Green Line Extension to Medford & Union Sq

What's up with these long walkways from the stairs/elevator to the platform? I get that they are there for future proofing. But why not just build the platforms closer and leave space on the other end? Why make people walk (or wheelchair) further?
 
vanshnookenraggen said:
What's up with these long walkways from the stairs/elevator to the platform? I get that they are there for future proofing. But why not just build the platforms closer and leave space on the other end? Why make people walk (or wheelchair) further?
Click to expand...

At least at Union Square the future-proofing for platform extension was at the inbound end, and the space past the outbound end of the platforms was for the tail tracks, so the space for those accounts for the distance between the entrance from the bridge and the platform. (I assume the tail tracks were operationally necessary and/or desirable, otherwise it would have made more sense to put the whole station closer to the bridge in the first place.)
 
Brattle Loop said:
At least at Union Square the future-proofing for platform extension was at the inbound end, and the space past the outbound end of the platforms was for the tail tracks, so the space for those accounts for the distance between the entrance from the bridge and the platform. (I assume the tail tracks were operationally necessary and/or desirable, otherwise it would have made more sense to put the whole station closer to the bridge in the first place.)
Click to expand...
I always assumed the space between the platform and the bridge was future-proofing for any future extensions westward, and that that was the space required to bring the tracks back together before passing under the bridge. Is that not the case? Or is that in addition to the points you mentioned?
 
It's a similar situation at Magoun Square; the long walkway is so the tracks have enough distance to come back together before the bridge. Same at Medford/Tufts, it's why the station entrance is on Boston Ave instead of the College Ave bridge.
 
I suppose this is true of most open-air platforms where you can see the train approaching from a ways off, but I imagine there’s going to be a lot of folks sprinting down the walkways to catch the trains.
 
97508FD0-7FB0-40F3-89AE-83761F052DFD.jpeg

Sculptural lighting supports are up on the Magoun bridge.
 
RandomWalk said:
View attachment 21700
Sculptural lighting supports are up on the Magoun bridge.
Click to expand...

I would expect that they are going to fence that area in, mainly to help prevent accidents & suicides from happening! The last thing they need is to have someone falling off of that entrance area to get to the stairs or elevator. :eek:
 
Jahvon09 said:
I would expect that they are going to fence that area in, mainly to help prevent accidents & suicides from happening! The last thing they need is to have someone falling off of that entrance area to get to the stairs or elevator. :eek:
Click to expand...
Well I mean, yeah of course...they would never not have fences. Not sure why there was ever an assumption otherwise?
 
I saw those Magoun lights lit up this evening, and they add a lot. Something about that structure always just made me think "temporary bridge," like they had last-minute realized they had built the station too far from the street and jury-rigged the bridge with parts from another project. Giving it some added love helps, and the design of the lights is kind of cool.
 
JumboBuc said:
^ Still crazy to me that a station designed with a singular access point like that is forgoing faregates.
Click to expand...

One of Baker & Company's more short-sighted cuts. I wonder if they're going to do anything to try and deter fare evasion, given that they can't do front-door boarding like the surface stops on the western branches.
 
Brattle Loop said:
One of Baker & Company's more short-sighted cuts. I wonder if they're going to do anything to try and deter fare evasion, given that they can't do front-door boarding like the surface stops on the western branches.
Click to expand...
Has the T actually hired any fare inspectors for this branch yet? Or are Somerville riders just going to be on the honors system?
 
Someone on railroad.net commented on the Monday opening of GLX, noting that the BERy usually opened new lines on Saturdays when ridership was lower. I got curious.

Recent rapid transit openings have been a mix of days. During the 1960s-1980s expansion period, openings were mostly Saturday for extensions, and Monday or Tuesday for reroutings that required weekend track work.
SL3: Saturday
Assembly: Tuesday
SL4: Thursday
South Boston Transitway: Friday
SL5: Saturday
Braintree platform at JFK/UMass: Wednesday
Southwest Corridor: Monday
Alewife: Saturday
Davis: Saturday
Quincy Adams: Saturday
Harvard: Tuesday
Braintree: Saturday
Harvard/Brattle: Saturday
Oak Grove: Sunday
Malden Center: Saturday
Wellington: Saturday
Sullivan Square: Monday
Quincy Center: Wednesday

During the MTA and BERy era, openings were commonly but not always on Saturdays. Prior to the mid-1910s, it was much more random. Infill stations were a mixed bag.
Highland Branch: Saturday
Science Park: Saturday
Wonderland: Tuesday
Suffolk Downs: Monday
Orient Heights: Saturday
Huntington Avenue Subway: Sunday
Kenmore: Sunday
Charles: Saturday
Butler: Wednesday
Mattapan: Saturday
Milton: Monday
Ashmont: Saturday
Fields Corner: Saturday
Lechmere: Monday
Arlington: Sunday
Everett: Saturday
Andrew: Saturday
Broadway: Saturday
South Station: Sunday
Bowdoin: Saturday
Washington: Sunday
Boylston Street Subway: Saturday
Green Street: Wednesday
Lechmere Viaduct: Saturday
Cambridge Tunnel: Saturday
Forest Hills: Monday
Washington Street Tunnel: Monday
Atlantic Avenue station: Thursday
East Boston Tunnel: Friday
Thompson Square: Thursday
Atlantic Avenue El: Thursday
Main Line El: Monday
Tremont Street Subway (3 segments): Wednesday, Friday, Saturday


There's a definite trend towards Monday openings for commuter rail lines:
Wachusett: Friday
Wickford Junction (weekday only): Monday
TF Green Airport (weekday only): Monday
Greenbush: Wednesday
Old Colony (weekday only): Monday
Newburyport: Monday
Worcester (weekday only): Monday
Forge Park/495: Thursday
Providence (weekday only): Monday
Needham: Monday
Southwest Corridor: Monday
Gardner: Sunday
Haverhill: Monday
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top