Green Line Extension to Medford & Union Sq

I'm pretty sure bigpicture7 was joking (given the not-infrequent Green Line catenary/power problems).

Yeah, most definitely meant as a joke. Forgive my jaded mind for envisioning trolleys being powered by extension cords (limited to 5mph, of course, as that's as quick as T staff can dole out cord slack)
 
OK I missed the sarcasm in your post, I understand. We still need an explanation from a railway traction control expert involved in this project.
 
Now that there will be a lot more stations opening soon - will the fares be indefinitely "free"/validated for boardings at the new stops?

Also, has the line/delays associated with fare validation improved? And will it be an issue with these stops?
 
At Lechmere stop, the roadway is paved, connecting First St with McGrath O’Brien. Also: is there a dedicated thread for this parcel yet?

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Yeah, most definitely meant as a joke. Forgive my jaded mind for envisioning trolleys being powered by extension cords (limited to 5mph, of course, as that's as quick as T staff can dole out cord slack)
'it's taken 8 years and 12 different committees but this is the plan we've come up with and we're just going to persevere with it now. If you don't think its the most effective use of resources, please shout in to the void provided'
 
'it's taken 8 years and 12 different committees but this is the plan we've come up with and we're just going to persevere with it now. If you don't think its the most effective use of resources, please shout in to the void provided'
More like 80 years of planning and execution, when you count the early planning in the BERY days.
 
Longer than that. A spur of the Charlestown Elevated over Mystic Avenue was proposed in 1907, and a subway approximately following Medford Street was proposed in 1922. The 1926 Report on Improved Transportation Facilities was the first to use the Lowell Line alignment.

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Interestingly, the comparatively new part of the project is the Union Square Branch. It first showed up in the 1980s as a possible alternative to a full GLX, and Green and Blue alignments to Tufts via Union Square were considered in the 2003 PMT. Not until 2005 did a separate branch to Union Square become part of the project.
 
People who whine and moan about the T should really travel to other places more often. NYC, San Fran, Chicago (and plenty other places) would be stoked to have rapid transit this good.
I have to make this point often. Yes, the MBTA could be a lot better, and no, I'm not sure I trust them to make the changes we need. But nevertheless, it is a far more effective and useful transit system than you can find in all but a few other cities in North America.
 
A train from Riverside today featured "Lechmere" signs/announcements while countdown clocks displayed Union Sq. Operator only clarified at Lechmere that the train was indeed going to Union Sq. Unrelated but 3647 featured new headsigns... but no audible announcements. Also, operator had to get out by the North Station tail tracks to change a signal; this seems to happen way too often on the Green Line (as a D branch rider, I see it at Reservoir so often).
 
I have to make this point often. Yes, the MBTA could be a lot better, and no, I'm not sure I trust them to make the changes we need. But nevertheless, it is a far more effective and useful transit system than you can find in all but a few other cities in North America.

Henry, I wholeheartedly agree with this perspective about what we've got with respect to other cities. Historically I have been a cheerleader for the MBTA. The issue here, though, with due respect, is Boston relative to Boston. We are at a critical juncture now and for the next couple of years regarding how whatever post-pandemic Boston is going to be is determined. The pandemic induced an initial burst of flight-to-suburbia (outside MBTA radius, and in some cases even CR radius). Many people will always continue to work from home and that's fine, but there are still multiple different possible futures for the city: the one where Boston becomes a dynamic live/work/play cultural hub where people find it relatively convenient and desirable to come and go even if they're not here consistently M-F, OR, one where people (even though they're fully able to work remote) choose to live within MBTA radius because that's seen as advantageous from a whole-life perspective, OR another much darker one where "it's way too hard to get here" and more and more people give up on the city. What scares me is not the usual whining about the T (which has been going on for my near 40-year memory of this), but the recurring new refrains I hear from coworkers and friends along the lines of "the T has gotten much worse" or "I can no longer count on the T." These next couple of years are going to be formative for Boston in whatever direction things end up taking. It is an unusually critical point in time for the MBTA to be exuding a commitment to making the system higher-performing (and demonstrating follow-through on that).

So, no, I do not find it unreasonable to be particularly demanding of improvement of the T at this point in time.
 
Isn't the whole GLX supposed to open this month? What am I missing here? Has the opening been ridiculously delayed again?!!!! :unsure: :poop:
 
Henry, I wholeheartedly agree with this perspective about what we've got with respect to other cities. Historically I have been a cheerleader for the MBTA. The issue here, though, with due respect, is Boston relative to Boston. We are at a critical juncture now and for the next couple of years regarding how whatever post-pandemic Boston is going to be is determined. The pandemic induced an initial burst of flight-to-suburbia (outside MBTA radius, and in some cases even CR radius). Many people will always continue to work from home and that's fine, but there are still multiple different possible futures for the city: the one where Boston becomes a dynamic live/work/play cultural hub where people find it relatively convenient and desirable to come and go even if they're not here consistently M-F, OR, one where people (even though they're fully able to work remote) choose to live within MBTA radius because that's seen as advantageous from a whole-life perspective, OR another much darker one where "it's way too hard to get here" and more and more people give up on the city. What scares me is not the usual whining about the T (which has been going on for my near 40-year memory of this), but the recurring new refrains I hear from coworkers and friends along the lines of "the T has gotten much worse" or "I can no longer count on the T." These next couple of years are going to be formative for Boston in whatever direction things end up taking. It is an unusually critical point in time for the MBTA to be exuding a commitment to making the system higher-performing (and demonstrating follow-through on that).

So, no, I do not find it unreasonable to be particularly demanding of improvement of the T at this point in time.
I am going to echo the refrain "the T has gotten much worse" or "I can no longer count on the T."

In the past 18 months I have missed multiple appointments/meetings due to really bad T malfunctions. That was not normal before. The level of reliability is simply too low to be consider effective transit anymore.
 
So I decided to go for a bike ride along GLX. From Tufts to East Somerville and back. I took roughly 43 photos. That might be too much to share by directly posting on forum (if at all). So I'm sharing it via Google Drive and posting directly a few chosen photos with written commentary on the rest.

Here's the gallery: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-5rd9pEAQz1Gi-2XdIxKcVR5yetyfNU7 (sort by name with arrow up for Chronological order with me starting from Tufts to East Somerville)

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That said here's a few directly posted here

Tufts Station itself looks pretty complete. The area around does have more work - namely the sidewalk has not been poured in yet. I also find it interesting the high curb thing and the wooden guard rail. I wonder why either exists. Well I can get the wooden guard rail exists to keep cars from going the ditch into the tracks, but I don't know the design principles behind it. Like if it's a complies with MASH 2016 Manual - but even if it is TL-1 rated, why does that spot needs it while other exposed areas don't? That said, I can totally imagine groups of Tuft students sitting on it just to chill - which is nice.

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Ball Sq Station itself looks pretty complete. But a huge area next to it remains a giant mess. Also the substation is so drably. I hope one day we get a movement to get a fake building façade for the structure. It costs money but I do believe there is worthwhile good. Especially since the gray drab is probably not that cheap in the first place.

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I also want to rant about this. This seems like a waste. It seems the bridge could have been wider and I do think we could have find uses. Maybe there is significant savings to just made it as only wide as needed but would I would like to know the savings difference.

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I found this spot pretty interesting to me. I guess it's just a service access point, but I wonder if has potential for more uses in the future.

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Another spot I feel it's a waste of space. A giant hill of grass and dirt that is a pretty significant amount of space. Maybe there's a reason but my laymen's eye just see unused vacant land that makes me think if we flatten it, it can become more community greenspace. Or even just a private house, I don't know, anything is more useful than an inaccessible hill.

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Another angle of Sycamore St. I didn't know the curb cut just started.

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On the positive side, the narrow bi-directional painted bike lane isn't a bad as it looks. But noticing the big yellow thing (what is it?)... it tells me that there's enough space to not only cut into a the hill, but cutting into the hill can be done without compromising the building. A long enough retaining wall can create space to move the yellow thing to the left of the photo and the bike trail and just be an L-shape turn instead of this whole street thing. They built a retaining wall for most of it anyways (albeit it might be Somerville can it's contractors for the new High School and not the GLX).
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And finally I reached East Somerville. It seems access is through quite an alleyway. I rode around to see if there's other ways but found nothing.

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But riding around did found this - I think it's pretty neat. Interestingly, the last time they wrote in it says "306" with 5/12/2018 in the corner.
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Finally I also noticed this. This is at Charles E Ryan Rd and Cedar St bridge. I can't help but notice there's another empty area between the retaining wall and the DPW. I wonder if we one can fit short pedestrian/bike paths in areas like behind the DPW. Also I wonder if GLX will repave the end of Charles E Ryan Rd or that's it as it's the end of a dead end street. Plus it's possible Somerville prefer it that way for rainwater reasons.

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Looks like someone came back & posted more graffiti on the wall. Hah!! o_O
 
Another spot I feel it's a waste of space. A giant hill of grass and dirt that is a pretty significant amount of space. Maybe there's a reason but my laymen's eye just see unused vacant land that makes me think if we flatten it, it can become more community greenspace. Or even just a private house, I don't know, anything is more useful than an inaccessible hill.

View attachment 30622

Whenever I walk over to the path, I think this needs to be utilized as a grand entrance to the path and replace the metal ramp/staircase hidden away.
 
So I decided to go for a bike ride along GLX. From Tufts to East Somerville and back. I took roughly 43 photos. That might be too much to share by directly posting on forum (if at all). So I'm sharing it via Google Drive and posting directly a few chosen photos with written commentary on the rest.

Here's the gallery: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-5rd9pEAQz1Gi-2XdIxKcVR5yetyfNU7 (sort by name with arrow up for Chronological order with me starting from Tufts to East Somerville)

-----

That said here's a few directly posted here

Tufts Station itself looks pretty complete. The area around does have more work - namely the sidewalk has not been poured in yet. I also find it interesting the high curb thing and the wooden guard rail. I wonder why either exists. Well I can get the wooden guard rail exists to keep cars from going the ditch into the tracks, but I don't know the design principles behind it. Like if it's a complies with MASH 2016 Manual - but even if it is TL-1 rated, why does that spot needs it while other exposed areas don't? That said, I can totally imagine groups of Tuft students sitting on it just to chill - which is nice.

View attachment 30614

Ball Sq Station itself looks pretty complete. But a huge area next to it remains a giant mess. Also the substation is so drably. I hope one day we get a movement to get a fake building façade for the structure. It costs money but I do believe there is worthwhile good. Especially since the gray drab is probably not that cheap in the first place.

View attachment 30619View attachment 30618

I also want to rant about this. This seems like a waste. It seems the bridge could have been wider and I do think we could have find uses. Maybe there is significant savings to just made it as only wide as needed but would I would like to know the savings difference.

View attachment 30620

I found this spot pretty interesting to me. I guess it's just a service access point, but I wonder if has potential for more uses in the future.

View attachment 30621

Another spot I feel it's a waste of space. A giant hill of grass and dirt that is a pretty significant amount of space. Maybe there's a reason but my laymen's eye just see unused vacant land that makes me think if we flatten it, it can become more community greenspace. Or even just a private house, I don't know, anything is more useful than an inaccessible hill.

View attachment 30622

Another angle of Sycamore St. I didn't know the curb cut just started.

View attachment 30623

On the positive side, the narrow bi-directional painted bike lane isn't a bad as it looks. But noticing the big yellow thing (what is it?)... it tells me that there's enough space to not only cut into a the hill, but cutting into the hill can be done without compromising the building. A long enough retaining wall can create space to move the yellow thing to the left of the photo and the bike trail and just be an L-shape turn instead of this whole street thing. They built a retaining wall for most of it anyways (albeit it might be Somerville can it's contractors for the new High School and not the GLX).
View attachment 30624

And finally I reached East Somerville. It seems access is through quite an alleyway. I rode around to see if there's other ways but found nothing.

View attachment 30626

But riding around did found this - I think it's pretty neat. Interestingly, the last time they wrote in it says "306" with 5/12/2018 in the corner.
View attachment 30627

Finally I also noticed this. This is at Charles E Ryan Rd and Cedar St bridge. I can't help but notice there's another empty area between the retaining wall and the DPW. I wonder if we one can fit short pedestrian/bike paths in areas like behind the DPW. Also I wonder if GLX will repave the end of Charles E Ryan Rd or that's it as it's the end of a dead end street. Plus it's possible Somerville prefer it that way for rainwater reasons.

View attachment 30628View attachment 30629

It's so nice that they can take a old stone wall & reuse it as part of the construction for a new wall!!! :)
 
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I have to make this point often. Yes, the MBTA could be a lot better, and no, I'm not sure I trust them to make the changes we need. But nevertheless, it is a far more effective and useful transit system than you can find in all but a few other cities in North America.
I'm confused with chrisbat's original post (seems to be buried a few pages back and I can't find it). I've been to all three cities and ridden on all three's public transits. From my experience, the MTA and CTA has been much more reliable in getting me where I need to go in a timely fashion than the MBTA. SF's Muni and BART is the only one of the three mentioned that I felt is definitely worse than the MBTA. What's wrong with the MTA and CTA?
 

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