Readville Bridge Construction

[BostonUrbEx]

Is that temporary? Or is that due to signal spacing in the area?

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Hill interlocking at MP 9.1, Readville Upper interlocking at MP 9.5, and Sprague St. at MP 9.7 (Franklin side) have about 8 bazillion switches between them all within eyesight of the bridge, so that can't be helping. It'll get even more complicated if they finish the to-do's on the Fairmount upgrades that call for a new 2-track island platform at Readville shifted few hundred feet north and reconfig/further-complication of Hill for the freight turnout ahead of that full-high island.

Not that bridge speed limit--for any reason--much for the locals that are all going to be making station stops there. Only the 2 daily outbound Franklin expresses go via Fairmount and/or do a skip of Readville station.

[MarkB]

Track speed over the new bridge is set at 30 mph

The only time I see that bridge used is when the Fairmont line train is sitting on it, waiting to start back to Boston. No doubt it gets used some other time.

[MarkB]

I just walked over the Sprague st bridge last night. The old bridge is still sitting there, waiting to go to the scrapyard.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Track speed over the new bridge is set at 30 mph

The only time I see that bridge used is when the Fairmont line train is sitting on it, waiting to start back to Boston. No doubt it gets used some other time.

Used every time CSX backs on/off the Franklin Line to the freight yard, and by 2 daily Franklin inbound expresses that run nonstop from Endicott to South Station via Dorchester. Franklin expresses the only time anything is traveling anywhere close to track speed over the bridge. Future full-time Foxboro service would go Fairmount-Franklin exclusively and stay totally off the NEC, but would make the Readville stop so track speed ends up moot. As would any Franklin locals that eventually have to get punted over to Fairmount as NEC traffic increases...probably with some point in the next 20+ years where increasing Amtrak traffic makes it fait accompli that every Franklin Line train gets relocated via Dorchester. But all those likewise would make the Readville stop rendering the bridge speed limit non-factor.

I'm sure they could re-certify it for much higher speed with relatively minor signal work if they truly wanted to, but there would never be a need for it when 90% of all potential future freight and passenger traffic for the next 50 years will forever be making a pause at Readville for the Fairmount-side station stop or freight yard.

[ohalloranchris]

Track speed over the new bridge is set at 30 mph

The only time I see that bridge used is when the Fairmont line train is sitting on it, waiting to start back to Boston. No doubt it gets used some other time.

CSX uses it daily, there is at lesst one inbound train from Franklin every morning that uses it to head to South Station via the Dorchester Branch, and there is an unscheduled extra to Franklin that crosses it every weekday around 8am. This extra is your best shot to see a "full speed" 30 mph crossing.