Green Line Extension to Medford & Union Sq

I emailed the Green Line Transformation public comment address about the 10mph speed restriction over the Lechmere Viaduct, and got a response from them indicating it's temporary and should be back to normal in a few months:

Currently, we have a temporary speed restriction. As a precaution, we are running trains at 10 mph over the bridge, while the GLX Medford Branch finishes integration with the existing system. Over the next three months, we will continue to monitor the viaduct for any issues with track settlement geometry that can naturally occur as part of track rehabilitation activities. After that time, we anticipate resuming normal operations over the viaduct.
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I guess it's still possible something comes up and the speed restriction stays around for longer, but their response made me feel better about it actually being temporary
 
Now we take a ride on an inbound train from Union Square to Lechmere. I managed to get decent shots from the front seats of a Type 8. There are two crossovers east of Union Square: a facing point crossover (where the crossover diverges from the right-hand rail), then this trailing-point crossover.
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Approaching the Medford Street bridge:
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This facing point crossover just west of Squires Bridge allows trains to switch to the outbound track for yard access.
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Climbing onto the Red Bridge viaduct:
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Further on Red Bridge, we come to this stub ramp. It was a direct connection to the yard that was value engineered out. I assume it will still be possible to add it back in later.
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Now time to walk. Looking west from Squires Bridge to the Union Square Branch is a nice view, but the small mesh of the fencing made it hard to get a good shot. Squires Bridge, which carries Route 28 over the Fitchburg Line and Union Square Branch, is named for the John P. Squire Pork Packing Works, formerly located when Twin City Plaza now sits. It was built in 1958, replacing the original 1909 road bridge.
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Looking at the Green Line tracks under the bridge:
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The MBTA has mostly used "Fitchburg Viaduct" for the flying junction, but I'm glad to see the historical "Red Bridge" name is still used for some things including the nearby traction power substation. (Curiously, the Washington Street overpass to the north was known as "red bridge" in the first half of the 20th century. I'm not sure when the name shifted south to the railroad-over-railroad crossing.) Here's a couple shots of an inbound train on the viaduct.
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Walking down Fitchburg Street, one of the largest remaining stretches of sett paving in the area:
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This view looks southeast from Chestnut Street onto the north end of the Red Bridge viaduct. The embankment near the bridge is for the inbound yard lead.
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One more shot of the Vehicle Maintenance Facility, this time from 3rd Avenue:
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And now we're on to Medford Branch construction. East Somerville station is damn hard to photograph - this is from Cross Street.
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A hi-rail truck south of Cross Street:
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The Community Path ramp north of Cross Street:
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That section of the Medford Branch looked ready for testing.
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devnull said:
I emailed the Green Line Transformation public comment address about the 10mph speed restriction over the Lechmere Viaduct, and got a response from them indicating it's temporary and should be back to normal in a few months:



I guess it's still possible something comes up and the speed restriction stays around for longer, but their response made me feel better about it actually being temporary
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Great news, but my comment stands about lousy T communication/PR. When you host a grand opening for something and celebrate it, but there are substantial and very publicly-obvious (however temporary) issues with it...you don't just pretend everything's normal and say nothing (unless you truly think no one will notice the issue).

I could imagine some fun PR posters stuck to columns here and there: "You think this is great, just wait a few months when we shave x minutes off the time to North Station. Stay tuned for faster speeds ahead!" They could have had fun with it and engaged with their primary stakeholders - the commuting public!
 
The EGE said:
And now we're on to Medford Branch construction. East Somerville station is damn hard to photograph - this is from Cross Street.
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I can't help but feel East Somerville got deprioritized because of proximity to Union Square and Sullivan. Like we'll be super glad to have it if there are long term disruptions to Union Square (McGrath grounding or a GLXX to Porter?) or Sullivan, but I have a hard time imagining it'll be the station of choice for anybody except those who live in the immediate vicinity.

Will be interesting to see how access evolves with the neighborhood.
 
Texasian said:
I can't help but feel East Somerville got deprioritized because of proximity to Union Square and Sullivan. Like we'll be super glad to have it if there are long term disruptions to Union Square (McGrath grounding or a GLXX to Porter?) or Sullivan, but I have a hard time imagining it'll be the station of choice for anybody except those who live in the immediate vicinity.

Will be interesting to see how access evolves with the neighborhood.
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It'll be my local station. I actually think it'll spur a lot of development in Brickbottom and the Inner Belt. (we might actually see more than these vision plans that come out every 10 years or so)
I wouldn't be surprised if they add a commuter rail stop at some point that will serve the area from Sullivan to CX to Union which will all become big employment centers.
But for now, it'll be the runt of the litter.
 
Estimated 2030 daily boardings (from 2009 DEIR except where noted:
Lechmere: 10,900 (was 5,700 in FY2019)
Union Square: 2,310 per DEIR; 3,645 per 2016 report. I imagine the newer number reflects USQ and other development.
East Somerville: 2,730
Gilman Square: 4,410
Magoun Square: 1,260
Ball Square: 1,890
Medford/Tufts: 2,420 as the terminus
Route 16: 2,000 (about 300 would be diverted from Medford/Tufts)

I personally suspect that East Somerville will underperform, and others (esp Union Square and Ball Square) will outperform these projections, but only time will tell.
 
I'm almost done spamming this thread with pictures, I promise! (At least until the Medford Branch opens...) Here's the view east from Sycamore Street:
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And looking west:
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Looking east from Central Street:
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And looking west:
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And now we're at Magoun Square.
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I hate these tiny metal gate structures - they make the stations feel so cheap and claustrophobic.
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Side view of the headhouse:
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The GLX is going to be a great spot for train photography - lots of overhead bridges, and the cut being shallower than the Southwest Corridor means there's good light. This is from Cedar Street looking back towards Magoun Square station.
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Yep! It just takes me some time to process and upload them. Here's Ball Square from Cedar Street:
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And from Broadway:
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I truly don't understand why the entrance is this narrow - there's no reason for it to be only half the width of the headhouse.
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The elevator shaft has some neat artwork, similar to Lechmere.
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I hope we get TOD in front of the substation sooner rather than later. (The November 2019 station designs explicitly note future TOD there.)
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vanshnookenraggen said:
WHAT is that cylindrical house!?!
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60 Tufts Street aka Sanctuary Lofts. The brick building you see behind it is the 1870 First Universalist Church, seen here in 1905:
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It became the Orpheum Theatre around 1916 when the present church building was constructed on Highland Avenue. (Ironically, that's visible in the background of my final shot of Magoun Square station.) It was converted into the lofts with the strange circular section in 2001.
 
The EGE said:
60 Tufts Street aka Sanctuary Lofts. The brick building you see behind it is the 1870 First Universalist Church, seen here in 1905:
View attachment 23219

It became the Orpheum Theatre around 1916 when the present church building was constructed on Highland Avenue. (Ironically, that's visible in the background of my final shot of Magoun Square station.) It was converted into the lofts with the strange circular section in 2001.
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Certainly know your history, EGE! And yeah, the cylindrical house (if you’re referring to the Round House) is in Spring Hill.

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