T construction news

[stevebikes]

Hasty photos while passing through Wollaston:

[Jahvon09]

Did they tear the whole thing down & are rebuilding it all over again?!They should get that graffiti off the wall while thay're at it.

[FitchburgLine]

GLX-Union has extensive work going on with the Fitchburg tracks, which are being shifted over to the southern side of the embankment, presumably to clear space for the LRT tracks.

[datadyne007]

Originally Posted by Jahvon09

Did they tear the whole station down & are rebuilding it all over again?!They should get that graffiti off the wall while their at it.

Yes. Only thing left is the actual concrete structure of the original station. Will be getting a new platform, canopy and headhouse on the parking lot side. A modest headhouse will be on Newport Ave with stairs and a switchback ramp.

[Jahvon09]

Thanks. Can't wait to see it!! it'll look even better with the forthcoming new Red Line trains!

[12345]

The MBTA is currently expanding the Wellington train yard and maintenance facility in Medford. The work is necessary to accommodate an entire new fleet, the agency said Wednesday.

This will include adding a new bay, a second car-hoist, an electronics room, better staff facilities and more upgrades to the maintenance facility, as well as replacing the roof.

https://patch.com/massachusetts/medf...anding-medford

[stevebikes]

Here's how the Winter Street Concourse turned out. Love the paint job telling you which way you're going:

[jass]

I dont like the sitting is BANNED

[RandomWalk]

I’m guessing it’s less about sitting and more about sleeping.

[whittle]

Originally Posted by RandomWalk

I’m guessing it’s less about sitting and more about sleeping.

I don't feel like they've done anything to make laying down more difficult.

[JumboBuc]

Originally Posted by whittle

I don't feel like they've done anything to make laying down more difficult.

Right, the spaces on the black ledge behind the railing and between the pillars make nice little separated bunks. When the weather is bad you'll always find people sleeping in those spots. By and large, they don't disturb commuters and commuters don't disturb them.

[bakgwailo]

Seems like such a wasted opportunity to do something interesting like add in retail/stalls or something.

[Jahvon09]

Originally Posted by bakgwailo

Seems like such a wasted opportunity to do something interesting like add in retail/stalls or something.

Yeah, too bad that they don't put some concessions, seats & small tables in there so commuters can stop & get a bite to eat. Like maybe a Dunkin Donuts or something.

The homeless have been laying down & sleeping behind the barriers there. Probably why it was done to discourage them from doing that.

It looks much better than it did with those ugly dull partition walls there though. All that was kept behind there were construction clutter! Looks much brighter. LED lighting?

[Jahvon09]

Looks almost like THIS!!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7393/2...96f70330_b.jpg

[DAVE]

I actually kind of like that. If I were homeless this would be great to avoid being as visible to bystanders for both safety and privacy. Seems like a potentially revanchist policy backfired :P

[stevebikes]

I am a space cadet and missed my stop the other day, so here are some new pictures of Wollaston heading south, and then a video heading back north:

[stevebikes]

Video:

VID_20180816_090446

[datadyne007]

^ Steve, thanks for the great pix & vid of Wollaston. Very comprehensive.

---

Also,

GLX is ahead of schedule:

https://www.facebook.com/53151441680...type=3&theater

The recently released Annual Status Report on the Green Line Extension project lists new, earlier dates for the start of GLX service: April 28, 2021 for the branch to Union Square in Somerville, and July 10, 2021 for the branch to College Avenue in Medford. Previous projections were for service to start by December 2021.

[F-Line to Dudley]

Originally Posted by stevebikes

I am a space cadet and missed my stop the other day, so here are some new pictures of Wollaston heading south, and then a video heading back north:

Hopefully with City of Quincy realizing the world didn't end when the Great Mistake garage at Quincy Ctr. closed, they'll start warming up to the idea of putting Wollaston on a severe parking diet too. 550 spaces is hugely unnecessary waste of asphalt in a dense residential neighborhood lacking much in way of direct high-capacity thoroughfares to a major commuter highway. The whole southeast lot is worth 100K sq. ft. of redev space fronting the Beale/Greenwood block. Simply TOD'ing that slab still leaves 150+ spaces remaining on the more oddly-shaped and lower-value northwest lot...arguably still a bit too much capacity for a neighborhood walk-up stop but very effective nonetheless as a step-down total from ridiculous over-capacity.

With QC garage's demise, Wollaston is the new #1 most unnecessary parking glut on the rapid transit system and the proverbial "one of these is not like the others" sticking out on the list of stops bearing 450+ parking spaces.

[The EGE]

I have update photos for a number of projects coming. I'll post them here as I upload them to Commons. All were taken between December 27 and 30, and clicking on the images will take you to the file description page with the full-size image.

First, progress on the new mini-high platforms and ramps at Mansfield. The underpass ramps are largely complete, but apparently there's a code issue so the whole project is delayed until the end of 2019. Here's the outbound ramp and the inbound platform supports.





Track has been laid for most of the new Red Line test track, and the building foundation is in place.