More on DNC shutdown

[Zaphod]

Looks like not only will the T and commuter rail be shut down in the vincinity of North Station, so will I-93.

link to the article
I swear sometimes that the motto of Boston should be "Give us any task and we'll f*** it up royally."

editted to fit the window

[Robert Paniagua]

Well, we can ALL take a vacation that week.....

However, if you come from the southwest, or the south, or Rhode Island/Connecticut, you're a lucky dog! South Station will obviously be open, and its 1-93 Southeast Expressway, and there will be full RT service from the Red line, so in my case, good thing I live south of Boston.

[fm535]

I don't know about the Blue Line, but I can just imagine how crazy and chaotic the Red Line is going to be during that time frame. I doubt if there will be a single parking spot available at the Alewife garage much past 5 am! Users of the Orange Line are going to have to scoot across Medford and Malden and get into Arlington.

The newspapers on Sunday had several articles stating that most of Los Angeles were against ever having the convention again in that town. It did little to generate revenue, since most of the conventioners were being wined and dined at sponsored dinners, and not eating at restaurants, and that the hotels were giving away a lot of the services that would have been revenue makers, if they were tourists. And that the chaos and mess kept typical tourists away from the convention sites, causing even more loss of seasonal revenue. I think Tom erred on this one!

[Xplorer2000]

Well, we can ALL take a vacation that week.....

I WISH!!!
I hate to get political here, But....has it occured to anyone out there that they're( The Secret Service, and our beloved REPUBLICAN Governor) being maybe a little bit...selective in how they justify security concerns here??
Okay, I can easily see the highway closing, for pretty obvious reasons. I could , maybe , just maybe, justify closing North Station, espescially after the Madrid bombings, except that they're NOT, as has been gleefully stressed by the Republican mayor of New York, closing Penn Station, which hosts more trains, including Amtrak trains with Mail/Express and Baggage cars,while they hold the Republican National Convention directly above in Madison Square Garden!!! Which to me would be easily 10 TIMES the target, as the DNC at the Fleet Center, simply because of its location, and the Presidents notoriety. If they don't insist on closing both Stations , then its a deliberate,politcally motivated move to embarass and inconvenience the public in a state that they know is politically hostile to George W. and that he'll never win in. Period. After all, what better way to cost his opponent votes in his Home state , than by gettting the public pissed at him for "inconveniencing" them with their foolish political convention?

[johnpbarlow]

Won't game 7 happen around the end of July?



I do think it ironic that our own junior senator of 22 years (has he ever had a real job?) is going to bring north side commuting to a standstill. Good fodder for a Bush campaign ad.

[Xplorer2000]

Won't game 7 happen around the end of July?

Now there's a nice thought.....they might have a chance this year too!! :D

[Robert Paniagua]

I wonder where the Downeaster will terminate, Anderson RTC? or will it take the Ayer run thru the CPF Main Line to the Framingham Secondary from Ayer, and then to South Station. Since the Grand Jct is forbidden from taking passenger-filled full trains.

[MBTA F40PH-2C 1050]

why can't passenger trains go by Grand jct.? and where is that? city, line?

[bingdude]

Well as of this morning down here in NY, the Secret Service is still asking for all activity at Penn Station (Amtrak as well) to stop when the President is at the convention. It is not clear if they also want to shut down the subway lines that straddle the station on each avenue, either.

The mayor is dead-set against it.

I think they will shut it down. At least for several hours on the night the Pres. gives his Hoopla speech. I can't see how they could work around it.

[ceo]

Run the Downeaster to South Station via Ayer? That means running all the way out to Worcester, adding at least two hours to the trip. Far better to terminate at Anderson and transfer to buses.

The Grand Junction is limited to 10MPH, is single tracked and has grade crossings all over East Cambridge, and also requires changing ends at Beacon Park. (Plus, I think it's shut down during the day due to the construction of the MIT building that straddles it). It takes the T an hour to get a car between BET and South Station, so this would still add too much time ot the trip.

[fm535]

I was going to suggest Malden and the Orange Line, but remembered the OL isn't an answer for anything. I guess bustitution from Anderson to Alewife (128 to Rte 2) would allow subway access into the city at its best!

[apodino]

Heres a thought that came into my mind. In 1985 the trestle approach to North Station burned and closed North Station for over a year. During that time here is the way that the commuter rail service was provided.

Lowell and Fitchburg Lines terminated at a Temporary Station located at BET.

Rockport and Ipswich trains terminated at a Temporary platform at Sullivan Square.

Haverhill Trains terminated at Oak Grove on the now never used Commuter Rail platform.

I was trying to think of the feasability of doing something similar. If BET was used, since the North Station-Lechmere segment is going to be bustitution anyways, why not do that again, and use the same bus. It might be a bit more crowded, but I think it would do the job. Sullivan Square wouldn't be a bad termination spot either although it would require some ingenuity, and I am not sure how the Orange Line will be affected. Obviously Malden is a natural termination point for the Haverhill trains, provided the renovations are finished.

What I think is more likely to happen is that the Commuter trains from Fitchburg could be terminated at Alewife again, as happened in the past, and that would provide easier bustitution if necessary, although I don't think any buses will get near Causeway St. Lowell trains are anyones guess, though BET seems to be the only option that makes sense on this line, since Anderson shuts off Winchester and Medford residents. As far as the Rockport and Newburyport Lines go, the T could set up a temporary station next to the Wonderland Greyhound track that would allow connections to the Blue Line without having to ride a bus, express or not from Lynn. Not to mention that GE employees still need to use riverworks station. Lynn still would seem like the way the T would go though. I haven't seen anything from the T that informs us of what will happen, and I think people need to be able to plan. And the Downeaster would almost certainly terminate at Anderson. I know this is an amtrak issue, but it is related to the overlying topic, but I would think that Amtrak might bustitute from South Station or Route 128 to Anderson, however with 93 being closed at times too, this is a very sticky situation.

Personally, I think the secret service needs to be more worried about the RNC in new york. With Amtrak trains coming in from much further areas, it would make an easier target from a distance. I don't want to say more, because I would be giving away too much info, but that is a concern that I have.

[efin98]

As far as the Rockport and Newburyport Lines go, the T could set up a temporary station next to the Wonderland Greyhound track that would allow connections to the Blue Line without having to ride a bus, express or not from Lynn

not true at all, riders would have to divert around the area to get to Wonderland. There is not direct access from the right of way to Wonderland without bussing, and it's doubtful that the T would want to spend money to build a temporary, ADA complient station when they already have an existing station nearby with connecting buses and a bus garage nearby.

[Ron Newman]

At last Wednesday's annual reorganizational meeting of the Somerville
Democratic City Committee, I proposed the following resolution. It
passed in a show-of-hands vote, getting the support of about 3/5 of the
90+ people in attendance.

A visiting representative from the Democratic National Convention
planning committee was quite unhappy with the resolution, and argued
strenuously against it, but to no avail. I hope others will pick up
the ball from here.

------------------------
The DNC, North Station, and I-93:
Keep Boston Open During the Convention

Because the needs of ordinary working people should always be paramount
for Democrats, the Somerville Democratic City Committee opposes current
plans to close I-93 and North Station during the last week of July.
These plans will seriously disrupt the daily lives of hundreds of
thousands of commuters, leading to frustration and lost wages for many
voters throughout our region. Such a scenario cannot benefit the
Democratic Party.

We call on the City of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and
the MBTA to keep all highways, subway stations, and commuter rail lines
operating as usual throughout the Democratic National Convention, as is
done for other large FleetCenter events.

We also urge our elected officials to publicly oppose any closings of
I-93 and North Station, and call on other Democratic town and city
committees to pass resolutions similar to this one.

[jack615]

Lynn plan for throngs of rail commuters during convention
By Phoebe Sweet
Lynn Item
Tuesday, April 27, 2004

MBTA, police, state and city officials met Monday to discuss the route almost 9,000 commuters will take through Lynn to get to Boston during July's Democratic National Convention.

Since Lynn will be the last stop on the commuter rail during the July 26 to 29 convention, the MBTA is cooperating with local law enforcement and city officials to coordinate railway to bus transfers for passengers.

Jack
http://www.thedailyitemoflynn.com/news/ ... cleid=6015