With the opening of the new Encore yesterday in Everett, I was surprised that in all the transportation options mentioned, nothing was said about adding a station along the Newburyport Line as it passes literally in the shadow of the property. I'm sure they could afford to pay a good chunk of the development costs not to mention the Gateway Center on the other side of the tracks.
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There was also talk of a cable car across the Mystic River from Assembly Square Orange Line station. The station is about 500 feet across the river from the casino/hotel
Many have said the grades on the Eastern Route heading west over the bridge towards North station would preclude an inbound stop.
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Avatar: An overnight trip on Girard Ave. stumbles upon 6 PCC's and an LRV stuck within two blocks.
Avatar: An overnight trip on Girard Ave. stumbles upon 6 PCC's and an LRV stuck within two blocks.
Yeah, the grade doesn't level out until about halfway past the casino.
If they were ever to build a station It wouldn't be right beside the casino, it would be a little past it. But I'm not sure that there is room for one with the active rail siding for freight and the entrance to the old Saugus Branch on the other side that is still used for MBTA MOW equipment.
If they were ever to build a station It wouldn't be right beside the casino, it would be a little past it. But I'm not sure that there is room for one with the active rail siding for freight and the entrance to the old Saugus Branch on the other side that is still used for MBTA MOW equipment.
Aerie wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2019 6:52 pm There was also talk of a cable car across the Mystic River from Assembly Square Orange Line station. The station is about 500 feet across the river from the casino/hotelA Doppelmayr cable liner to Assembly or Sullivan would be perfect, since it looks and feels like a light rail vehicle and is far more weather-friendly than aerial cable cars, but is really little more than the old Wellington horizontal elevator on steroids. That last bit is especially convenient, as it would allow Encore to keep all of the major mechanical components on their property for ease of maintenance, and it also means that the cars are essentially silent like the horizontal funiculars that they are.
A couple of casinos in Vegas already have them for the same reasons that I outlined, and there's also one in Oakland operating as part of the BART network. As to weather resilience, IIRC there's one at the Toronto airport, and if it can work in Toronto winters, itlltdo just fine here.
They're going to build a footbridge from Assembly: https://patch.com/massachusetts/somervi ... ville-wynn
I was listening to interview(s) with the Mayor of Everett and also the Boston Herald Radios' transportation podcast, and they mentioned an MBTA project to extend the Silver Line from Chelsea to the casino and then to Sullivan Square. Someone mentioned perhaps further. I assume a rubber-tire vehicle would have a short platform that could be made level. Is there ROW available for a Silver Line? Heck, there is usually an access road next to the tracks to access the signal boxes without fouling the main tracks.
I'm not a railroad construction engineer, but the configuration of the Silver Line & the railroad tracks at the Everett St Chelsea terminus seems to waste about one tracks' width of space.
If Assembly Row is 500 feet away across the river & they are building a footbridge that's a no-brainer.
There was a spur into the property when it was Monsanto, and there is a whole thread under PanAM about the excavation of the dirty-dirt. I guess you could build a spur for Commuter Rail but not a through-station.
I'm not a railroad construction engineer, but the configuration of the Silver Line & the railroad tracks at the Everett St Chelsea terminus seems to waste about one tracks' width of space.
If Assembly Row is 500 feet away across the river & they are building a footbridge that's a no-brainer.
There was a spur into the property when it was Monsanto, and there is a whole thread under PanAM about the excavation of the dirty-dirt. I guess you could build a spur for Commuter Rail but not a through-station.
rethcir wrote: ↑Tue Jun 25, 2019 2:37 pm They're going to build a footbridge from Assembly: https://patch.com/massachusetts/somervi ... ville-wynnFor $30+ million, you're within striking distance of something automated and 24/7/365 weatherproof. I'm not sure about what an 800' pedestrian causeway offers in terms of actual 4-season usability, though I'd imagine it probably will earn them some brownie points with the DCR, the state, and all of the bike lane advocacy types. Maybe we'll see the APM once (if) the attendance numbers hold for another year or two.
It's very frustrating: The Eastern Route commuter rail runs through the property, but there is no room for a station; the Orange Line is within 500 feet, but across a river; the streets the casino is on were already saturated before the casino was built. Did no one think of this before building the casino? Could they perhaps run a water shuttle from Assembly Square?
I'm sure they thought about the transportation limitations, but another group had a lock on Suffolk Downs!
A water shuttle to Assembly would be an excellent idea!! Assembly ==> Casino ==> Schrafft's ==> Spaulding Rehab ==> Airport.
I'm looking at google maps, and there is already a small fishing dock directly behind Assembly Station. Need to extend the overhead bridge, 2? elevators, up & down escalator & stairs on the back of assembly station. Is that about $4M+? Upgrade the fishing dock.
If you wanted a water shuttle to go to Wellington you would have to go through the boat lock.
What is that Draw 7 Park used for, it looks forlorn in the satellite view.
A water shuttle to Assembly would be an excellent idea!! Assembly ==> Casino ==> Schrafft's ==> Spaulding Rehab ==> Airport.
I'm looking at google maps, and there is already a small fishing dock directly behind Assembly Station. Need to extend the overhead bridge, 2? elevators, up & down escalator & stairs on the back of assembly station. Is that about $4M+? Upgrade the fishing dock.
If you wanted a water shuttle to go to Wellington you would have to go through the boat lock.
What is that Draw 7 Park used for, it looks forlorn in the satellite view.
There are already water shuttles directly from Downtown.
https://www.encorebostonharbor.com/tran ... or-shuttle
A stop at Assembly in the interim would be nice, but I think half the problem is the lack of a pedestrian crossing of the tracks at Assembly. You’d probably have to have it at the yacht club which is maybe a half mile from the head house.
Realistically if you’re looking to get from Somerville to Encore it’s probably fastest easiest and cheapest to take an Uber or Lyft, until the footbridge is up and running
https://www.encorebostonharbor.com/tran ... or-shuttle
A stop at Assembly in the interim would be nice, but I think half the problem is the lack of a pedestrian crossing of the tracks at Assembly. You’d probably have to have it at the yacht club which is maybe a half mile from the head house.
Realistically if you’re looking to get from Somerville to Encore it’s probably fastest easiest and cheapest to take an Uber or Lyft, until the footbridge is up and running
I'm wondering how exactly shuttle buses from Wellington get to the casino. If I remember correctly (haven't lived that area for 20 years), there is no connection from the RBP eastbound to the Rte 99 traffic circle (and from there to the casino). There is a connection from the RBP westbound, but not from the eastbound. So do the shuttle buses go further on the RBP and then loop back? Or has some kind of connecting road been built?
For RT 16 eastbound, the first rotary after you go across the Mystic River, the right lane takes you to "Mystic View Rd" which is the newish shopping mall with Costco, Homeless Depot, Chucky Haz Cheez etc. The second from the right lane takes you around the rotary, towards "Santilli Highway". Go halfway around the rotary, take a right & it takes you to the elevated 99 rotary. Very confusing signage & it comes up on you too quickly.
Ideally, you want to build a duck-under bridge under the railroad track behind the Costco/Home Depot, which would take you directly to the back of the casino. Can you do that for less than $10M?. Probably need sump pumps to keep such a road from filling with seawater.
Ideally, you want to build a duck-under bridge under the railroad track behind the Costco/Home Depot, which would take you directly to the back of the casino. Can you do that for less than $10M?. Probably need sump pumps to keep such a road from filling with seawater.