Gov't Center Station Rebuild

Hey, here's an idea...let's get this thread back to GOVERNMENT CENTER STATION.

Which I think is going to make for an incredible improvement in the the rider experience and I for one can't wait until it opens in appx. 4 months. I hated that bunker so much. With only 3 faregates and limited access to the track level, you were often stuck waiting in the rain to just get in the door. Much has been made here of the external design and it's impact on the streetscape. I am neutral on that. There are strong elements and some weak ones in my mind. I expect that the majority of the work and money was spent below ground and I bet it is going to be worth every penny.
 
I expect that the majority of the work and money was spent below ground and I bet it is going to be worth every penny.
The improved vertical circulation Blue-Green-Street looks like a huge win. Looking out of my C-train I was loving the new stairs & escalators.

The old vertical circulation was designed at a time when Blue was 4-car and Green was 2-car (right?) and so the old stuff was just sized way too small for a future of 6-car Blue and 3- or 4-car Green.
 
I feel like the reason that transit agencies go for these flashy head houses is because it's one way to attract new riders who would otherwise be turned off by the traditional dark and dingy underground. Personally I love the minimal stairway treatments that older systems have. But I get it, this is marketing.

EXACTLY.

People say "this is a waste"

No, marketing is not a waste.

Yes, there are people who still associate public transit with muggings, graffiti, and pimps.
 
I wasn't sure where to put this, but here we go:

Green Line to be suspended downtown at night

Green Line service will be suspended at night between Park Street and Haymarket stations for much of this week, according to the MBTA.

The suspension of service, which affects trains in both directions, will allow workers to access the Government Center platform and track as renovations continue there, MBTA officials said.

...

Starting Monday, Green Line service in the affected area will end for the night at 8:45 p.m. The disruptions are scheduled to continue through Thursday, and will also take place on Monday, Jan. 18.

They are running service later on Wednesday due to the Celtics game. It seems like we are in the home stretch for Government Center. We are only two months away from the scheduled completion.
 
Equilibria, if you just left-click on each of those photos, they'll open in a much wider format, almost taking up the full screen.

Worked for you, threw up an error message for me last night :).
 
Bowdoin will not only be remaining open when GC reopens - it'll be open the same hours as all other stations!

The limited hours were a product of the early-80s budget cuts; Bowdoin was closed for a year, reopened with limited hours, closed another two months, and finally reopened with the limited hours. Most other cuts were reversed within a few years after, though some commuter rail was not:

* Boylston was exit-only except during the afternoon peak for six weeks
* Chinatown was outright closed for six weeks
* Oak Grove and Malden Center (just a few years after opening!) were bustituted on Sundays for 11 months
* New Hampshire and Rhode Island service discontinued
* Shawsheen station permanently closed
* Auburndale, West Newton, Uphams Corner, Morton Street, and West Gloucester stations permanently closed
* Woburn Branch abandoned
 
Bowdoin will not only be remaining open when GC reopens - it'll be open the same hours as all other stations!

The limited hours were a product of the early-80s budget cuts; Bowdoin was closed for a year, reopened with limited hours, closed another two months, and finally reopened with the limited hours. Most other cuts were reversed within a few years after, though some commuter rail was not:

* Boylston was exit-only except during the afternoon peak for six weeks
* Chinatown was outright closed for six weeks
* Oak Grove and Malden Center (just a few years after opening!) were bustituted on Sundays for 11 months
* New Hampshire and Rhode Island service discontinued
* Shawsheen station permanently closed
* Auburndale, West Newton, Uphams Corner, Morton Street, and West Gloucester stations permanently closed
* Woburn Branch abandoned

must have been a super recent decision since the part time hours signs were already in place http://s3.amazonaws.com/media.wbur.org/wordpress/1/files/2016/02/0205_Government-Station16.jpg
 
More like the signs haven't been replaced rather than "already in place." Those signs are the original signs that were there when GC was active. Heck, the map from 1967 is still on the wall.

Unless they are going to do a blitz during a weekend closing within the next month, seems like they aren't touching the walls \ signs on the tracks on both levels... Are they gonna at least clean them? jeez...
 
Last edited:
Some cool LEDs going on:

https://twitter.com/MBTA/status/700710567879843841

CblsY6bUcAAcFKI.jpg:large


https://twitter.com/JoePesaturo/status/700714156828323842

CblvzCcUUAE52mv.jpg:large

CblvzCnVIAAjEe1.jpg:large
 
Well, that certainly makes me like the glass box more! Would certainly go a way towards making that area inviting at night.
 
Mhmmm more wasted money.

For a few LED floodlights? There are broke college kids who can afford those when throwing a makeshift rave.

The glass (and maint costs therein) is a legit point of debate on value-for-money, but lighting it up at night isn't. Hell...City Hall Plaza is even more depressing after dark than it is during the day. They did those light-up column thingies along Cambridge St. in the late-90's to make it 0.5% less depressing, and those are completely superfluous.

As long as it's bringing more people into a block that gets pretty deserted while adjacent areas are bustling through midnight, it can't hurt.
 

Back
Top