Fitchburg Line Upgrade Discussion

the ege. I failed to convey that Westminster loses tax revenues. The layover yard is in Westminsters industrial development area. I think it criminal to spend $10mil of taxpayer money on new infrastructure for a losing rapid transit system and kill a town's potential for new development when suitable unused track and fallow land abounds. Are we all so dense as to accept the MBTA selection process? These are people who couldn't manage Edaville Railroad. All objections to siting in East Fitchburg/Gardner seem to be focused on freight wishful thinking and avoidance of some additional work for train drivers. As I stated, i was approached by Westminster to develop methodology that would remove them from this layover. They chose to use a peer-to-peer person who obviously failed. In my worst days, i could have raised the discomfort level at MBTA. There are thousands of feet of unused rail in the weeds at East Fitchburg, a parcel in Gardner that will never be developed, a tight curve? Westminster is the wrong choice . DOT should re-think. Ken Patrick

KEN PATRICK wrote:All objections to siting in East Fitchburg/Gardner seem to be focused on freight wishful thinking and avoidance of some additional work for train drivers.

Additional work for train drivers costs money and would probably reduce on-time performance too. Seems like that's something to be avoided.

Each party must plan for the future. You're saying that hoping for freight is wishful. Seems like hoping for someone put industry in the Westminster industrial area is too. No?

KEN PATRICK wrote:the ege. I failed to convey that Westminster loses tax revenues. The layover yard is in Westminsters industrial development area. I think it criminal to spend $10mil of taxpayer money on new infrastructure for a losing rapid transit system and kill a town's potential for new development

"Criminal?" That's quite a strong word. Also, I could be wrong, but I'd think that the cost of putting the layover yard in what is now a wetlands area would be MORE expensive than the current plan.

KEN PATRICK wrote:when suitable unused track and fallow land abounds.

As many previous posters have said, the problem is that the track you have mentioned is neither "suitable" or entirely "unused," and the only place "fallow land abounds" is at West Wachusett.

There is more to this process than what infrastructure happens to exist. Sometimes, building anew is easier and cheaper in the long run than shoehorning an operation into a specific space.

Ken-
Your 1205 post of 02-29-2012 is the second one in which you mention being approached by Westminster and ultimately not being chosen to be the advocate for relocation of the proposed layover facility. Are your contributions here and also on the the Millers Falls Interchange thread attempts at case-building for hiring you as an intervenor? Your approach of flame-war hyperbole would seem to be in sharp contrast to the negotiating techniques generally sought in bringing sides of disparate interests to common cause.
You will have amassed a portfolio of posts in which you emerge as the one crying in and about the wilderness, but whether the approach demonstrated in that portfolio will prove productive in garnering you commissions and assignments remains to be determined.

Just to get things correct.
The new station is in West Fitchburg the proposed layover is in Westminister.

The industrial park where the station is going already has some track but is was disconnected years ago and is all grown in.

The station is not near wet lands but the origional layover proposal adjacent to the station was, its the proposed layover which is in a second industrial area up the tracks and addtional 2 miles in Westminister but the wet land is also on the other side of the main line from the proposed layover location which will have the main line as a buffer.

The talk of addtional industrial track is talk only and is a wish list to help develope the Industrial area in Westminister.

Just one question what does Edaville Railroad have to do with the upgrade, I don't get the connection???????????

Peter

arcadia terminal wrote: Just one question what does Edaville Railroad have to do with the upgrade, I don't get the connection???????????

Peter

It doesn't, he was just bashing the T.

I don't know, they (the T) seem to be able to manage a major public transit facility that carries 1.3 million passengers every weekday and get it done most of the time. IMHO.

Jon

Just saw the work train go by Roberts Station, around 12:50PM. Pushed (into Boston) by 3247, didn't catch the number of the lead car (but I think it's the same one that I've seen there a couple times now). The other times I've seen this go by (inbound and outbound) it's had empty flatbeds in between. Today it was just old Amtrak car 1411, which I read elsewhere here carries salt to stations.

Well, finally some communication from MART. The North Leominster lot is closed as of Monday(3-12).

ST214 wrote:Well, finally some communication from MART. The North Leominster lot is closed as of Monday(3-12).

ST214- that notice was posted by MART on all of the cars' windshields that were parked in the North Leominster lot last night. MART says they will provide a shuttle from a substitute parking lot in the Mall at Whitney Field, next to Sears Auto. The shuttle only runs for the morning and evening weekday trains. There is no provision for a shuttle between rush hours (middays), evenings or weekends. Assuming the Commuter Rail is still going to be running on weekends and evenings after July 1st, it is going to be "interesting" trying to find a place to park near the North Leominster station during construction. I guess you can park in the mall and walk, but that is not necessarily a good walk- busy roads, no lights at night and no sidewalks. There are some residential side roads north of the station off of 13. I wonder if there are any parking restrictions on them? I might check with the City of Leominster PD, as in addition to my usual rush hour commute, I also take the train during weekends and off hours when the shuttle will not be running and that area is closer to the station than the mall is.

One final note- the reaction of many of the commuters this morning was "is this really necessary?", as the current lot does not entirely fill up. One guy was even wondering why they didn't wait until the Wachusetts Park and Ride was open before they undertook closing the North Leominster lot. That would probably make too much sense.

-Mike

mdamico23 wrote:

ST214 wrote:Well, finally some communication from MART. The North Leominster lot is closed as of Monday(3-12).

ST214- that notice was posted by MART on all of the cars' windshields that were parked in the North Leominster lot last night. MART says they will provide a shuttle from a substitute parking lot in the Mall at Whitney Field, next to Sears Auto. The shuttle only runs for the morning and evening weekday trains. There is no provision for a shuttle between rush hours (middays), evenings or weekends. Assuming the Commuter Rail is still going to be running on weekends and evenings after July 1st, it is going to be "interesting" trying to find a place to park near the North Leominster station during construction. I guess you can park in the mall and walk, but that is not necessarily a good walk- busy roads, no lights at night and no sidewalks. There are some residential side roads north of the station off of 13. I wonder if there are any parking restrictions on them? I might check with the City of Leominster PD, as in addition to my usual rush hour commute, I also take the train during weekends and off hours when the shuttle will not be running and that area is closer to the station than the mall is.

One final note- the reaction of many of the commuters this morning was "is this really necessary?", as the current lot does not entirely fill up. One guy was even wondering why they didn't wait until the Wachusetts Park and Ride was open before they undertook closing the North Leominster lot. That would probably make too much sense.

-Mike

There used to be a dirt parking lot off of Rt 13, as you pass under the RR bridge, behind the used car dealer, a few years ago. It was leased(?) by the MBTA for parking. I'll assume it's gone now. Far as parking restrictions, there are some, but they rarely get enforced. My street (leominster) has a winter parking ban, yet people park there during snow storms and nothing is done. FWIW, Leominster no longer has a "parking officer" to enforce parking rules, he retired a while ago, and the job was never filled.

J

The lot used to fill up until monthly passes were killed at the beginning of Feb. There were a few times I showed up for 424 and there were no parking spots open. The norm was less than five. I will just walk. Walking home from 401 will look odd, but I know most of the officers that work North Leominster, so I am not too worried about that. It is a straight shot up Rte. 13 to my street.

mdamico23 wrote:

ST214 wrote:Well, finally some communication from MART. The North Leominster lot is closed as of Monday(3-12).

ST214- that notice was posted by MART on all of the cars' windshields that were parked in the North Leominster lot last night. MART says they will provide a shuttle from a substitute parking lot in the Mall at Whitney Field, next to Sears Auto. The shuttle only runs for the morning and evening weekday trains. There is no provision for a shuttle between rush hours (middays), evenings or weekends. Assuming the Commuter Rail is still going to be running on weekends and evenings after July 1st, it is going to be "interesting" trying to find a place to park near the North Leominster station during construction. I guess you can park in the mall and walk, but that is not necessarily a good walk- busy roads, no lights at night and no sidewalks. There are some residential side roads north of the station off of 13. I wonder if there are any parking restrictions on them? I might check with the City of Leominster PD, as in addition to my usual rush hour commute, I also take the train during weekends and off hours when the shuttle will not be running and that area is closer to the station than the mall is.

One final note- the reaction of many of the commuters this morning was "is this really necessary?", as the current lot does not entirely fill up. One guy was even wondering why they didn't wait until the Wachusetts Park and Ride was open before they undertook closing the North Leominster lot. That would probably make too much sense.

-Mike

That dirt lot is actually someones back yard!

frrc wrote:
There used to be a dirt parking lot off of Rt 13, as you pass under the RR bridge, behind the used car dealer, a few years ago. It was leased(?) by the MBTA for parking. I'll assume it's gone now. Far as parking restrictions, there are some, but they rarely get enforced. My street (leominster) has a winter parking ban, yet people park there during snow storms and nothing is done. FWIW, Leominster no longer has a "parking officer" to enforce parking rules, he retired a while ago, and the job was never filled.

J

Prep work continues at the LIttleton/495 station. There are a couple of what seem to be pile drivers just west of the current station, and some large round steel tubes (caissons?) and big steel I-beams. On the other side of the road the gravel hoppers were filled and hooked up to a big dump truck on the new track this morning.

Dan

Has anyone actually seen the MBTA analysis of options for the Westminster layover yard?

ken patrick

Yes.