Green Line Extension Bombshell

[bUU]

Originally Posted by bUU

So you're saying that that despite a number of substantive reasons, anyone one of which perhaps would explain the situation, we still have to wonder why?

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

At least one person gets it!

Hmmm... hard reality or easy scapegoating... which is best?

[ARrocket]

Originally Posted by Urban Peasant

I visited the NYC Transit Museum a few years ago

That's one of my favorite museums! So underrated.

I think a lot of you are forgetting the crappy political environment the MBTA has to work in. It is not well-funded. It's sad that federal dollars can't go towards service improvements, but alas, that's not how the USDOT operates.

And for whoever is wondering, Magoun Square to Porter and Union Square to Lechemere is roughly the same distance. However, Union Square to Lechemere is a MUCH WORSE walking environment than Magoun to Porter is...so...

[BHboston]

My understanding is that part of the reason that the project is turning out to be so expensive is that it requires an insane amount of track/bridge building. While the Green Line extension will use an existing rail corridor, the project would entail shifting the current commuter rail tracks over, and then building new tracks for the Green Line. So what at face value seems like using an exiting rail line actually means tearing out existing tracks and then building four new ones (maybe three if the commuter rail can single-track in places?). All of this also means rebuilding every single bridge along the line.

I saw a proposal on this blog: Green Line Revisited: 4 - Orange Line: West Medford Branch which suggested using orange line trains, running on the existing tracks, to cover the proposed Medford-Somerville route (while rerouting some Lowell line commuter trains). According to the author, it would avoid the need for total track/bridge reconstruction, cost less, and provide better service. It's an interesting idea, although I'm not sure if anyone's seriously considered it/how feasible it would be.

If the full GLX is off the table, though, I think they should still do at least the Union Square extension.

[robr2]

I believe that the commuter rail and orange line trains sharing the same track would lead to a logistical nightmare. Each orange line station would require a bypass for the commuter rail so it wouldn't be held up by the subway stops.

[BHboston]

I think the proposal was to shift the inner part of the Lowell commuter line to the existing Haverhill commuter tracks up in Woburn, so that the West Medford orange line branch would have the tracks to itself. The only former commuter rail stations that would lose service would be Winchester and Wedgmere, but they could always be included in the orange line extension too.

Many logistical complications, but the author makes a good point that currently the MBTA is allocating much more urban rail capacity to serving a small number of commuter rail passengers commuters vs. being able to use the same tracks to serve many more.