Green Line Extension Lechmere to Medford

Does anyone know how much longer GLX work is going to affect Lowell Line and Downeaster service on weekends?

No clue but the glx project is going to be completed in a couple more years fall 2021 is the only updates that we have so far. Still lots of work to do.

NNEPRA's Current Posting on the no weekend Woburn Service.
Updated 10/21/19
The MBTA has extended its weekend track work on the Downeaster route through December 2019. Due to this track work there will be NO WEEKEND service to/from Woburn (WOB) during this time frame.

However, I ran Woburn service on Thanksgiving Weekend, November 30th and December 1st and tickets to/from Woburn are available on those dates,

Is it true that all of the freight trains coming down the lowell line are now going along New Washington St in Somerville? Crossing Inner Belt Rd at grade instead of the bridge? I heard that in this thread but haven't been able to actually see it in action yet. Also since that seems like a more logical way to go, are they going to leave it like that once everything is done? If I understand the track routing correctly, that makes things a lot easier for the gravel train.

Yes, once the Washington Street bridge project is completed and the mainline in its final alignment.
There will be a interlocking there to get freight in and out.

D

That seems like it will be a really cool place to hang out and play with dogs at the dog park while watching freight trains go by!

They're not closing the line Thanksgiving weekend, for which we can all be, er, thankful.

I vaguely remember reading something about a clearance issue with GLX and freight traffic -- something to the effect of no more plate F? Am I imagining things, or is there (some) truth to this?

When GLX is complete, Plate F's will be allowed on both tracks all the way to the Gilmore Bridge, unless there is a restriction on the High Line Bridge for that bridge's superstructure that I don't know about. This was technically (but not officially) already the case after the Cross St OHBr was replaced.

https://www.wbur.org/news/2020/01/02/me ... green-line

The Hillside terminus will be named "Medford/Tufts." 200k annual contribution from Tufts U. Nice to get a little money back for it.

While I'm normally against naming rights deals, I'm perfectly fine with this one. Tufts surrounds this station and will be a major contributor to its ridership. We already have three BU stations, BC, Northeastern, Harvard (albeit for the square), JFK/UMass, and Community College, so it's not going to stick out obnoxiously.

This is the first I've seen these stated officially (via MBTA GLX Facebook post)

1) When Lechmere (re)opens in April 2021, Union Sq will open along with it.

2) They are officially going to call it (operate it as) the E Branch

* Reminder: Lechmere station closes April 2020 for 12 months **

There will be shuttle service to North Station. All bus service to Lechmere continues (69, 80, 87, 88). The new and relocated Lechmere station will open in April 2021, as well as the GLX spur to Union Square (E branch).

Why do they have to shut down the station for a year or more? If they really need to tear down the current station to sell or to store construction equipment or whatever they are going to do with it, couldn't they put in a temporary platform on the incline and have the cars change ends there, while they demolish the loop and to most of the construction, and then close the line just long enough to connect the new station to the viaduct? Or I am I totally misjuding how long different parts of the project will take?

It just seems like the quick ride over the viaduct is valuable compared to a bus on those streets at rush hour, and that while the station is closed some people will get out of the habit of riding.

I see that Cambridge tried to get the T to keep the station open much longer and do a quick connection when the new one was done, but the T refused.

Apparently not enough was done on the viaduct during prior shut downs...so need to do more rehab there.

Concrete Lechmere Viaduct needs expensive rehab (e.g. wrapping steel in epoxy and carbon fiber) in order to be future-proofed for longer, heavier, faster, more frequent trains (I think the design load is a 4-car Type 7/8/9 train, each way) even though we are likely only to see 3-car D's before the type 10s get here.

At the same time they need to turn the Old Lechmere site over to the Northpoint owners pursuant to the land swap that allowed them to build New Lechmere.

There is also some tearing down of the steel elevated and its replacement in elevated concrete that they couldnt do while Old Lechmere still needed its El approaches