jbvb wrote:On Halloween, I wound up standing in the last car (the 2 plainclothes & 1 uniformed cop present were all seated), so I watched out the rear end as we entered Salem. The tunnel widens to 2 track width a bit before the location of the former Peabody line wye turnout's points. The single track tunnel enters the double-track portion on the westerly side, but swings to the easterly side before it reaches the portal by the former tower. So there is room for both a Peabody turnout and an end-of-double-track turnout under Bridge St, albeit they might have to be lapped, and both would be curved.Second track would not start in the tunnel or at the tunnel portal. It's only configured for the Peabody turnout. There'd need to be about 50-75 feet of running room past the portal for a track turnout onto the grass on the easterly side of the station. See here:
I note that the excavation for the parking garage comes right up to the ballast of the current single track, which is on the east side of the available RoW. If they put garage or garage appurtenances there, it will be in the way of the potential 2nd platform/track.
All that space on the left side of the pic is available if they level the ground and insert the turnout. Then see on the overhead view how that grassy knoll runs the full length of the station until the current platform edge where the mainline track ever so slightly starts drifting over to that side: http://goo.gl/maps/teyYM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. There's virtually no doubt there's room over there to do all they need to track + platform + egresses onto the walking path + retaining wall work.
Where the current station renovation has to avoid screwing things up is not shoving the raised platform so close to the portal that the switch/turnout is blocked by an idling train. Then all that space is useless, and to fix it you'd have to railing-off the end of the platform into an extended egress, back up the first-car stop position a couple dozen feet back so the switch is clear, and add an equivalent-length platform extension on the opposite end to compensate the lost space and round the platform back up to an even 800 ft. It's non-fatal. Especially since nothing would have to be altered on the portal end of the full-high other than roping off the platform edge with a railing to create the extra running room for the switch. But it's definitely bonehead if the current design is so shortsighted it forces them to do more work and spend more money later when the capacity is needed. They're approaching this tortured project as a parking garage that just happens to have a train platform attached to it as opposed to a wholly integrated train station that's supposed to grow with the town. It's fine if the 2nd platform is a later add-on. They don't need it right this second. It's stupid if their haste today creates more busywork later or makes them hedge on putting off the second platform for many years more well after the need arises...and them not caving until their pain threshold with service levels has been well-exceeded. There's no reason for provisioning to even be a question mark unless the project managers are so consumed by the garage that the trains (much-improved access as this renovation will be) are an afterthought. The town seems more preoccupied with getting bent out of shape about that stupid walking path grade-crossing of the freight track that's a complete non-issue to solve than they are the chances they'll get significantly more train service in coming years. That's a very strange and troubling disconnect for them to have.
