MBTA Commuter Rail (Operations, Keolis, & Short Term)

tysmith95 said:
Hoping f-line could comment on what the performance delta would be between this and full electrification.
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It's pretty crappy. Performs very much like a DMU in the few other worldwide BEMU applications that do exist...which would put it maybe halfway between a diesel push-pull and a straight-EMU on acceleration. The battery bulk is considerable. That's why best-practice says to only resort to it on lower-service outer branchlines where wiring might be more expensive because of unavailability of nearby power sources and cost amortization is much lower. Leaving the urban-most core un-electrified is basically inverting the pyramid ass-backwards and upside-down, leaving the worst performance to the service-densest parts of the system.
 
For better or for worse, the new North Station faregates are coming along:
PXL_20220721_190343604.jpg

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Yeah -- there's more detail on the project page on mbta.com if you're interested. I'm sure Amtrak riders will have fun trying to pull up their ticket after getting off their train so they can scan it to get out of North Station...
 
devnull said:
Yeah -- there's more detail on the project page on mbta.com if you're interested. I'm sure Amtrak riders will have fun trying to pull up their ticket after getting off their train so they can scan it to get out of North Station...
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Oh, fun. I'm sure Amtrak'll do a fantastic job explaining to Downeaster riders why they have to do this, and no one will ever get stuck at NS having thrown away their ticket (unless Keolis thinks that Amtrak passengers all uniformly use mobile...).

I imagine it'll be particularly fun whenever multiple peak inbounds get in at the same time and all those passengers are suddenly confronted with a choke point that never existed before. Also, if these things can actually collect fares (which would make them slightly less pointless), it's a prime opportunity for gaming the system (even more so than outbound) because they can't possibly know where anyone boarded. (If they can't collect fares, then they're basically just Keolis's fare-checking minions without the need for bathroom breaks).
 
The render shows a QR code reader, but I dont see it in the photo? Where do you scan the ticket?
 
The machines look very skinny! But cute! Why is that? :unsure:
 
tysmith95 said:
I wish they could implement free transfers to the orange/green line tunnels through these fare gates.
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Knowing them, they'd jack up the prices of the CR tickets even more to cover the difference. At least now if you don't need the subway it's not bundled in the CR fare (except passes).
 
Leo Ruiz on Twitter: "Some passengers on ⁦@MBTA_CR⁩ train forced open doors to get out & climbed the fence with a little help from neighbors. The Framingham Line train has been stopped for more than an hour with no power. https://t.co/Vp7uSsZR4i" / Twitter
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When this happens in the future, the MBTA will need portable exit gates so people evacuating the trains can have their passes properly scanned.
 
devnull said:
For better or for worse, the new North Station faregates are coming along:
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View attachment 26580
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So we are looking at the view that exiting passengers would see here, right? This machine doesn't appear to match expectations of what the renders show, albeit the renders showed the view that boarding passengers would see. On the faregate itself, it looks like there's a small channel for a mag-stripe card reader and a touch point for an NFC/IC card. But nothing for a QR code. Are these gates going to be operating in 'touch-to-exit' mode from day one? Will users of mTicket/Amtrak barcode tickets be able to exit?
 
as02143 said:
So we are looking at the view that exiting passengers would see here, right? This machine doesn't appear to match expectations of what the renders show, albeit the renders showed the view that boarding passengers would see. On the faregate itself, it looks like there's a small channel for a mag-stripe card reader and a touch point for an NFC/IC card. But nothing for a QR code. Are these gates going to be operating in 'touch-to-exit' mode from day one? Will users of mTicket/Amtrak barcode tickets be able to exit?
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In one of the pictures there looks to be a square area on the top, flat surface of the gate (behind/above the black CharlieCard tap reader) that might be the QR code/barcode reader. It would be extremely funny if these expensive paperweights were incapable of scanning electronic tickets, though.
 
Brattle Loop said:
In one of the pictures there looks to be a square area on the top, flat surface of the gate (behind/above the black CharlieCard tap reader) that might be the QR code/barcode reader. It would be extremely funny if these expensive paperweights were incapable of scanning electronic tickets, though.
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Yeah maybe that little square patch is it. I am going to assume that they're going to need to vinyl wrap that part of the faregate to tell people where to scan what: QR code on top, NFC/IC card on the touch point, and magstripe (? does Amtrak need that?) on the channel.
 
There is finally some concrete action taking place on the South Attleboro Commuter Rail Station. The station, first opened in 1990, is adjacent to the Bristol Place Shopping Center located at Routes 1A & I-95 at the S Attleboro/Pawtucket border and has been closed since February 2021 due to its rusting steel pedestrian bridge and stairways being deemed unsafe. A design has been chosen and demolition work on the old bridge is slated to begin this fall. This station on the most used commuter rail line is one of the busiest in the commuter rail system. Fortunately, its closure coincided with the the pandemic when many stopped going into work with the WFH option. The new Pawtucket Station less than two miles away will also soon be coming on line as it is now scheduled to open in late 2022 (delayed from opening this summer).

MBTA announces timeline for South Attleboro Station accessibility improvements project construction work
Aug. 5, 2022
www.masstransitmag.com

MBTA announces timeline for South Attleboro Station accessibility improvements project construction work

The project recently reached 100 percent design and demolition work on the current pedestrian bridge will begin this fall 2022.
www.masstransitmag.com www.masstransitmag.com
 
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New England Born & Raised said:
There is finally some concrete action taking place on the South Attleboro Commuter Rail Station. The station, first opened in 1990, is adjacent to the Bristol Place Shopping Center located at Routes 1A & I-95 at the S Attleboro/Pawtucket border and has been closed since February 2021 due to its rusting steel pedestrian bridge and stairways being deemed unsafe. A design has been chosen and demolition work on the old bridge is slated to begin this fall. This station on the most used commuter rail line is one of the busiest in the commuter rail system. Fortunately, its closure coincided with the the pandemic when many stopped going into work with the WFH option. The new Pawtucket Station less than two miles away will also soon be coming on line as it is now scheduled to open in late 2022 (delayed from opening this summer).

MBTA announces timeline for South Attleboro Station accessibility improvements project construction work
Aug. 5, 2022
www.masstransitmag.com

MBTA announces timeline for South Attleboro Station accessibility improvements project construction work

The project recently reached 100 percent design and demolition work on the current pedestrian bridge will begin this fall 2022.
www.masstransitmag.com www.masstransitmag.com
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It's worth noting that while they plan to start demolishing the existing station, they don't have funding yet to build it's replacement - it's not in the 5 year CIP, nor has any acceleration or alternative funding been yet identified.
As the 100% final design is being reviewed, the MBTA is actively working to acquire construction funding for the full reconstruction of the South Attleboro station.
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The cynic would say that, since the Pawtucket catchment S Attleboro was built to capture will soon once again be served by a newly built and RIDOT funded station in Pawtucket less than 2.5 miles away, that S Attleboro probably doesn't serve a purpose anymore. That said, East Pawtucket & the Newport Ave corridor are dense enough that service here would still be useful though I wonder what the new ridership figures would look like with Pawtucket / CF open.
 
They shouldn't need to rebuild the entire station. Just build a new bridge. I would say that it would be redundant with the Central Falls stop but it does have a lot of parking and IIRC that parking lot usually filled in 2019. And it's pretty much a wasteland so letting people park there isn't the end of the world.
 
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