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New Brighton commuter-rail stop nice, but needs some work
By adamg on Wed, 05/24/2017 - 9:21am
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Comments
My review of the review
The station is in Brighton, not Allston.
The snark factor seems to be turned up a little too high.
Good photos!
I mean tbh it is right on the
I mean tbh it is right on the zipcode line...the elevator is in 02135 but the stairs up to Everett st are in 02134...The New Balance building is firmly in Brighton but the Stop and Shop is in Allston...
but really, I am fine calling it Brighton, but I think it will go back and forth a bit.
agreed
Additionally, I only found a couple of grammatical errors in the text, so...yay?
Me thinks Miles has not been to too many commuter rail stops.
May I suggest Ruggles where there part of the platform, which now has a barrier, is actually disintegrating where the rebar is showing?
My favorite part - the Cons: "My main problem with Boston Landing is its schedule: namely, trains only stop here during peak periods on weekdays...but then they come all day on weekends (sounds pretty good to me!). If all-day weekend service is considered a necessity, then let's get some weekday midday service here, pronto! (Yes, that is the way to get it, Miles. Dictate!) Other than that, the cons mostly come in the forms of specific annoyances (like your review?): the staircase from Everett Street is falling apart (join the club), the speaker system here sucks (as do most of the speakers on the the trains I take), and those "prison cells" are just...weird (said by someone who has never actually been in a prison cell (probably)). Also, Josh, who has a passion for exit signs (Josh needs to get a life), would like to add that "the station uses a type of glow-in-the-dark exit signs that will not work if in direct sunlight, which is a possible safety issue." So yeah...that's a big problem too! (If people can't read)."
He had good comments
It's new construction -- should be perfect. The mis-aligned bridge railing is the sort of mistake that should have been fixed before open. (Now it will never be corrected.) The metal roof on the stairwells from the overpasses will soon become rusted and ugly if the Newton and Fenway stops are any guide.
Still, it's not a bad station along with the rebuilt Yawkee. My biggest complaint is how overbuilt they appear -- you'd think the station is designed to move freight, not people.
purposely "misaligned?
I suspect that they chose to maintain the railing to prevent errant car drivers from aiming their car through a double wide opening. A bollard may have been a better use, if this were the case.
The railing didn't look misaligned to me in the photo from across the street - it looked aligned to one side of the stair.
No, the cutout is in the wrong spot
Here is Miles' photo:
You can clearly see the railing cutout should be moved 2' to the right so it's aligned with the stairs. See how they had to add a little section of fence to close the gap? It's not a surprising mistake but would be easy to fix.
cost?
Cheaper to install chainlink than modify the already existing railing. Plus have the stair align where they wanted it to land below. I'm fairly confident the design team looked at this from many angles (both design-wise and cost-wise) and someone at the T and New Balance signed off on it.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3569974,-71.1382471,3a,75y,339.81h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sLBUv3sLFhNw1zOLkNVhd1w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
If we're speculating
My guess is that MassDOT or whoever owns the overpass made the railing modification early on and did so incorrectly or by using designs that got changed, etc.
As these things go there was some disagreements over who should correct/pay for the problem and as a results it's left this way since it's not bad enough to make the stairs unusable. It just looks like a mistake because it is a mistake.
Really?
Um, new construction should be perfect? In a perfect world (a world in which you and I do not live) yes. In reality, not always. Read about the issues associated with the Big Dig construction - specifically tunnel associated - and report back.
Unless they go copper for the roof or perhaps another more expensive metal that does not rust (if it exists), you will have rust. But perhaps you can reach out to New Balance and suggest they replace the roofs? But then again, copper turns green in time, so I am sure Miles would find fault with that.
Overbuilt? What, do you want a 4X4 stand next to the rail where people can sit on each others shoulders as they wait for the train? And the folks in wheelchairs can well punt? Come on, BD, warp back into reality.
Lots of truss
I'm not suggesting it's a horrible design, just that the the standard MBTA design for new stations seems overbuilt. Compare the following:
Bridge in the UK:
Brighton Landing:
EDIT: Here are some other designs which would be preferable
Arthur Kill New York: (Covered bridge and stairs but less metal)
Station in France that looks right out of Cape Cod:
Typical of grift
The more material used, the more profit from said material.
See China, where all kinds of overbuilt schools are built, to line he pockets of the contractors.
Who runs the concrete unions?
the stairs he mentioned predate the station
The stairs in the picture have been there for years so pedestrians get get onto the elevated Everett Street that goes over the pike without having to cut back towards Cambridge Street. Anyone not wanting to take those stairs can cut back to the part where the street level Everett St and the elevated part separate, where there is a crosswalk (also makes the elevator/stairs to get to the platform handicap accessible). The weird cut in the fencing at the elevator & new stairs I can't speak to - will have to look tomorrow when I'm at the station again.
As for the exit signs, the station wouldn't have been allowed to open if they don't meet code as the State & the BFD wouldn't have signed on their occupancy permit. I'll have to see what they're talking about specifically but I do know that. the glow in the dark is for when it's dark out and if there's direct sun on it, well that makes if visible right? The cages at the end of the platform are for areas of refuge in case there is a fire that prevents station occupants from exiting - they can go to that area and call for help. Better than jumping onto the tracks and getting hit by a train. Also, code required.
The schedule and frequency of trains stopping there will increase with ridership. There's a minimum of (4) apartment buildings within a 10 minute walk under construction plus all the current area occupants looking for a better way downtown. There's plans to add a bunch of new apts over the Stop & Shop as well (not started yet) as well. Also, as more businesses open as the construction progresses, there will be people using the station to commute to the area.
Has Miles been to Ruggles?
Yes he has.
And he's been to other stations, too.
Miles is an interesting kid
He seems to have set himself the goal of visiting every single commuter rail and subway stop in the T system - and to ride every single bus line in eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, even the one in Rhode Island that only runs on Friday afternoons to serve six ladies living in a senior complex.
Station
Nice review, but to me, it's all about the trains being on time. My train station has the rotting concrete (I can see the rebar) on the handicapped platform or overfilled trash cans, but the trains are 95% on time so it doesn't matter.
USA is supposedly the leader
USA is supposedly the leader of the free world, why can't we desire both? Munich and Switzerland have trains which run like 99.999% on time AND their stations are impeccable.
Never seen someone adjust so
Never seen someone adjust so poorly on their first trip to Allston -- "industrial dump"? "Disgusting old factory"? They're just three square blocks of art studios and auto shops, take a breath pal. Deep Ellum is right around the corner. Good material for the next wave of luxury condo developers, though.
Question?
Since the station is privately owned who is responsible for security at the station, New Balance, the Boston Police or the Transit Police?
Private funds, public station
New Balance underwrote the station and consulted on the design but it was and is the MBTA's. Security, maintenance, etc. are all MBTA.
Not privately owned
It was privately funded, not privately owned.
The T Police and BPD have jurisdiction.
First world problems right
First world problems right there. If the stations sucks so bad brand new, maybe you just don't have any appreciation and\or gratitude for it.
Miles is a high school student
Miles is a high school student (don't know which school) so I'm inclined to cut him some slack.
I agree
He writes like a high school kid. That's cool. However, a bit of honest, good-natured criticism may help his writing move to a higher level.
Re: Brighton Landing station
I enjoyed the review. For the T, this station station looks relatively smart and utilitarian to me, probably due to the New Balance influence. The problem is the T stations are all different, look good new, but they are unable to maintain any property. Crumbling rebar and dangerous parking garages are the norm, among other issues. I realize funding has been diverted to the Big Dig.
After the $197m Newton North High School fiasco, the state School Building Authority cracked down and came out with templates of cheaper schools they would approve. It saves on planning, building and maintenance costs. It seems anything the T builds is something different. The glass monstrosity with disco lighting at Government Center comes to mind. Come up with a few different low maintenance designs, according to square footage and community needs, and stick with it.
MBTA Standards
The Brighton, Yawkee, and Assembly stations all look alike. There are better designs (see above) but the MBTA is sticking to the same ugly standard for the past three stations.
Government Center is a special case since there is only a few stations in the system servicing multiple lines. They could have done better (and worse) but there's no standard that would work.