South Coast Rail Clog (Effects on the whole Middleboro Main Line & Old Colony Service)

Not mentioned in this thread is the need to shut the current Middleboro station and spend a few million to build another one two miles away, before the Middleboro Secondary split.

The new station is already under construction.

CRail wrote: ↑Mon Oct 25, 2021 10:45 pm The new station is already under construction.

I have another fellow transit enthusiast actually working on that project as part of the construction crew. He's shown photos of new track being laid down. I'll ask how it's going.

And the new Middleborough station cannot be used with the Cape Flyer service IIRC!!!

Correct. The new station will be on the branch, after it splits from the ROW that the Flyer follows to Buzzards Bay and beyond. The new station is very close to the existing station, but each one can only serve a single branch, rather than both.

Word from my friend is that most of the track work is done or close to done. They're working on under drainage, signaling conduits, and the station platform.

They're also working on double-tracking around Fall River and New Bedford, including bridge replacements. This should let the MAS in those two areas be raised from 10 to 80... depending on what MassDOT does.

The new Middleborough station is designed to support a future platform on the southwest leg of the wye for Cape Cod shuttle service, but bizarrely lacks any provision for a CapeFLYER platform. I suspect that the CapeFLYER will cease stopping at Middleborough/Lakeville relatively soon after SCR opens - it doesn't seem logical to maintain the station just for the tiny number of CapeFLYER riders using the station.

Which is a damn waste. They built two apartment buildings there. You know, that whole TOD thing. Also knowing where the new station is, I'm guessing there is little parking (not that it matters during COVID).

The new station will have 500 spaces to Middleborough/Lakeville's 850.

If they ever extend CR to Buzzard's Bay they will need the old station.

I didn't know that about the current Middleboro-Lakeville Station closing once the newer one on the South Coast extension opens up. It probably makes sense as many of the trains end at the current Middleboro-Lakeville Station and the only one that continues beyond there is the Cape Flyer. It doesn't surprise me that very few people get on and off the Cape Flyer at Middleboro-Lakeville Station. It's already so close enough to the Cape that many people heading to the Cape who live in Middleboro will just drive. On the other hand, for those who live in Middleboro who want to use the train to the Cape-Wareham is just down the road. That is very true about if the extension to Buzzards Bay ever happens in terms of needing the current station.

Like the temporary suspension of the Watertown or Arborway trolleys?

The EGE wrote: ↑Fri Oct 29, 2021 10:18 pm The new station will have 500 spaces to Middleborough/Lakeville's 850.

Huh. I looked again at the station site and see it's a bit further down and much closer to 495 from where I thought it was. I thought it was at the site of the old station.

BandA wrote: ↑Sun Oct 10, 2021 10:08 pm 6-cars is the longest the "T" regularly runs on any lines IIRC.

Old Colony Line trains are capped at six cars. I believe that is due to the length of the South Station platforms by the postal annex, but I could be wrong.

Other south side lines run 8 car trains regularly.