Green Line Extension to Medford & Union Sq

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

For real, trails are cute and all, but pedistrians can walk on any other side walk and get to where they are going and the same can be said about bicyclists and alternate bike lanes.

If both can happen cool, but a trail is less important than expanding the green line.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

The bike path is actually important and needs to be built alongside the Green Line. It would allow cyclists all the way from Bedford (as well as Lexington, Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, and Somerville) to reach downtown Boston. It would also feed people to the new Green Line stations, in the same way it now feeds Davis and Alewife stations on the Red Line.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Jesus Christ,

I hate Light Rail. This should have been an extension of either the Blue or Orange line. That area is far too densely populated for light rail.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

How so? Basically it's the Riverside D Line, except in Somerville instead of Brookline and Newton.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Marley said:
Jesus Christ,

I hate Light Rail. This should have been an extension of either the Blue or Orange line. That area is far too densely populated for light rail.
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It's being built to heavy rail standards and upgrading one straight run of Green line to heavy rail would be much better than a branch of the Orange Line. A Blue Line extension seems reasonable, though, but costs would be tremendous and you'd still have to upgrade the central Green Line at some point anyways. So all in all, it's a good first move, I think. It's better than nothing.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Is that why this thing is so expensive? In another thread, we did talked about the cost per mile was really close to heavy rail and well above light rail. So close to heavy rail, it might as well take a few mil more and be heavy rail.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

I think a large part of the expense are the hefty stations, as opposed to the bare-bones concrete slabs on many D Line stops. I'm not sure why these were necessary, other than perhaps ADA. I suppose they will be useful for any future heavy rail upgrade...
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

I think the main reason the two-branched extension won't be heavy rail is the problem of connecting them to an existing heavy rail line.

Branches from the Orange line would be easy enough to build, but would present headway overload problems in the Washington Street tunnel.

A Blue Line extension would be great, but connecting the Bowdoin Square terminus with the existing Green Line tunnel at Haymarket would require ripping up the GC city hall plaza (I know, not much of loss there), and would cost a lot of money. Plus the Green Line stations at North Station and Haymarket would require extensive revamping for Blue Line cars, and the ancient Lechmere viaduct would need its girders totally replaced, and the piers possible replaced as well, to accommodate the heavier Blue Line cars.

Hence, light rail.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Oooooooor you could have a brand new line. Medford to North Station, not a branch.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

How would the separate line get to North Station? A separate tunnel under the Charles would be hugely expensive. Also, all the passengers tranferring to/from the Green and Orange line to the new line would create congestion in the North Station T station.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Actually, you could have Government center - Medford run on heavy rail vehicles.

It can share the green line track from government center to north station. The green line would no longer serve science park or lechmere.

There are existing systems in which high and low floor trains call upon the same stations. North Station and Haymarket are long enough to accomodate a 2 car green line train at one end (low platform) and a 4 car heavy rail train (blue line size) on the other end.

So basically:

Medford to Lechmere and Science Park = all high floor heavy rail.

Haymarket and North Station = Shared platforms

Government Center = use the brattle loop. It currently has two platform, one side could be high floor, the other low floor for when green line trains are forced to use it actively (very rare)

Again, this wouldn't be unique, other systems do this.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

jass said:
Actually, you could have Government center - Medford run on heavy rail vehicles.

It can share the green line track from government center to north station. The green line would no longer serve science park or lechmere.

There are existing systems in which high and low floor trains call upon the same stations. North Station and Haymarket are long enough to accomodate a 2 car green line train at one end (low platform) and a 4 car heavy rail train (blue line size) on the other end.

So basically:

Medford to Lechmere and Science Park = all high floor heavy rail.

Haymarket and North Station = Shared platforms

Government Center = use the brattle loop. It currently has two platform, one side could be high floor, the other low floor for when green line trains are forced to use it actively (very rare)

Again, this wouldn't be unique, other systems do this.
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This is Boston, not Cleveland.

Seriously, what about looping all Green Line trains at GC and making North Station and Haymarket completely high platform? The B & D lines already turn there anyway.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

That would fit the current tunnel layout well. However, the transfer at passengers from one terminated line to the other would be huge, necessitating expansion of the GC upper level station. Maybe an underground moving sidewalk from GC to Downtown crossing would help in that case, or an extension of the new heavy rail line to Downtown Crossing or Charles station in a seperate tunnel.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Isn't there some kind of rule that prevents mixed use between light and heavy rail? Also, if we do that, why not might as well do the Blue Line option that was actually considered too.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

ant8904 said:
Isn't there some kind of rule that prevents mixed use between light and heavy rail? Also, if we do that, why not might as well do the Blue Line option that was actually considered too.
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No, you can't mix light and heavy with SUPER HEAVY (aka, commuter rail)

As I said, it's done elsewhere.

I don't understand the need to have one line do everything.

That is, instead of having the green, orange or blue lines do the extension, just have a brand new gold line do it.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

jass said:
No, you can't mix light and heavy with SUPER HEAVY (aka, commuter rail)

As I said, it's done elsewhere.

I don't understand the need to have one line do everything.

That is, instead of having the green, orange or blue lines do the extension, just have a brand new gold line do it.
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Dumping people at North Station means they make have to make 2 connections just to get the Blue or Red Line.


I'm rooting for an Indigo Line heavy rail from Medford to Readville via North Station, down Congress Street, South Station.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

BostonUrbEx said:
Dumping people at North Station means they make have to make 2 connections just to get the Blue or Red Line.


I'm rooting for an Indigo Line heavy rail from Medford to Readville via North Station, down Congress Street, South Station.
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Thats why I said terminate at gvt center.
 
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