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  • Green Line Extension Lechmere to Medford

  • Discussion relating to commuter rail, light rail, and subway operations of the MBTA.
Discussion relating to commuter rail, light rail, and subway operations of the MBTA.

Moderators: sery2831, CRail

 #1503697  by Arlington
 
Demolition of the Homan's building (Gilman Sq) has begun!
 #1503945  by bgl
 
benboston wrote:In the Focus 2040, under the Green Line, it says that they are considering extending the GL past College Avenue to the Mystic Valley Parkway.
Yes, this was always in the plans as a phase 2/stretch goal. With budgeting back in check and work finally happening, hopefully it gets done in this round.
 #1505793  by Bramdeisroberts
 
bgl wrote:Yes, this was always in the plans as a phase 2/stretch goal. With budgeting back in check and work finally happening, hopefully it gets done in this round.
I'm hoping they get it out to West Medford this round. The 2040 plan should be Woburn Center via Winchester.
 #1505817  by Arlington
 
Homans Demolition is completed:
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Bramdeisroberts wrote:
bgl wrote:Yes, this was always in the plans as a phase 2/stretch goal. With budgeting back in check and work finally happening, hopefully it gets done in this round.
I'm hoping they get it out to West Medford this round. The 2040 plan should be Woburn Center via Winchester.
I moved to West Medford in 2005 in the hope/belief that GLX would be "here" by 2011. Hah!

The reality is that once GLX gets to Boston Ave / MVP (U-Haul), it will be an occaision to re-evaluate
- GLX to Alewife via Porter
- BLX to Lynn
- OLX to Needham

Or really, that what we really need is clockface regional rail--to Anderson, Wedgemere, Lynn, & Dedham every :15, so what we really need is a commitment to operate the CR we have not a commitment to build heavy rail.
 #1505830  by l008com
 
Bramdeisroberts wrote:
bgl wrote:Yes, this was always in the plans as a phase 2/stretch goal. With budgeting back in check and work finally happening, hopefully it gets done in this round.
I'm hoping they get it out to West Medford this round. The 2040 plan should be Woburn Center via Winchester.
That's an interesting route, although I don't see it ever happening. Wedgemere is a good place to stop, Winchester does not need two commuter rail stations 18 feet apart. But if they ever go past that, which will be a very expensive project, going to Anderson probaly makes more sense than going to the center. In theory you could siphon 93 traffic from NH right on to the trains before they even get to 128. The Woburn loop is not preserved, there are some impassible spots in winchester.
 #1505832  by Bramdeisroberts
 
Obviously, Wedgemere should be GLX, but I'd argue that in a perfect world, the GLX should continue through Winchester Center over a widened viaduct and then head to Woburn Center along the old and largely intact ROW, while continuing onwards along the same ROW to 128 where you could build a station at that massive Cummings property with the courthouse while redeveloping the old cinema and hotel across 128 into a park and ride/mixed-use transit oriented development project.

I say this, because again, in a perfect world, once you've clock-faced Lowell Line trains from Anderson to North Station, a GLX spur down that far, far less dense corridor (that's far less scale-appropriate for light rail than Woburn is) becomes a largely redundant idea.

And yeah, GLX to Alewife via Porter should also happen, but at Alewife, it should hang a right and continue down the Minuteman Bikeway ROW to Hartwell Ave and Bedford Center.
 #1506142  by l008com
 
rethcir wrote:West Medford won’t happen for a long time unfortunately due to the historically protected stone rail bridge over the Mystic.
Once it crosses that bridge, it's silly to stop at west medford when its smooth sailling all the way to wegemere.
 #1506147  by MBTA3247
 
The preservation status of the bridge probably doesn't stop them from building a second bridge right alongside it.
 #1506149  by l008com
 
MBTA3247 wrote:The preservation status of the bridge probably doesn't stop them from building a second bridge right alongside it.
Is it that special a bridge? I've gone under it many times, it didn't seem all that great.
 #1507714  by jbvb
 
Current Green Line tech isn't really suitable for Downtown - Anderson trips - maximum speed is too low, too many stops. There's density for local service to West Medford, then maybe to Winchester. Free transfer between GLX and CR would support transfers at major stations, but the T is seriously impacted around its fares and collection schemes.

The Red line should probably go to Hanscom (more or less) in the Rt. 2 median strip (there's little sense to the current multiple lanes funneling down to 2 at Alewife) and then up 128. Use the existing rest area as the park-n-ride.
 #1523199  by thomas1897
 
The MBTA should have done years ago because of poor management practices. When the MBTA was formed the 79 cities and towns it was to serve had an expansion plan dating back to 1966. The Green Line extension north into Somerville and Medford Hillside was one of the premier projects to be completed. Why did this project not get done? Poor planning can be one major reason, politics and managerial problems within the MBTA. this project would have been done during 1970 the cost would have been marginal compared to what today's costs are. The City of Boston is growing and the city is congested enough these projects need to get done asap if metro Boston is going to be an easier town to move around buses can not do the job of an LRV. Green Line service to other areas around Boston should be up for consideration. The T has done an excellent job in expanding the commuter rail service.
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