ADA accessible by putting in elevators.

 

[tysmith95]

Another safety incident on the T

Green Line service resumes in downtown after collision

Service was restored Thursday afternoon, nearly a day after the collision.

www.wcvb.com

 

[Jahvon09]

Another safety incident on the T

Green Line service resumes in downtown after collision

Service was restored Thursday afternoon, nearly a day after the collision.

www.wcvb.com

I heard about that one. Just when you think that things might be getting better; "Hello! I'm Mr. Crash. I've come back to wreck some more of your trolleys." Its a sad state of affairs when the MBTA sees these things, but they are still happening! They are about to install PTC (Positive Train Control) on the Green Line & the crashes are still happening!

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/transportation/t-looking-closely-at-operator-error-on-green-line-crash/

Looking like operator error.

 

[Jahvon09]

Then possibly, one or both of them are out of a job!!!! Sad. So sad!!

 

[737900er]

The Type 7's were rehabbed not too long ago, yet it seems like they are getting banged up fast! Boy! What a definite waste of money!!

Only 86 of the 100 3600s made it to the rebuild. It's not like the attrition rate is significantly worse than it was before, nor have either of the T7s involved in this crash been deemed total losses.

 

[Jahvon09]

Seems like any trolley involved in an accident got banged up. Remember this one last summer at Babcock Street Station?

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

Seems like any trolley involved in an accident got banged up. Remember this one last summer at Babcock Street Station? View attachment 25020

What does that (a high-speed front/rear collision that wrecked the car) have to do with this incident (a slow-speed sideswipe that didn't wreck the car)?

 

[Jahvon09]

What does that (a high-speed front/rear collision that wrecked the car) have to do with this incident (a slow-speed sideswipe that didn't wreck the car)?

The T is saying that this latest accident may have resulted from operator error.

 

[bigpicture7]

Apparently the City of Cambridge is commissioning a Grand Junction Transit Feasibility study regarding the feasibility of activating the grand junction ROW as a transit corridor:
See document here, posted to the CRA site:

The Grand Junction Corridor Transit Study is to be conducted by WSP on behalf of the CRA through funding provided by BXP. The study will seek to identify feasible options for a rail transit service along the Grand Junction rail line connecting, at a minimum: Allston/West Station; Cambridgeport; the MIT campus; Area 4/The Port; Kendall Square; North Point; and Allston/West Station. The study will evaluate issues related to corridor right-of-way, service characteristics (vehicle technology, stations served, frequency), and potential ridership estimates. This includes feasibility analysis for three different potential transit modes (commuter rail, urban rail, or light rail/shuttle), as well as assessing various equipment types depending on mode.

​

Due to be discussed tonight at the CRA board meeting: https://www.cambridgeredevelopment.org/next-meeting
(last item listed)

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

Apparently the City of Cambridge is commissioning a Grand Junction Transit Feasibility study regarding the feasibility of activating the grand junction ROW as a transit corridor:
See document here, posted to the CRA site:

​

​

Due to be discussed tonight at the CRA board meeting: https://www.cambridgeredevelopment.org/next-meeting
(last item listed)

With this stop selection. . .

. . .at a minimum: Allston/West Station; Cambridgeport; the MIT campus; Area 4/The Port; Kendall Square; North Point

. . .there's only one rail mode that can capture them all: Green Line attachment. Purple Line can't...too many intermediate stops on the GJ for bi-directional service at any acceptable schedule, and Northpoint requires a time-consuming transfer to Green at North Station to reach at all. I hope that's appropriately putting its finger on the scale for their final recs.

 

[jass]

. . .there's only one rail mode that can capture them all: Green Line attachment. Purple Line can't...too many intermediate stops on the GJ for bi-directional service at any acceptable schedule, and Northpoint requires a time-consuming transfer to Green at North Station to reach at all. I hope that's appropriately putting its finger on the scale for their final recs.

MAKE IT A MOVING WALKWAY YOU COWARDS

 

[stick n move]

Apparently the City of Cambridge is commissioning a Grand Junction Transit Feasibility study regarding the feasibility of activating the grand junction ROW as a transit corridor:
See document here, posted to the CRA site:

​

​

Due to be discussed tonight at the CRA board meeting: https://www.cambridgeredevelopment.org/next-meeting
(last item listed)

Heres a map I sketched up quick a while ago with what I think would be the easiest rail extension through grand junction. It consists of an at grade green line extension off of the union sq branch, through grand junction, ending at west station. Thats it. Its not perfect and it doesnt solve every issue, but it gives red line riders a transfer to go east-west through cambridge, it gives commuter rail riders an easy transfer at west station into cambridge, it gives blue line riders a single transfer to cambridge, it connects mit/harvard by rail to northpoint, and it gives north station commuter rail riders a single transfer to get to mit/harvard/kendall. It could be upgraded later with connections to the b line, but for now I think it would be a great interim solution.

 

[Brattle Loop]

Heres a map I sketched up quick a while ago with what I think would be the easiest rail extension through grand junction. It consists of an at grade green line extension off of the union sq branch, through grand junction, ending at west station. Thats it. Its not perfect and it doesnt solve every issue, but it gives red line riders a transfer to go east-west through cambridge, it gives commuter rail riders an easy transfer at west station into cambridge, it gives blue line riders a single transfer to cambridge, it connects mit/harvard by rail to northpoint, and it gives north station commuter rail riders a single transfer to get to mit/harvard/kendall. It could be upgraded later with connections to the b line, but for now I think it would be a great interim solution.

Well, apart from the small matter of West Station not existing (and who knows how many more rounds of Harvard back-and-forth it will take before something gets done with Beacon Park), it's not the worst idea in the world. (And if it catalyzed them to building West Station a bit faster, that'd be a good thing) Can't avoid at least a little tunneling at the Union Square branch junction to the GJ, because the GLX is on the wrong side of the ROW. I've always been a little wary of whether there's enough room to dig under the Fitchburg to get on-alignment from the GJ to the GLX incline to Lechmere, though F-Line among others says there is so I'm inclined to go with that part being possible at reasonable cost until proven otherwise. Without the B-line connection, though, GJ becomes a fairly longish northern branch of the GL, I'd start to worry a little bit about operations and on-time performance (though that could be mitigated if they did what they should have done in 2014-16 and opened up (and raised) the Brattle Loop platform at GC. (It'd be useful even with just the existing GLX, and they, uh, didn't quite do it right in the renovation...)

 

[737900er]

Well, apart from the small matter of West Station not existing (and who knows how many more rounds of Harvard back-and-forth it will take before something gets done with Beacon Park), it's not the worst idea in the world. (And if it catalyzed them to building West Station a bit faster, that'd be a good thing) Can't avoid at least a little tunneling at the Union Square branch junction to the GJ, because the GLX is on the wrong side of the ROW. I've always been a little wary of whether there's enough room to dig under the Fitchburg to get on-alignment from the GJ to the GLX incline to Lechmere, though F-Line among others says there is so I'm inclined to go with that part being possible at reasonable cost until proven otherwise. Without the B-line connection, though, GJ becomes a fairly longish northern branch of the GL, I'd start to worry a little bit about operations and on-time performance (though that could be mitigated if they did what they should have done in 2014-16 and opened up (and raised) the Brattle Loop platform at GC. (It'd be useful even with just the existing GLX, and they, uh, didn't quite do it right in the renovation...)

I don't think the performance would be that bad. It would have 6-7 street crossings, and would require all-new signal infrastructure that would presumably be smarter than what the B/C/E have. The distance from BC to Kenmore is about 4.5 miles, and the GJ would be about 3.2 to Lechmere.
I agree though that running it to the Brattle Loop would make a lot of sense because it would provide very few useful one seat rides west of Park Street. It could be the elusive Longwood-Kendall OSR, but the route would be extremely circuitous and inefficient.

 

[tysmith95]

Crazy transit pitch time, route it next to the commuter rail out to the SL3 line, then follow the SL3 line out to the airport. Stops at Sullivan, assembly, encore and rt 16/Everett.