GLX Impact on NH Route (Lowell Line)

[Trinnau]

And been that way for a few months.

[Arlington]

MassDOT says:

Beginning the evening of Tuesday, December 12th, and continuing through Thursday, December 14th, nighttime construction work is anticipated between the hours of 11:30 PM (after the last train passes) and 6:00 AM the following morning. The approximate location of this activity will run from the College Avenue Bridge to the Harvard Street Bridge along the Lowell Commuter Rail right of way in Medford...for the leveling of newly installed track.

Starts tonight! (if all has gone to plan).

[Arlington]

Keolis signal crews were working at two separate signal access manholes alongside the Tufts interlocking at about 6pm tonight.

Anyone have news of the overnight levelling work on the Lowell Line?

[Arlington]

Shiny scaffolding / falsework (or half built signal mast) this AM near Tufts garage.

[Arlington]

GLX team has updated its noticefor night work levelling.

Is this expected? They essentially just took the notice for Dec 11/12 and moved the dates 7 days. Does that mean:
1) they cancelled the work on the 11th/12th ?
2) The work on the 11th/12th happened but didn't get the job done?
2a) The work work on the 11th/12th was never supposed to get the job done?
2b) The work on the 11th/12th was supposed to, but fell behind?

December 12, 2017
Nighttime Construction Advisory - Medford

Beginning the evening of Monday, December 18th, and continuing through Thursday, December 21st, nighttime construction work is anticipated between the hours of 11:30 PM (after the last train passes) and 6:00 AM the following morning. The approximate location of this activity will run from the College Avenue Bridge to the Harvard Street Bridge along the Lowell Commuter Rail right of way in Medford.

The purpose of this work is to allow for the leveling of newly installed track. The primary machinery involved in this process is a leveling device which rides slowly along the rails while making fine-tuned adjustments to the track grade and alignment. Occasionally, trucks supporting the leveling process may trigger audible back-up alarms.

[Arlington]

Tufts Interlocking progress;
- new signal hut has been dropped in the "bunp out"
- first vertical section of the signal mast installed
- additional signal mast sections are the "shiny scaffolding" I reported earlier
- two signal heads seen on site
- crane erecting it all
- ballast looks finalized on the outbound track (as seen riding on inbound track)

Additional signal hut (new to me, anyway) is alongside the switches themselves, along with what looks like the power supply and breaker boxes for the switches themselves.

[Arlington]

I haven't been by the outer end of the Tufts interlocking in about 10 days (which have had reasonably good working weather). Before that the snow and cold seemed to have stopped all work on the topping off of the signal mast.

Any Lowell Line regulars out there, who might have an update? It'd be sweet if the Tufts interlocking were all done by Feb, so that single tracking and GLX brush clearing and soil/backpinning work could start in, say, March.

[Arlington]

Tufts Interlocking signal structures seem all in place (now including the north end, but with signal heads turned sideways. They seem on-pace to have single-tracked operations ready for when the green line starts clearing brush and drilling soil samples this spring.

[Arlington]

Anyone been by the Tufts interlocking recently?

Now would be a good time to get it online because we're hoping that any day now GLX crews will be out there doing fencing, test pitting, tree trimming, and utility work.

PROJECT UPDATES
March 16, 2018
Tree Cutting & Clearing
Along the Lowell and Fitchburg Commuter Rail Lines
North of College Ave. Medford to Washington St. Somerville
Starting
Mid to Late April 2018

[BostonUrbEx]

Latest I've heard is a mid-April cutover for Tufts and removal of Some Junc.

[Dick H]

The Downeaster has advised that there will be no Woburn service on Saturday
and Sunday, April 14th and 15th. That would indicate they will be running via
Reading, which would fit in with track work on the Lowell line..

[Arlington]

The Downeaster has advised that there will be no Woburn service on Saturday
and Sunday, April 14th and 15th. That would indicate they will be running via
Reading, which would fit in with track work on the Lowell line..

Sounds like a plan: do the cutover on the weekend of the 14th & 15th, and start single tracking the Lowell line as needed to permit tree clearing, soil & utility work starting in the 2nd half of April.

One thing I'm not clear on: what will the hours be of the single tracking? (which, I suppose, is the same as asking when do GLX crews expect to have expanded access for their work on/in/along the ROW?)

Can they run "real rush hour" in the AM and PM from just 1 track between Tufts and (can't remember the other name)?

[Dick H]

April 14th and 15th are part of Patriots Day Weekend. Monday the 16th
should be quite busy on the Commuter Rail with the Marathon and 11:00 AM
Red Sox. game...

[Arlington]

Maybe this is an optical trick--like house foundations always looking small compared (or the inside looking bigger than the foundation)--but has the Lowell Line actually been moved far enough "north" in its ROW yet? Or will it have to be moved some more once the bridges have been widened?

[BostonUrbEx]

I believe the only place where the New Hampshire Route is properly aligned for GLX is at Tufts interlocking and the Havard St undergrade bridge. Everything from Havard St south to Washington St/Mystic Jct needs to be moved.