Framingham/Worcester Line Questions

Ruggles now has a side platform too, giving them 3 station tracks. The Newton station rebuilds cannot have island platforms due to bridges and vertical clearances and narrowness of the row.

twropr wrote:The MBTA material describing the Worcester station platform project mentioned that Worcester is the only station on the line that can handle only one train at a time.

It's the only station where passenger service has 1-track operation. As B&A says above, the Newton stations only physically have a platform on 1 track with a walkway to the other for occasional boarding use, but the other track is used by passenger trains daily - they just usually bypass the station by schedule. Since Worcester is the terminus point and only has 1 platform track, it can't be run by like Newton stations can.

twropr wrote:Is maximum passenger train speed over the Framingham/Worcester line still 60 MPH?

There are some stretches up to 79 now, been that way for about 3-4 years.

I'm fairly certain though I can't find the picture that at 1 time there was a pedestrian tunnel connecting the station and the platform. I could be thinking of Springfield though. Saturated ground I doubt would be an issue here since the tracks are elevated above grade.

You're correct, there was a tunnel and stairway that came up to a platform, which was roughly where the new platform is being constructed. The tunnel from the garage to the station has an access door to a corridor to what was once the stairway, but I was told that the stairway has been filled in and bricked up.

And to re-iterate, there will be access from the station building to the platform through means of underground access up to the platform. The vertical up-and-over discussion vs. a new tunnel is based around the east end of the platform, MBTA parking lot access to the east of I-290.

Here are 3 photos taken Friday 3/25/22 at Worcester Union Station showing the temporary platform and work being done.

Hopefully this project will see Tracks 1, 2 and the CS (Controlled Siding) rebuilt. New rails and new ties from CP-44 to CP-45. State has been putting that off for the longest time.

According to the priceless 1950s track chart on zekedev, Worcester is at mile 44.33. Where does MassDOT ownership end?

The eastern limits of CP45 is the change of ownership.

I notice the station track has been ripped up - is it being relocated north or is TK 1 being moved onto its alignment? How many bridge plates are there for boarding?
Andy

I expect they removed the track to make construction access easier and safer.

Answering Mbrproductions' southcoast rail questions here...

mbrproductions wrote: ↑Fri Apr 29, 2022 11:29 amI just checked, and it takes an hour and a half by train to get from Boston to Worcester compared to 50 minutes by driving, how come the Worcester Line takes this long?

18 stops on the Framingham-Worcester Line.
Add 2 minutes per stop, minimum. 3 or 4 for BBY.
For eastbound trains, add 2-5 minutes sitting at Cove? outside BOS due to terminal congestion switching problems.

You can literally see the Wellesley Hills platform from the Wellesley platform, that is how close they are and the track is tangent. Very curvy track around Worcester and Framingham.

Making all station stops, mid-day (very few passengers) Skip the three Newton stations, you save 5 minutes and get closer to the 59MPH MAS. Specifically, 7.8MI in 10MIN = 46.8MPH. At rush hour, Worcester trains run express W. Natick to Bos. Landing, 13 MI in 17MIN west, 22 MIN east ==> 45.9MPH westbound, 35.45MPH eastbound.

Thread bump to show progress on Natick station rebuilding as of 7/1/22. Note the white (or light yellow) line in the east view - I'm guessing this will be the centerline of the outbound track once platform work is complete. This should permit the addition of the 3rd track down the middle of the RoW.

Q: I noticed when I visited the Southboro T station on 7/17/22, that there were strings of CWR to be installed on track 2 as part of the ongoing track rehab that Keolis/MBTA are currently working. And I also noticed that on the Fairport NY live cam train log, a combined pair of eastbound CWR trains, W016 and W024, are apparently headed to Worcester to be interchanged to the MBTA. Would both of these trains or just one be headed for the MBTA and where is the rail to be used? Thanks.

Is it possible that the rail Boston to Wocester that CSX never stressed properly and sold to MBTA has too many failures? Could be new CWR less costly.