Grand Junction Branch (The North/South Side Connection)

[Rockingham Racer]

"There are no gates on Mass. Ave. I often see the #1 bus straddle the track as it "stops" for the crossing "

A big operational no-no for any driver, but especially a common carrier. Not to mention dangerous.

[trainhq]

Here's another wrinkle. MIT built one of its buildings (Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department) over the track. My recollection is that there was a design that mitigated vibration through the building and its labs. But higher speeds might compromise the limits that were agreed upon.

Yes, this is a major issue. I did the vibration assessment several years ago for Urban Ring, and it is definitely an issue.
That's why I brought up the ballast mat point. Actually, even 30 mph could be a stretch, but when you account for continuously welded rail lowering the vibration levels some, it might be doable. However, as stated by other posters, there
are many other factors limiting speeds besides this. I'd say 20 mph might be the top speed you'd get on this segment.

[MBTA3247]

My understanding is that today all or most of the GJ is "FRA exempt" which means no speed higher than restricted. I believe the FRA would have to approve any upgrade and there may be a public hearing process involved.

"FRA exempt" is merely a classification for the condition of the track. The FRA's authority extends only as far as ensuring that the speed limit is within established standards for the condition of the track. If a railroad decides to rebuild the track and increase the speed limit, that is entirely the railroad's prerogative.

[Diverging Route]

"There are no gates on Mass. Ave. I often see the #1 bus straddle the track as it "stops" for the crossing "

A big operational no-no for any driver, but especially a common carrier. Not to mention dangerous.

Indeed, I know that. I have a bus driver's license. One must stop between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail, and not proceed until sure it is safe to proceed completely across the tracks leaving a margin of safety behind the bus. In the old days when school buses had manual transmissions, we were also prohibited from shifting while on the tracks.

[jbvb]

Not strictly MBTA here, but this morning I noticed about 15 pieces of CSX MoW equipment replacing ~20% of the ties on the runaround at the current end-of-track in Chelsea, between the Produce Market switch and the 2nd St. grade crossing. It was in fairly rough shape, perhaps they're anticipating more traffic.

[sery2831]

It's not CSX MoW crews, the tie job has moved onto the part of the Grand Jct Branch.

[kether83]

I know from seeing cars bounce it that the crossing at Broadway has had a loose rail for quite some time. I'm sure that needs some attention.

Also, for those interested, I shot some video a couple years ago of an MBTA move on the line in Cambridge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnlqFhyileM

[StLouSteve]

Interesting article on restoration of Grand Junction for commuter service:

""There was one very real and immediate concern emerging from two hours of talk Thursday about how Cambridge and Boston must work together to stay on top economically: A “Grand Junction” commuter rail line through Cambridge is all but certain, despite the howls of protest the plan draws from city officials and residents.""

Link: http://www.cambridgeday.com/2010/12/17/ ... -for-jobs/

[3rdrail]

Hope that it goes through. Boston and Cambridge do have to work together, however as a Boston employed, Boston resident, Boston born individual, I have to acknowledge that it's the Boston suburbs that are going to benefit the most from this line. I believe that the further west that you go, the more is to be gained, which translates into (in my opinion) if we want the line, the tab must be weighed more and more the further west you go, and must be looked at as a whole and not just divided into town construction/maintenance. As far as the South/North Station connector, I see that as a convenience to what few North Shore and Maine destined passengers are coming up on the NEC only.

If you had a chance to see my photo/post regarding the Osgood Bradley Building (http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.ph ... ey#p819169 - 10th post down) you'll see, if you otherwise aren't familiar with the extreme slump in western Mass business and industry, that if such a beutiful building such as the Osgood Bradley Building can't be filled with businesses, than the whole area has a problem. I'm hoping that this line will help to relieve that problem somewhat.

[Diverging Route]

My thought has been to put a station along Vassar Street, opposite Fort Washington Park where there is now an MIT parking lot on one side and an industrial lot on the other. The EZ Ride bus (serving Kendall Square and onwards to North Station) stops on the north side of the tracks, and with sufficient funding could increase service to meet commuters; MIT's Tech Shuttle stops on the south side to serve MIT.

[trainhq]

A station near Kendall/MIT would definitely open up commuting to Cambridge from Metro West.
I have no doubts but that such a station would get plenty of use, in addition to the number of
passengers delivered directly to North Station. This would give both the Fitchburg (through Porter)
and Worcester lines access to Cambridge, making it a viable commuter destination from almost
anywhere in Metro West.

[jbvb]

A Grand Junction station should not need parking (except for bicycles), just pedestrian access to local industrial and commercial space and transit. As such, it would be better placed between Mass. Ave. and Main St., with convenient access to the #1 bus at one end and a short walk to Kendall Sq. on the Red Line at the other. The required width would be two tracks (or a gauntlet) and 8-10 feet for a high level platform.

As a life-long commuter in the Boston area, I see the biggest benefit of this (and the north-south connector on a much larger scale) is giving suburbanites convenient access to a larger portion of the metro area. When I've lived south of downtown, I could really only consider jobs in my quadrant - Beacon Hill to Quincy and Needham. Via North Station, Cambridge, Kenmore Sq. and South Boston are the limit; most commuters don't want to go farther than Park Sq. With the connector, I could live in Beverly and work at Rt. 128. or Wellesley.

[Finch]

I know from seeing cars bounce it that the crossing at Broadway has had a loose rail for quite some time. I'm sure that needs some attention.

They just rebuilt this crossing (new pavement anyways). I wonder if they did any railroad-related work to it.

[diburning]

But the thing is, there wouldn't be much for any transit connections if any. You can get almost every bus/subway stop in Cambridge from Porter (granted that transfers may be necessary). If they put a stop on the Grand Junction, it would hold up other trains moving on it, resulting on scheduled trains running through there few and far in between, not to mention that the station would only be used by morning and evening rush commuters (SIlver Hill and Hastings, anyone?)

IMHO putting a stop on the Grand Junction is about as justified as putting a stop on the Wildcat Branch.

[crash575]

Except Kendall Square has a population density 10 times that of Wilmington where the Wildcat Branch is located.