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Contractor that misgauged how far apart Green Line Extension rails should be also misgauged how long it would take to fix them, MBTA says
By adamg on Sat, 12/09/2023 - 2:45pm
Work to "regauge" most of the Green Line Extension that was supposed to be done by Monday instead will take another week to finish, the MBTA announced yesterday.
The delay, granted, nowhere as long as the delay in opening the tracks to Union Square and Medford/Tufts in the first place, means commuters will continue to have to get onto buses starting around 8:45 p.m. between the two terminal stations and North Station - special shuttles for Medford/Tufts and 6, 87 or 91 buses for Union Square.
In a statement about the work by the contractor, GLXC, T General Manager Phillip Eng said:
We are disappointed that they could not complete their work on the Green Line Extension on the timeline that they previously projected and, at our direction, they will be bringing in more resources, including more crews. We apologize to riders for this inconvenience, and we will continue to do everything in our power to deliver the longer-term, safe, and reliable service that they expect and deserve.
Eng announced in October that more than half the tracks on the Green Line Extension were slightly closer together than the standard used by most train lines in the US since before the Civil War - and that T officials before he came up from New York knew about the problem even before the line opened, but decided to continue with construction anyway.
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Comments
Gauging alert
The contractor may have "misgauged" them, but could this just be a spelling issue? After all, they didn't miss the opportunity to gouge the taxpayers.
/don't bother, I'll show myself out…
Looks like
GLXC is actually suing STV, the projects designer for the error. To the tune of $35m.
That took me all of 2 min to figure out using google. Maybe that’s why the T is having the same GC fix the issue.
As an amateur train
As an amateur train enthusiast, I am curious about why this happened. It's not like the standard gauge is a new thing and as far as I know spacing between tracks for relatively slow train doesn't require extreme precision.
The U.S. federal safety standards allow the standard gauge to vary from 4 ft 8 in to 4 ft 9 1⁄2 in for trains p to 60 mph. That's a generous tolerance. There has to be more to this story.
I think I see the disconnect.
You're an amateur train-enthusiast, but to really understand this situation you need to be an amateur-train enthusiast.
The standard is wide (Class 5
The standard is wide (Class 5 which is 90mph commuter track allows for 56” to 57-1/2”) however usually new construction is 56-1/2 plus/minus an 1/8th. Even if you open up to a 1/4” for new construction you wouldn’t be anywhere near speed restrictions so they must have really screwed up.
Specifically on the Green
Specifically on the Green Line, the standards for new construction are more strict than the rest of the country. Blame the Type 8 cars and their center trucks that have a tendency to derail if a speck of dust is out of place...
What is there to do in Boston
It's "America's Walking City"; who needs public transportation?
Affordability
Not everyone can afford to live in the Back Bay, North End, etc.
Why just there?
I live a mere 10km from downtown, and you routinely note that you live closer than I do. 10k is nothing. The walk will keep you fit and in the winter warm (after the first mile or 2)
If you are carrying heavy or bulky things…
… it gets a bit harder.
Time is a constraint also. Even for the fittest of people.
For me it’s a luxury if I can walk the 8 miles a day that makes me feel great. Walking on concrete makes it feel less great.
The 6 bus no longer exists - I think you mean the 86
The Route 6 bus ran between Haymarket and South Station until 2009; the Route 86 between Cleveland Circle and Sullivan Square runs in that area.
Was that some later version
Was that some later version of the #6, or maybe the #4?
I worked in the North End 20+ years ago (Commercial St). At that time, the 6 ran Commercial St/High St between North Station and South Station. (High St was one-way towards Summer St then) I don't remember it ever stopping at Haymarket, but that might have changed as Central Artery demolition/construction progressed.
To put it more "wayitizzz" in
To put it more "wayitizzz" in real life and transparent to the public, they did a half-ass shitty job AGAIN and ya gotta shell out more fuckin' green to do another shitty job. .....I see the near future....and it's...it's...a flashlight waiving and a bunch of paid blow up dolls screaming, "SHUTTLE BUSES THIS WAY!!!"
Was there not some other
Was there not some other company, one that knows how to lay rails properly, available? Why give the work to the people who screwed it up in the first place? Make them pay for a competent competitor to do it instead.
Worried
I am the only person who’s worried that this same contractor (Middlesex) is building South Coast Rail?
nah it's fine
nobody is actually ever going to take the south coast rail so it won't matter if the tracks work or not.