MBTA "Transformation" (Green Line, Red Line, & Orange Line Transformation Projects)

Everything with this round of stations (GLX, the 14 B and C stops, the 5 D stops, and the planned E stops) is all provisioned for easy conversion for higher platforms for Type 10s. The current order of Type 10 cars only provides for single-car trains (113' long) which can be done fairly cheaply within existing platform lengths everywhere. Remove about 150' of existing platform, add 125' of higher platform plus ramps. With good planning, you can probably blitz the conversion of an entire line in two weeks (or use temporary wooden platforms at some stops during conversion). By far the hardest part - getting enough width to have a compliant accessible platform in the first place - is already being done with these current projects. The initial Type 10 modifications are much simpler (and pretty cheap) with that in place.

Going up to 2-car trains will be where it gets tricky, and I suspect that most stations will not be modified for that until they actually commit to buying enough cars for that. You need about 260' including the ramps at the ends, which is longer than some current stops. To their credit, the MBTA clearly is thinking about this. They've explicitly called out B and C stops (Blandford, BC, St Marys, Coolidge, Washington Square, Cleveland Circle) that will need major work/relocation, and are apparently considering converting at least some B stops to island platforms that would be wider than the existing side platforms. There's a few others (Harvard Avenue and Chiswick Road off the top of my head) that will need a bit of lengthening as well, but likely not major relocation.

The Central Subway will be fine - the shortest platform is Boylston NB at 250'. GLX is 225' platforms that can largely be raised in place, and they were explicitly provisioned for lengthening to 300' if needed anyway. Three of the E surface stops are fine, and those under design now will be presumably long enough as well. Brigham Circle will need reconfigured (which will hopefully improve on those super-narrow platforms), and Heath Street will of course need to be completely replaced. On the D, all but two stops have plenty of room. At Riverside, they'll probably have to replace the Grove Street bridge with a wider span to extend the platforms east. At Reservoir, they'll need to reconfigure the yard leads (moving the tracks over using the space currently occupied by the snowplow siding) and remove or reconfigure the "cripple track" on the south side of the tracks.
 
Isn’t it 6 D line stops? Waban, Eliot, Newton Highlands, Chestnut Hill, Beaconsfield and Brookline Hills?
Whoops, you're correct. I forgot about Brookline Hills, and Amory Street and Babcock Street on the B. Same commentary applies to all three of those.
 
Does anyone know when Kent Street is going to be closed? I hope it's sooner rather than later so that C branch trains can go a bit faster.
 
Does anyone know when Kent Street is going to be closed?
Construction for C branch accessibility is starting in March and B branch Fall 25. Kent will be closed and Fairbanks and Brandon Hall consolidated.


 
Posting live from the Red Line:

While pretty fast from Ashmont to South Station, the screeching South Station and Broadway and JFK to Andrew was deafening. Significantly worse than the Boylston Curve. Also noticed a bit of slowness on the way in going into Savin Hill.

I was a bit disappointed that the Ashmont fare gates didn't take tap credit cards, too. The trolley, at least on the way in was nice and was a rebuilt one - good AC. I currently fear how long I will have to wait at Ashmont for a Trolley, though.

All in all Ashmont to South station was about 20 minutes. About 35 door to for with the trolley at Cedar Grove.
 
Posting live from the Red Line:

While pretty fast from Ashmont to South Station, the screeching South Station and Broadway and JFK to Andrew was deafening. Significantly worse than the Boylston Curve. Also noticed a bit of slowness on the way in going into Savin Hill.

I was a bit disappointed that the Ashmont fare gates didn't take tap credit cards, too. The trolley, at least on the way in was nice and was a rebuilt one - good AC. I currently fear how long I will have to wait at Ashmont for a Trolley, though.

All in all Ashmont to South station was about 20 minutes. About 35 door to for with the trolley at Cedar Grove.
I thought it was tomorrow that the contactless payments were to begin, except for beta testing group.
 
I thought it was tomorrow that the contactless payments were to begin, except for beta testing group.
Yeah, it could be. The trolley didn't care and in the end, just got a Charlie Ticket at Ashmont for a round trip - which was cool as it was tapable.

Now, rant after getting home and doing the dishes:

I got into Ashmont and was watching my tracker website and saw a trolley pulling in, too. What great luck I thought, as we pulled into Ashmont (usual super slow going in), the App updated as I got off the train to show the trolley almost at Cedar Grove. As I got towards the platform on the escalator I saw the meandering passengers leaving the platform and no sign of the trolley. The countdown board said a trolley every 22-25 minutes, and there was not another trolley on the line according to my app. I decided to screw that and just walked home via Cedar Grove. As I arrived on foot, the trolley finally pulled up, so I can at least say I tied it and won a moral victory (and walked off some calories from dinner in town).

Utter waste of 20 minutes because the MBTA and High-Speed Line operators can't be arsed to do even simple operational improvements that even toddlers in any other system in the world would be able to do like having a transfer wait less than 2 minutes at the terminus of a major subway line. I guess some things never change.
 
I asked this in a different thread, but does anyone know if there have been updates on the Mattapan Line Program/Transformation project since last June? I can't find anything on the T's website (or anywhere else) since then, but wanted to make sure I'm not missing anything. I'd also be curious if any stop consolidation/removal was ever seriously considered the last few years, but given the plans to keep Capen St and Valley Road, I assume the answer is no.
 
I asked this in a different thread, but does anyone know if there have been updates on the Mattapan Line Program/Transformation project since last June? I can't find anything on the T's website (or anywhere else) since then, but wanted to make sure I'm not missing anything. I'd also be curious if any stop consolidation/removal was ever seriously considered the last few years, but given the plans to keep Capen St and Valley Road, I assume the answer is no.
Stop consolidation was never a topic brought up in the community meetings I attend, nor have I seen any literature considering it.

Also curious on updates. I think the answer is there are none, and that the PCC rehab remains as behind as the CRRC order, and the other transformation projects are in limbo.
 
Stop consolidation was never a topic brought up in the community meetings I attend, nor have I seen any literature considering it.

Also curious on updates. I think the answer is there are none, and that the PCC rehab remains as behind as the CRRC order, and the other transformation projects are in limbo.
But isn’t full implementation funded through the CIP?
 
But isn’t full implementation funded through the CIP?
It's fully authorized, but only $77 million of the authorized $114 is programmed to be spent by FY 29. That doesn't seem to bode well for the project timeline. The transformation project is P0857 in the most recent CIP book.
 
Stop consolidation was never a topic brought up in the community meetings I attend, nor have I seen any literature considering it.

I didn't think so either, but wanted to confirm. I asked because I noticed the expected cost of replacing the Valley Road station is almost $21 million, but was only serving 10 daily riders as of June 2023. It seems like that money could be much better used if that station was just permanently closed.
 
It's fully authorized, but only $77 million of the authorized $114 is programmed to be spent by FY 29. That doesn't seem to bode well for the project timeline. The transformation project is P0857 in the most recent CIP book.
They have to wait till the type 10 start delivery in 2027 to transfer type 9’s so the timeline makes sense of 77 million by FY 29.
 
They have to wait till the type 10 start delivery in 2027 to transfer type 9’s so the timeline makes sense of 77 million by FY 29.
I guess. But there was still a bunch of station work, track improvements, bridge work, etc that it seems they could get a head start on to get things ready for the Type-9s. They also talked more drastic things like redoing the interchange at Ashmont which would have a potentially be (positive) impact on riders today without waiting for the hand me down Type 9s.
 

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