Second Ruggles CR platform

[deathtopumpkins]

I think work on this is waiting for Northeastern to finish its new Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Complex, which is adjacent to the north end of Ruggles station, and includes an as yet unbuilt new pedestrian bridge over the Southwest Corridor.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

I think work on this is waiting for Northeastern to finish its new Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Complex, which is adjacent to the north end of Ruggles station, and includes an as yet unbuilt new pedestrian bridge over the Southwest Corridor.

Northeastern's been hit with all sorts of contractor delays on that building, which is running way past-due on completion. They're the ones holding it up.

[ohalloranchris]

I think work on this is waiting for Northeastern to finish its new Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Complex, which is adjacent to the north end of Ruggles station, and includes an as yet unbuilt new pedestrian bridge over the Southwest Corridor.

Northeastern's been hit with all sorts of contractor delays on that building, which is running way past-due on completion. They're the ones holding it up.

Thanks for the info, any idea what the estimated time of completion is on the Northeastern project? (Estimated construction on the platform is 18 months once it begins if I recall correctly.)

[chrisf]

Northeastern's been hit with all sorts of contractor delays on that building, which is running way past-due on completion. They're the ones holding it up.

The building isn't scheduled to open until fall, so it's not exactly "past due" even if it's running behind.

[deathtopumpkins]

The ISEC hasn't encountered any delays that I'm aware of, as a Northeastern student. I may ask a friend of mine who is an engineer on the project. It was always scheduled to be finished in time for the 2016-2017 academic year, and it's pretty darn close to completion now.

The bridge though, which is the relevant part, was broken out into a separate project, the status of which I am unsure.

[The EGE]

The project page has been updated. They now anticipate bidding this summer, NTP in the fall, and completion by the end of 2018.

[ohalloranchris]

The project page has been updated. They now anticipate bidding this summer, NTP in the fall, and completion by the end of 2018.

qo

Thank you for the update! Please forgive a dumb question, but what does NTP stand for?

[The EGE]

"Notice To Proceed" - typically this means that the contractor is free to start work at 100% pace (meaning that pre-work, funding, contracts, etc have all been settled).

[BandA]

Will the Attleboro Line Agreement lawsuit affect this project?

[ohalloranchris]

Will the Attleboro Line Agreement lawsuit affect this project?

Please forgive another dumb question, but who is suing who, and for what reason?

[BandA]

State is suing Amtrak because Amtrak is demanding $29M annually to maintain & dispatch Northeast Corridor track that the T owns. T argues breach of contract and violation of it's constitutional rights. T is right and Amtrak is wrong. There's a detailed thread

I'm guessing that projects like Ruggles platform will be fine, but future projects requiring cooperation will run into trouble as T/Amtrak relations sour.

[deathtopumpkins]

Reviving this thread because of this: http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news ... nth=&year=

BOSTON - The Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) today voted to amend the Ruggles Station Transportation Project contract with Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc, (VHB) to expand the project's design and accessibility improvements. A contract extension to December 31, 2019, was also granted as part of the amendment.

Originally authorized in March 2012 for $1.5 million, this project contract already includes the layout and design of a brand new 800-foot Commuter Rail platform at Ruggles Station to service Track 2, which is currently inaccessible to passengers embarking and disembarking trains. The new platform will increase capacity and improve access to the neighboring community including the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, the largest employment center near Ruggles Station, and Northeastern University (NEU). The current physical limitations of the station platform, in conjunction with the daily congestion along the corridor from MBTA and Amtrak trains, have made it difficult to offer a complete schedule of trains at the station with 30 percent of inbound trains bypassing Ruggles completely. Following construction of the new platform, a significantly increased number of trains will be able to stop at Ruggles.

For an additional amount of $1.6 million approved by the FMCB, the scope of the project is expanded to improve station accessibility further for commuters at Ruggles, a multi-modal station served by thirteen bus routes, seven private bus shuttles, the Orange Line, and three Commuter Rail lines. A completely reconstructed lower busway with a new elevator, wider sidewalks, and concrete bus berths has been included. Additional paths of travel, enhanced pedestrian safety and security measures, further interior and exterior building code-related improvements, east and west access to the station with canopies, and the replacement of four existing station elevators are also included. The contract amendment will allow VHB to complete the design of these additional elements and provide construction phase services for the project.

Throughout the project development and design, the MBTA has also been closely coordinating with NEU due to its close proximity to the proposed construction project at Ruggles Station. NEU plans to construct a pedestrian bridge over the tracks, providing access from Columbus Avenue to NEU's main campus and surrounding areas. NEU will also relocate a power duct bank and construct approximately 300' of shared wall along their new proposed deck on behalf of the MBTA project. Some of this work has already been completed with more work scheduled to begin in early 2017.

The project was awarded $20 million in a federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) VI Grant in October 2014 to help accomplish the construction goal. The TIGER Program is a competitive transportation infrastructure program in which states compete to receive discretionary funding with priority given to applicants that exhibit investments in connectivity to centers of employment and education/services that stimulate long term job growth, especially in economically distressed areas.

In addition to the $20 million TIGER Grant, the project budget includes $10 million from the MBTA Revenue Bond Fund ($30 million total). With the design phase finished in December 2016, construction is scheduled to be performed from 2017 through 2019.

[ohalloranchris]

Very interesting, thank you for posting this. Sounds like we are a few years away from completion, but we should see signs of construction fairly soon. I assume all inbound trains on track 2 will stop there when the platform opens. It will be interesting to see if this slows things down on the Corridor. Slower trains and a few minutes of station dwell time can have quite a ripple effect.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Very interesting, thank you for posting this. Sounds like we are a few years away from completion, but we should see signs of construction fairly soon. I assume all inbound trains on track 2 will stop there when the platform opens. It will be interesting to see if this slows things down on the Corridor. Slower trains and a few minutes of station dwell time can have quite a ripple effect.

Not necessarily. If Fairmount ever gets acceptable frequencies Hyde Park station becomes very expendable. With equipment procurements snarled long-term there's not enough 93 MPH-certified coaches + locos to exclusively skew to Providence for the foreseeable future to net any kind of every-run speed bump on the long stop spacing, and new Pawtucket's opening is likely to precede any perma-fix for those shortages. Something's going to have to give to balance the schedule until further developments offer a different solution, so cutting back HP service on the NEC in exchange for bolstering Fairmount station service down the street (probably with Cleary Sq. buses altered to loop @ Fairmount) is one of the few painless lateral moves they have to accommodate Pawtucket + higher-use Ruggles. Certainly don't think that station is going to ever be worth the money to rebuild/reconfig when Amtrak re-lays Track 4 when service is only going to shift down the street to Fairmount in increasing quantities over time, so they might as well start transitioning into a post-HP future that's inevitable any way you slice it. Neighborhood's going to kvetch about it in a big way, but an honest-to-God commitment to Fairmount service levels and bus route tweaks for that location would go a long way in the runup to making them comfortable with letting go.

[ohalloranchris]

Very interesting, thank you for posting this. Sounds like we are a few years away from completion, but we should see signs of construction fairly soon. I assume all inbound trains on track 2 will stop there when the platform opens. It will be interesting to see if this slows things down on the Corridor. Slower trains and a few minutes of station dwell time can have quite a ripple effect.

Not necessarily. If Fairmount ever gets acceptable frequencies Hyde Park station becomes very expendable. With equipment procurements snarled long-term there's not enough 93 MPH-certified coaches + locos to exclusively skew to Providence for the foreseeable future to net any kind of every-run speed bump on the long stop spacing, and new Pawtucket's opening is likely to precede any perma-fix for those shortages. Something's going to have to give to balance the schedule until further developments offer a different solution, so cutting back HP service on the NEC in exchange for bolstering Fairmount station service down the street (probably with Cleary Sq. buses altered to loop @ Fairmount) is one of the few painless lateral moves they have to accommodate Pawtucket + higher-use Ruggles. Certainly don't think that station is going to ever be worth the money to rebuild/reconfig when Amtrak re-lays Track 4 when service is only going to shift down the street to Fairmount in increasing quantities over time, so they might as well start transitioning into a post-HP future that's inevitable any way you slice it. Neighborhood's going to kvetch about it in a big way, but an honest-to-God commitment to Fairmount service levels and bus route tweaks for that location would go a long way in the runup to making them comfortable with letting go.

Thanks F-Line, interesting. One thought, (which also applies to the potential for more Franklin/Foxboro trains to shift to the Dorchester Branch): doesn't this discourage ridership by driving away passengers destined for Ruggles or Back Bay? I realize convenient connections are available, but folks hate to give up a one-seat ride.