![]() |
|
Design a Better Boston Are you disappointed with the state of Boston's current architecture/development? Think you have a better idea? Post it here. |
![]() |
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
![]() |
#1 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: North Shore
Posts: 4,265
|
Crazy Transit Pitches
This is where I'll toss out some of my crazy ideas that are relatively smaller and don't really need individual threads.
I give you... the Red Line Wye: http://www.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF...8a6d4&t=h&z=13 Continue the Blue Line connection at MGH under the Charles to a junction somewhere near Kendall. Put a junction north of Broadway, South of Maverick, and connect them. And there you have it, my Red Line Wye, also featuring a new stop for the Financial District and Downtown Waterfront located below the RKG between International Place and Rowes Wharf. Will also feature a free ferry transfer. Oh, and the Maverick-Broadway portion will run to Ashmont only, not Braintree. And that would cover all Ashmont service. This is an attempt to keep Braintree riders from getting pissy like they do about everything. Coming soon to a Google Map near you! The Green Line Wye! Featuring heavy rail upgrades to the central subway and a wye connection to the Blue Line in the Government Center/State Street/Park Street area. After that one, I'm all done with wyes [I think]. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#2 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: North Shore
Posts: 4,265
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
Okay, here she is, the Green Line Wye:
http://www.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF...a497bd3c9e0ca8 Except I rename her... The Blue Line Wye. The Green Line would be upgraded to handle current Blue Line rolling stock. The curve from North Station to the viaduct portal would have to be straightened out, Haymarket would be eliminated due to new alignment to account for the curve coming in from State, and that would be covered by a new Government Center station on the north side of the wye. Also, Boylston would have to be relocated, if not eliminated, due to curve. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Buh-Buh-Buh...Bawferston
Posts: 330
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
I gave ye olde google maps a try last night...hopefully it comes up
Lowell Commuter Rail Extension into Nashua, NH http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en...c103214ea324ba |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Boston
Posts: 584
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
I like the ideas of connecting more lines together but I think it might be better accomplished via completely separated, dedicated lines.
Here's my crazy idea that kind of rethinks the entire way the T is organized now, based on Madrid's Metro. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...,0.676346&z=11 A rough sketch, but you get the idea. ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#5 |
Moderator
Join Date: May 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 6,216
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
You guys mind if I post these on futureMBTA? Full credit of course.
__________________
http://www.vanshnookenraggen.com | http://futurembta.com | http://hyperrealcartography.tumblr.com brivx: well, my philosophy is: as designers, we make a good theater, we dont direct the play |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Buh-Buh-Buh...Bawferston
Posts: 330
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
Sure...not at all...
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#7 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Boston
Posts: 584
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
Doesn't bother me either. I will probably be tweaking it a bit though.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#8 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: North Shore
Posts: 4,265
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
Sounds fine, no qualms here.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#9 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Buh-Buh-Buh...Bawferston
Posts: 330
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
Van...I LOVE your maps. Not just like...but LOVE!
Yet, I feel that we need to re-enter the earth's surface without heat tiles. I would love to see the 2050 map become a reaility. Maybe by then when we're under China's rule, it'll happen. But realistically, the future of the MBTA's extensions and improvments will consist of the following: 1. The Red Line will be extended out to 128/Brandeis. It'll take some time, and a lot of litigation from NIMBY's. But it'll run alongside the Commuter Rail, which will be okay with most neighbors. The worst will be that they'll just add a commuter rail stop at Alewife. 2. The Orange Line will be extended to Dedham. The Northwest End will unfortunately say the same. 3. Boylston and Hynes Stations will be rebuilt by the year 2020. While the Concrete will be reinforced in the tunnels. 4. The Blue Line will be extended to Lynn. 5. The Red/Blue line connectord to MGH will happen. And who knows? Maybe I will be wrong. Hopefully I'll be wrong (or right, depending on where you stand). But in Mass, we need to take baby steps. We also can't be trusted with elaborate projects. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#10 |
Moderator
Join Date: May 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 6,216
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
This is very similar to an early proposal for the original Tremont St subway and the East Boston tunnel. The wacky original layout of Scollay and Adams Sq stations was to act as a kind of interchange for trains coming from the north, east (via the East Boston tunnel), south, and west (via Cambridge St). I think once the subway became popular there was a push towards full heavy rail which killed the idea.
Here is a map I found once, year unknown. ![]() Edit: Your posts are up, thanks a lot! Great ideas.
__________________
http://www.vanshnookenraggen.com | http://futurembta.com | http://hyperrealcartography.tumblr.com brivx: well, my philosophy is: as designers, we make a good theater, we dont direct the play |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#11 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: brooklyn
Posts: 6,052
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
Quote:
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#12 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 132
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
Hey van,
Do u remember an idea you had for an urban ring on your website and you had a map of? I'll refresh your memory: Quote:
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#13 |
Moderator
Join Date: May 2006
Location: New York City
Posts: 6,216
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
That was my old, heavy rail, plan for the urban ring. I've since changed gears and now think that building light rail subway network which integrates with the Green Line would be a better plan. I don't know if I ever actually wrote out the specifics but it would allow for not one but up to 3 different "loops" through Boston, Roxbury, and Cambridge. When I get home and can look up what I have I'll post it. I personally thought it was a much more ingenious idea than what the T was proposing; one which could easily be built in stages and be affordable.
__________________
http://www.vanshnookenraggen.com | http://futurembta.com | http://hyperrealcartography.tumblr.com brivx: well, my philosophy is: as designers, we make a good theater, we dont direct the play |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#14 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: brooklyn
Posts: 6,052
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
Given the way ideas get watered down in Boston we should have begun conceiving of the Urban Ring as a high-speed maglev. Then we might have wound up with, at least, light rail!
As it is the MBTA started with heavy rail and we're going to wind up with a shuttle bus sporting a handmade sign taped to the window. And it won't run weekends or holidays. (Maybe I'm just a little bitter because the T has been replacing half of Needham Line commuter rail service with school buses. Not even conventional T buses...school buses. At full commuter rail ticket price.) |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#15 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Boston
Posts: 2,189
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
that is honestly absurd/embarrassing. They couldn't have gone for full coach buses (especially considering they are still charging upwards of $4.50 for a ticket.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#16 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Buh-Buh-Buh...Bawferston
Posts: 330
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#17 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 132
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
Quote:
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#18 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: brooklyn
Posts: 6,052
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
^ That makes me think that an okay way to facilitate the conversion of the Green Line from light to heavy rail might be to resurface the trolley lines for a few years. Traffic isn't THAT heavy on Tremont and Boylston that they couldn't suffer 30some months of lane reductions, and it's not necessarily true that the Green Line would be slower at surface than in the awful old tunnels (the Herald recently held a race between trolley and bike from Cleveland Circle to Park St...guess who won?)
Of course, ideally, we'd instead temporarily replace the Green Line with a Blue Line heavy rail extension past Bowdoin to, say, Kenmore...but that obviously seems less likely. Speaking of crazy transit schemes...some Londoner came up with this, a Tube map redesigned with "South London bias" (currently, most of the Tube runs north of the Thames...s/he basically flipped the map upside down to the other side of the river and renamed the station): http://bit.ly/fRda8V |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#19 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: brooklyn
Posts: 6,052
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
Quote:
Rush hour trips haven't been left unscathed either; trackwork has increased the time it takes to run the journey from about half an hour to an hour and a half. I mean, I understand that there's track maintenance to do (and slippery rail this time of year) but think of the treatment that highways get: most scheduled roadwork is done in the middle of the night. |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#20 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,277
|
Re: Crazy Transit Pitches
(double post)
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
|
![]() |
||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Limeys Going Paranoid Like Crazy! | TikiNYC | General | 18 | 06-17-2010 06:50 PM |
2009 Remembered as The Christmas of Crazy Snowball Fights | TikiNYC | General | 0 | 12-24-2009 06:24 PM |
In Transit current issue | Patrick | General Architecture & Urban Planning | 3 | 12-12-2009 12:59 AM |
We don't need Mass Transit!!! | JohnAKeith | Transit and Infrastructure | 1 | 06-22-2009 04:14 PM |
Transit Use in San Francisco and Elsewhere | ablarc | Transit and Infrastructure | 2 | 06-17-2007 10:04 PM |