Gov't Center Station Rebuild

Fancy lighting is probably cheaper than you think over the long term especially LEDs which are incredibly efficient and last a very long time.
 
meddlepal said:
Private sector should pay for it then.
Click to expand...
Nah, I save this sentiment for other projects (like GLX and Assembly) where we are talking millions in concrete (headhouses / entrances /TOD) not thousands in light bulbs. Focuse the outrage and energy on line items that amount to thousand per rider or taxpayer, not pennies as with GC lights
 
Every major public transit agency in the world is moving from a purely service-oriented perspective (we ran 95% of trains on time this month) to a customer-metric-oriented perspective (we got 95% of riders to their destinations on time on vehicles that weren't uncomfortably crowded this month). That's partially as a result of research over the last decade indicating just how strongly subjectively experienced (but objectively controllable) factors influence how satisfied passengers are on a transit system - and whether they continue to ride.

Perceived crowding, perceived speed (passengers would rather ride on a bus that makes a consistent 20mph than one that spends half its time at 40mph and half the time sitting in traffic), seat availability, cleanliness, lighting conditions, temperature, information availability (passengers will tolerate wait times about 20% longer with countdown clocks), perceived personal safety, aesthetics, perceived physical safety (like separation from cars on platforms in roadway medians), even how quickly a vehicle accelerates and brakes - every single one of these has implications for the entire metropolitan area.

Do you not believe that passengers having a more subjectively pleasant experience on a transit system will encourage them to use it more (especially for people on the fence between modes)? Do you not believe that a more pleasant transit system will encourage more dense, transit-oriented development? Do you not believe that the population is entitled to safe, engaging public spaces in exchange for the taxes they pay? Do you not believe that quality public spaces and services encourage developers to invest in cities and people to live in them? Do you honestly believe that transit should be the bare-minimum-quality mode of last resort, rather than a vibrant and useful part of transportation networks?
 
While riding the Blue Line to & from Bowdein Station, I noticed that the signs on the platform walls read Scollay Under.

Is there a chance that the Blue Line stop, or even both levels (Green Line stop also), will get their names changed back to Scollay (Square)? I was wondering about this.

FLine, have you heard anything about this at all?
 
Jahvon09 said:
While riding the Blue Line to & from Bowdein Station, I noticed that the signs on the platform walls read Scollay Under.

Is there a chance that the Blue Line stop, or even both levels (Green Line stop also), will get their names changed back to Scollay (Square)? I was wondering about this.

FLine, have you heard anything about this at all?
Click to expand...

Those are historic signs they found during the demolition work, restored, and put back on display.

They aren't changing the station name.

Here's a bit of an article about the discovery: http://www.bostonglobe.com/2014/04/...bta-station/6nQ8rTaNLJOTmKz4I6N9DP/story.html
 
Scollay Under was the original name for what is now the Blue Line level when it was built in 1916. The Boston Elevated Railway also used "Under" for the lower level at Park Street and for the subway station at South Station. Like many stations, there were tile mosaics to display the station name. They've been restored at South Station, Arlington, Central, and Broadway, and there's a pair of plastered-over ones at Hynes that may reappear in its upcoming renovation.
 
The EGE said:
Scollay Under was the original name for what is now the Blue Line level when it was built in 1916. The Boston Elevated Railway also used "Under" for the lower level at Park Street and for the subway station at South Station. Like many stations, there were tile mosaics to display the station name. They've been restored at South Station, Arlington, Central, and Broadway, and there's a pair of plastered-over ones at Hynes that may reappear in its upcoming renovation.
Click to expand...


Yeah, I remember the Park Street Under signs in the station. It's a wonder that it wasn't brought back after the station was rehabbed.

And speaking of Hynes, yes, that station is in dire need of a makeover! It needs to be brought up to ADA accessibility, so that it can be used by everyone.
 
Do you not believe that passengers having a more subjectively pleasant experience on a transit system will encourage them to use it more (especially for people on the fence between modes)? Do you not believe that a more pleasant transit system will encourage more dense, transit-oriented development? Do you not believe that the population is entitled to safe, engaging public spaces in exchange for the taxes they pay? Do you not believe that quality public spaces and services encourage developers to invest in cities and people to live in them? Do you honestly believe that transit should be the bare-minimum-quality mode of last resort, rather than a vibrant and useful part of transportation networks?
Click to expand...

Hmm. Interesting point.
 
Great pic from ConcretePlaza today:

https://twitter.com/concreteplaza/status/701841829763874816

Cb1xaH-W4AAdguz.jpg:large


So many doors. No more choke point!
 
^whats up with the bollards? are we mandated to protect our t stations from ISIS now too? or am i just getting my angry society-of-fear feathers ruffled over bolards that were just put there to prevent cars from parking on the sidewalk?

bollards, bollards, bollards... let's just line the street and every home with anti-terrorist bollards...
 
FK4 said:
^whats up with the bollards? are we mandated to protect our t stations from ISIS now too? or am i just getting my angry society-of-fear feathers ruffled over bolards that were just put there to prevent cars from parking on the sidewalk?

bollards, bollards, bollards... let's just line the street and every home with anti-terrorist bollards...
Click to expand...

My guess that because Government Center is used to host events this is being done to prevent trucks/cars that are around for setup from crashing through that glass by accident.
 
I dont really mind if they are done correctly, like how they are replacing the shitty balls near the garden.
 
I have a stupid question that was probably already covered way back, but...

This head house seems to take up a significantly larger portion of the plaza than the old head house. Did that land always belong to the T or did they work out a deal with the BRA for that extra space?
 
statler said:
I have a stupid question that was probably already covered way back, but...

This head house seems to take up a significantly larger portion of the plaza than the old head house. Did that land always belong to the T or did they work out a deal with the BRA for that extra space?
Click to expand...

Depends on how you count "land": on the surface, or subterranean?

Scollay/GC was always spread out fat on that platform wedge, so the new headhouse doesn't cover any footprint the station hasn't always covered. Since the Green level is relatively shallow and unsupported for anything heavier than a sidewalk/plaza, there's not much real estate value on the surface. For property assessment purposes it appears on somebody's ledger, but I doubt if it's city or state that the other party would care.
 
I guess I'm already misremembering how big the old station was on the surface level. I thought the new footprint was much larger.

But you answered my question anyway. Thanks!
 
statler said:
I guess I'm already misremembering how big the old station was on the surface level. I thought the new footprint was much larger.

But you answered my question anyway. Thanks!
Click to expand...

The new headhouse is larger than the ziggurat. F-Line was just saying that the headhouse doesn't cover up anything beyond the limits of the subsurface station.

The following are at the same scale:

WZMIcyn.png


scVWcvG.png
 
Ah.. OK thanks. So it's assumed that the T already owned all the plaza surface space above the subterranean station?

I know it's just a ledger move as F-Line put it, but the divvying up of public spaces among government entities is kind of fascinating to me for some reason.
 
stick n move said:
I dont really mind if they are done correctly, like how they are replacing the shitty balls near the garden.
Click to expand...

The massive concrete balls are really the worst type of bollard. Are there any examples of nice looking bollards around town somewhere?
 
@CharlieOnMTA toured GC this morning:

https://twitter.com/CharlieOnMTA

GL Level
Cb6ooG0UAAA0ghd.jpg:large


Glass blocks in lobby floor
Cb6qwp0UYAA6OSQ.jpg:large


Charlie ‏@CharlieOnMTA 6h6 hours ago
LED lights line the base of the new #MBTA #GovCenter. It can create 150 colors with a programmable pattern!!!!

Cb6xigRUAAECJfj.jpg:large

Cb6xigOUEAA1T7c.jpg:large


Scollay Under sign

Cb63JqZXIAAJzny.jpg:large
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top