Refurbished Green Line Trolleys Arrive at MBTA

(SOURCE:  Boston Globe - By Steve Annear/March 18, 2015)

The first of 86 refurbished Green Line trolleys hits the tracks next month, officials said, promising a roomier ride and more reliable service after a season of strenuous weather events.

MassDOT officials announced Wednesday that the cars, which underwent significant repairs at a plant in New York, have begun arriving in Boston for preliminary testing.

“This is a great first step toward improving service on the Green Line,” said interim MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola in a statement.

The first newly polished trolley will be in service next month.


By next winter — just in time for the snowy season —43 refurbished cars will be online. All 86 of the trolleys in the project will be ready for passenger service by the end of 2016.

The initiative includes upgrades to the vehicles’ HVAC systems, power supplies, lighting, cab equipment, and seating.

MBTA officials said Alstom Transportation, the company picked to oversee the $104 million project in 2012, is also overhauling the roof, exterior paint and body, and door and brake equipment on each trolley.

50th Annual Railfair & Open House - Shirley MA

NVRRA’s 50th Rail Fair will be held from 10AM to 4PM on March 29th, 2015 at the Ayer / Shirley Regional Middle School in Shirley, MA. There will also be a club Open House that will run concurrently with RailFair.

SHOW FLIER:  http://nvrra.com/wp-content/uploads/...lyer-FINAL.pdf

MBTA Is Top Concern At Boston Olympics Forum « CBS Boston

MBTA Is Top Concern At Boston Olympics Forum « CBS Boston

POSTCARD VIEW: Palmer Massachusetts, Circa 1906

Palmer MA, circa 1906.  Today the station is home to the Steaming Tender restaurant.  The tracks at left are now New England Central, at right, CSX's Boston line.

POSTCARD VIEW: West Portal of Hoosac Tunnel, North Adams MA

I like the photo credit at lower left:  PUBL. BY FORBES THE KODAK MAN

Fire by Pan Am's Deerfield MA Yard Draws Regional Response

(SOURCE:  MassLive 3/6/15)

DEERFIELD - Firefighters from Franklin and Hampshire Counties and as far away as Brattleboro, Vermont, are on the scene of a Deerfield fire where an industrial building on McClelland Road has been burning for hours.

According to a statement issued by Deerfield Police Chief John Paciorek Jr., the fire was reported at 3:21 a.m. and the first responders to arrive on scene reported a working fire.

According to the emergency services web site Fireground 360, Deerfield firefighters were called to the site of a former grain mill at McClelland Farm Road at about 3 a.m.

Assistance through mutual aid was quickly sought and departments from Amherst, Belchertown, Whately, Montague, Greenfield, Gill, Sunderland, Conway and Brattleboro responded. In all some 20 departments have dispatched assistance.

Paciorek said that in addition, departments from Vermont and southern New Hampshire are assisting.

Tanker trucks are being used to shuttle water to the site, which is just south of Greenfield near Railroad Yard Road.

Paciorek said the property has no water supply and water is being hauled in from Greenfield.

According to WWLP, the fire is contained to the top floor of the four-story metal structure.
Assistant Amherst Fire Chief Donald McCay tells the station that firefighters have concerns that the fire could spread to a smaller building where fertilizer is stored. McCay said the fire is far enough away where that concern in minimized.

Investigators with the state Fire Marshall's Office, the Massachusetts State Police and the Deerfield police are on scene and looking to determine the cause, Paciorek said.

Greenfield police announced that due to the fire, Cheapside Street in Greenfield is closed from from Deerfield Street to Hope Street.

MORE:  Owner of 'Deerfield Innovators Mill': Fire likely caused by cutting torch; not a major setback for planned renovation

New MBTA Chief Frank DePaola Takes Charge of Agency

(SOURCE:  Boston Globe)

This is the mess that Frank DePaola walked into on his first day as the new head of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority:

■ The T recently revealed it would need to spend about $6.7 billion to repair and upgrade its trains, rails, and stations to be in good working order.
■ The commuter rail system, walloped by the winter, is still operating on a reduced schedule after weeks of late or canceled trains.
■ And an angry public is demanding refunds for a disastrous month of interrupted service.
But if DePaola was overwhelmed by the what ails the T on Wednesday, his first day as interim general manager, he didn’t let on.

MBTA sets upgrade costs at $6.7b

The board that oversees the T also expressed skepticism about issuing refunds for poor service, saying repair and upgrades take priority.

Instead, he struck a matter-of-fact note when he said in an interview: “I mean, of course, it’s a challenge.”

DePaola, who took over the T after Beverly A. Scott last month abruptly announced plans to step down, has served as the state transportation department’s highway administrator. He says that experience will help him lead the T next time it is socked by a big snowstorm.
DePaola started on the day Governor Charlie Baker also released his budget for the next fiscal year, which includes $1.172 billion for the T’s operating budget.

On Wednesday, a small group of public transportation advocates held a rally on Beacon Hill to demand even more state funding for the T.

“We need to make sure our Legislature does not forget that transportation has to be at the top of our priority list even when the snow melts,” said Kristina Egan, the executive director of Transportation for Massachusetts, who passed along to Baker a petition with 12,000 signatures.

DePaola refrained from criticizing the amount allotted to the T.

“It’s a step in the direction of recognizing the T needs further investment,” he said.
Several members of the board that oversees the MBTA said on Tuesday that investment, rather than refunds to mollify commuters, should be the immediate focus of spending. DePaola also said a refund scheme could be abused by customers who lied about buying passes.

Instead, DePaola said, he would prefer giving riders discounts on future fares, rather than refunds on their February passes.

Keolis Commuter Services, which operates the T’s commuter rail, is trying in its own way to regain customers.

A spokeswoman said the company took out ads in The Boston Globe and the Metro newspaper that feature a letter from the company’s new general manager, Gerald Francis, who apologizes for poor service.

Fixing `structurally deficient' MBTA Bridges Carries $800M Tab

(SOURCE:  Boston Herald)

Long after the snow melts, commuter rail passengers and subway straphangers will still face widespread slowdowns and delays as the MBTA grapples with nearly 50 crumbling bridges that will cost a staggering $800 million to fix, a Herald review found.

The beleaguered transit agency has classified 48 bridges that carry commuter train and subway passengers as “structurally deficient,” the review found. In all, that’s more than 10 percent of the MBTA’s bridges that are rated in poor condition or worse, according to state transportation officials.

A Red Line bridge at Freeport Street in Dorchester as well as commuter train overpasses at Bacon Street in Wellesley and Lynn Fells Parkway in Melrose were among the spans listed as needing repair or replacement, according to state data.

State officials said train trips have already been slowed for T passengers crossing 13 commuter rail bridges. And experts say others could face dramatically lower speed limits if repairs aren’t made.
The MBTA limits Haverhill line commuter trains to 15 mph over the Merrimack River Bridge, which is still under repair. Passenger trains must slow to 10 mph over the Gloucester Drawbridge, which is expected go out to bid for replacement later this year, officials said.

“That’s the typical thing — you slow the trains down until you can make the repairs,” said James Lambrechts, an engineering professor at Went­worth Institute of Technology. “If they can get someone in there to fix it quickly, then it might mean only delayed trains for a few days or weeks. But the infrastructure itself — parts of it are more than 100 years old.”

Lambrechts pointed to the Red Line trains’ slow 10 mph crawl across the decrepit Longfellow Bridge during the summer of 2008 until repairs were made several months later.

“In extreme cases, they close a bridge,” said Jerome F. Hajjar, chairman of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Northeastern University. “If you’re not able to adequately maintain it, it’s very likely it will continue to deteriorate.”

So far, no T rail bridges have been closed.

Taxpayers could be on the hook for the $800 million bill to fix the failing spans.

T officials currently plan to spend $516 million for bridge repairs over the next five years, but the cost of fixing transit bridges will only continue to soar as more infrastructure ages, experts say.
“There is no question that if we don’t adequately fund our infrastructure, it will continue to break down to the point where the systems will start to have functionality problems and will be slowed,” said Hajjar.

“We live in a climate that has weather like this year after year in varying degrees, and that is part of what is degrading these bridges,” he said. “The more extreme the weather over time, the quicker it will probably degrade.”

Gov. Charlie Baker has proposed giving the MBTA $187 million in state aid in the coming fiscal year — a better than 50 percent funding increase from this year but still not enough to fix all the T bridges.
The number of dangerous rail spans has skyrocketed by 30 percent in the past four years, the review found. The MBTA reported 40 of its bridges were structurally deficient in 2010.

“These numbers still reflect a large amount of work ahead of us to ensure a safe, reliable and efficient transportation system,” said MassDOT spokesman Michael Verseckes.

MassDOT officials have estimated a whopping $7 billion price tag to bring the transportation system into a “state of good repair,” which includes repairs on dilapidated bridges.

The MBTA maintains 302 commuter rail bridges and 57 subway bridges, according to MassDOT officials. The agency also oversees more than 100 other bridges, including one pedestrian and three highway bridges also labeled structurally deficient, according to transportation data.

Burlington VT Officials Discuss Planning of New Rail Yard Project

(SOURCE:  WCAX.com)

Burlington officials discussed planning on a project designed to reduce traffic in the city's south end.

The Rail Yard Enterprise Project could decrease traffic on King and Maple streets by adding a road connecting Pine Street to Battery Street. The city is examining five different plans. Some include just one street through the old rail yard. Others include several roads, further completing the street grid there.

"Those five alternatives are everything from a simple connection from Pine to Battery to a network of grid streets. We're going to take these five alternatives that we're reviewing tonight and further refine those and get down hopefully to two or three that can enter the federal environmental impact statement process," said Chapin Spencer of Burlington Public Works.

Right now city leaders are looking at potential environmental, social, economic and transportation pitfalls tied to the different options.

CT Senators Vow to Block High-speed Rail That Bypasses State

(Source:  CT Mirror)

Washington – Both of Connecticut’s U.S. senators on Friday vowed to stop a proposal approved in the House of Representatives this week that would require Amtrak to study the feasibility of a new high-speed train from Washington, D.C., to Boston — with no stops in Connecticut.

“High-speed rail without stops in Connecticut is a nonstarter,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., in a statement. “I will strongly and steadfastly oppose any proposal for high-speed rail that uses Connecticut tracks but bypasses Connecticut stations.”

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said, “I cannot and will not support any efforts that seek to abandon the existing Northeast Corridor rail line – and the hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents that rely on it every year.”

The furor was caused by a provision, sponsored by Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., that was included in a House bill that would authorize the spending of nearly $8 billion to shore up Amtrak for the next five years. It would require Amtrak to evaluate a new non-stop service between Washington, D.C., and New York and between New York and Boston in six months.

The bill passed the House this week. But Congress has not approved an Amtrak authorization bill since 2008, and it’s not clear the Senate will act on the House bill this year.

If it does, Blumenthal, who sits on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that would have authorization over an Amtrak bill, said he’s ready to take on Mica’s proposal.

"The New Haven Line is the busiest rail line in America for a reason — Connecticut residents demand and depend on robust rail service,” he said. “I will work vigorously to stop in its tracks any effort to ignore our state's critical needs, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the delegation who share my concerns about this issue."

The study that would be commissioned if Mica’s proposal is included in a final Amtrak bill would be just the first step in a very long process. But Murphy said he is ready to stop the high-speed rail effort in its tracks in the Appropriations Committee if there’s an attempt to fund the plan at the expense of the New Haven line.

“The existing corridor needs upwards of $50 billion in investment over the next 20 years just to keep up with projected demand,” Murphy said. “I sit on the Senate Transportation Appropriations subcommittee, which decides where federal Amtrak funds can be spent. I will fight any attempts to rob Peter to pay Paul by investing in new rail service that forsakes the New Haven Line – and the countless jobs it helps support.”

Mica’s proposal would require Amtrak to study the estimated trip time, ridership, revenue, total cost, capacity “and other metrics” for the new service as well as the impact on existing Amtrak and commuter rail services and on the Northeast Corridor.

Amtrak would have six months to complete the study, and the rail company’s Board of Directors 90 days to consider implementing the service.

A spokesman for Gov. Dannel Malloy said earlier that the governor would also move to block any high-speed service that did not stop in Connecticut.

After his proposal cleared the House, Mica said he’d consider a plan that made one stop in the state.

Preferred Site Chosen for Plaistow NH Commuter Rail Proposal

(SOURCE:  NH Union Leader) By Adam Swift

PLAISTOW – A site off Main Street on Joanne Drive is the preferred site for a commuter rail station and layover facility for the extension of MBTA service into Plaistow.

That potential site was officially presented during a public information session on the commuter rail study Tuesday night.

Over the next several months, the study will move into the environmental assessment phase, with an environmental assessment report expected to be completed and presented to the town by the end of April. That report will document potential environmental impacts of the Joanne Drive site versus not building a commuter rail station and layover facility at all, according to John Weston of HDR Engineering, the firm preparing the reports.

Although the commuter rail study is nearing completion, it will still be a long and difficult journey before the Haverhill commuter rail line could be running across the state line.

“With the completed report, it is my understanding that the Plaistow Board of Selectmen will present the report to other town boards for review and to provide feedback to them,” said Weston. “If the selectmen find (the commuter rail plan) beneficial to the community, then they will bring it to the town for a vote.”

Weston said no plan would move forward without the support of the town.

Even if the plan clears those hurdles, Weston said it would take a minimum of four to five years to complete.  Trains will be rolling by 2020 at the earliest, he said.

The town election on March 10 will guage how much support there is among residents for a commuter rail station and layover facility in Plaistow.  A citizens' group against the project has put forward a petition article asking voters if they support a station in town.

James Peck, one of the organizers of Citizens Against a Train Layover Yard in Plaistow, said he is hoping there is a heavy turnout at  town election voicing displeasure with the plan.

There also will be a reconfigured Board of Selectmen following the March 10 election, as three candidates are looking to fill two open seats on the board.

Two of those candidates, Tammy Bergeron and Julian Kiszka, have signed a pledge against the layover facility in town. The third candidate, Jim Wentworth, said he does not believe in signing a pledge, but has raised questions about the project.

During Tuesday night's meeting, Weston laid out some of the reasons why the Joanne Drive site was chosen as the preferred site over several other alternatives. He also provided some information on potential noise associated with the project, cost, and ridership figures.

Weston said the Joanne Drive site has the best regional access to Route 125, has less noise impact than other sites that were considered, has the fewest number of residential properties within a half mile, and allows for a potential connection to Plaistow center.

“Probably, at the most, there would be 300 people boarding the train every morning, and that would not be all at once,” said Weston. He said the 13 commuter trains that currently run during the day from Haverhill would extend to Plaistow.

The peak hours for traffic and ridership would be from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., generating about 100 additional trips in the Joanne Drive area during that time.

The layover facility at the site would have tracks for six trains. Weston said there would be 50 buildings within the area where the sound of idling trains would be able to be heard over ambient noise. The potential for sound walls would reduce that number to 39, he added.

Weston also touched on the cost of the project. The capital costs for the Joanne Drive site would be just over $50 million.

The costs for the capital improvements are expected to come from a combination of federal funds with matching funds from Massachusetts, according to Weston.

By Adam Swift
Union Leader correspondent

PLAISTOW – A site off Main Street on Joanne Drive is the preferred site for a commuter rail station and layover facility for the extension of MBTA service into Plaistow.

That potential site was officially presented during a public information session on the commuter rail study Tuesday night.

Over the next several months, the study will move into the environmental assessment phase, with an environmental assessment report expected to be completed and presented to the town by the end of April. That report will document potential environmental impacts of the Joanne Drive site versus not building a commuter rail station and layover facility at all, according to John Weston of HDR Engineering, the firm preparing the reports.

Although the commuter rail study is nearing completion, it will still be a long and difficult journey before the Haverhill commuter rail line could be running across the state line.

“With the completed report, it is my understanding that the Plaistow Board of Selectmen will present the report to other town boards for review and to provide feedback to them,” said Weston. “If the selectmen find (the commuter rail plan) beneficial to the community, then they will bring it to the town for a vote.”

Weston said no plan would move forward without the support of the town.

Even if the plan clears those hurdles, Weston said it would take a minimum of four to five years to complete.  Trains will be rolling by 2020 at the earliest, he said.

The town election on March 10 will guage how much support there is among residents for a commuter rail station and layover facility in Plaistow.  A citizens' group against the project has put forward a petition article asking voters if they support a station in town.

James Peck, one of the organizers of Citizens Against a Train Layover Yard in Plaistow, said he is hoping there is a heavy turnout at  town election voicing displeasure with the plan.

There also will be a reconfigured Board of Selectmen following the March 10 election, as three candidates are looking to fill two open seats on the board.

Two of those candidates, Tammy Bergeron and Julian Kiszka, have signed a pledge against the layover facility in town. The third candidate, Jim Wentworth, said he does not believe in signing a pledge, but has raised questions about the project.

During Tuesday night's meeting, Weston laid out some of the reasons why the Joanne Drive site was chosen as the preferred site over several other alternatives. He also provided some information on potential noise associated with the project, cost, and ridership figures.

Weston said the Joanne Drive site has the best regional access to Route 125, has less noise impact than other sites that were considered, has the fewest number of residential properties within a half mile, and allows for a potential connection to Plaistow center.

“Probably, at the most, there would be 300 people boarding the train every morning, and that would not be all at once,” said Weston. He said the 13 commuter trains that currently run during the day from Haverhill would extend to Plaistow.

The peak hours for traffic and ridership would be from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., generating about 100 additional trips in the Joanne Drive area during that time.

The layover facility at the site would have tracks for six trains. Weston said there would be 50 buildings within the area where the sound of idling trains would be able to be heard over ambient noise. The potential for sound walls would reduce that number to 39, he added.

Weston also touched on the cost of the project. The capital costs for the Joanne Drive site would be just over $50 million.

The costs for the capital improvements are expected to come from a combination of federal funds with matching funds from Massachusetts, according to Weston.

---

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Barton McLaine said Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 11:28 am

****** the torpedoes and all sense.Just let's be very clear about this. Maggie and her henchmen are planning to spend a minimum,,, when have to ever seen the minimum spent,,,think Big Dig,,,of 300MILLION$$$$ of YOUR money to provide transportation to her 3,000 voters who moved here from Boston and vote Democrat blindly.~~~Talk about payoffs!

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By Adam Swift
Union Leader correspondent

PLAISTOW – A site off Main Street on Joanne Drive is the preferred site for a commuter rail station and layover facility for the extension of MBTA service into Plaistow.

That potential site was officially presented during a public information session on the commuter rail study Tuesday night.

Over the next several months, the study will move into the environmental assessment phase, with an environmental assessment report expected to be completed and presented to the town by the end of April. That report will document potential environmental impacts of the Joanne Drive site versus not building a commuter rail station and layover facility at all, according to John Weston of HDR Engineering, the firm preparing the reports.

Although the commuter rail study is nearing completion, it will still be a long and difficult journey before the Haverhill commuter rail line could be running across the state line.

“With the completed report, it is my understanding that the Plaistow Board of Selectmen will present the report to other town boards for review and to provide feedback to them,” said Weston. “If the selectmen find (the commuter rail plan) beneficial to the community, then they will bring it to the town for a vote.”

Weston said no plan would move forward without the support of the town.

Even if the plan clears those hurdles, Weston said it would take a minimum of four to five years to complete.  Trains will be rolling by 2020 at the earliest, he said.

The town election on March 10 will guage how much support there is among residents for a commuter rail station and layover facility in Plaistow.  A citizens' group against the project has put forward a petition article asking voters if they support a station in town.

James Peck, one of the organizers of Citizens Against a Train Layover Yard in Plaistow, said he is hoping there is a heavy turnout at  town election voicing displeasure with the plan.

There also will be a reconfigured Board of Selectmen following the March 10 election, as three candidates are looking to fill two open seats on the board.

Two of those candidates, Tammy Bergeron and Julian Kiszka, have signed a pledge against the layover facility in town. The third candidate, Jim Wentworth, said he does not believe in signing a pledge, but has raised questions about the project.

During Tuesday night's meeting, Weston laid out some of the reasons why the Joanne Drive site was chosen as the preferred site over several other alternatives. He also provided some information on potential noise associated with the project, cost, and ridership figures.

Weston said the Joanne Drive site has the best regional access to Route 125, has less noise impact than other sites that were considered, has the fewest number of residential properties within a half mile, and allows for a potential connection to Plaistow center.

“Probably, at the most, there would be 300 people boarding the train every morning, and that would not be all at once,” said Weston. He said the 13 commuter trains that currently run during the day from Haverhill would extend to Plaistow.

The peak hours for traffic and ridership would be from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., generating about 100 additional trips in the Joanne Drive area during that time.

The layover facility at the site would have tracks for six trains. Weston said there would be 50 buildings within the area where the sound of idling trains would be able to be heard over ambient noise. The potential for sound walls would reduce that number to 39, he added.

Weston also touched on the cost of the project. The capital costs for the Joanne Drive site would be just over $50 million.

The costs for the capital improvements are expected to come from a combination of federal funds with matching funds from Massachusetts, according to Weston.

---

Comments

To improve the chance of seeing your comment posted here or published in the New Hampshire Union Leader:

• Identify yourself. Accounts using fake or incomplete names are suspended regardless of the quality of posts.
• Say something new, stay on topic, keep it short.
• Links to outside URLs are discouraged, if used they should be on topic.
• Avoid comments in bad taste, write well, avoid using all capital letters
• Don't cite facts about individuals or businesses without providing a means to verify the claim
• If you see an objectionable comment please click the "Report Abuse" button and be sure to tell us why.

Note: Comments are the opinion of the respective poster and not of the publisher.

Barton McLaine said Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 11:28 am

****** the torpedoes and all sense.Just let's be very clear about this. Maggie and her henchmen are planning to spend a minimum,,, when have to ever seen the minimum spent,,,think Big Dig,,,of 300MILLION$$$$ of YOUR money to provide transportation to her 3,000 voters who moved here from Boston and vote Democrat blindly.~~~Talk about payoffs!

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Micro-Trains Releases Bangor & Aroostook "State of Maine" 50' Boxcars in N & Z Scales

Micro-Trains' March rolling stock releases include Bangor & Aroostook "State of Maine" 50' boxcars in 2 road numbers.  They are available in both N and Z scales.  

N scale - #031 00 471 RD# BAR 10027...$29.95
N scale - #031 00 472 RD# BAR 10038...$29.95 

Z scale - #505 00 321 RD# BAR 10027...$29.95
Z scale - #505 00 322 RD# BAR 10038...$29.95 

MBTA Fines Company That Runs Commuter Rail System $434K for February Delays | NECN

MBTA Fines Company That Runs Commuter Rail System $434K for February Delays | NECN

Man Loses Pants in Escalator Mishap at MBTA Station

SOURCE:  Man loses pants in escalator mishap at rail station | Local News - WCVB Home

SOMERVILLE, Mass. —A commuter using Boston area's subway system literally got his knickers in a twist, when a train station escalator ripped off his pants.


Joe Pesaturo, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation
Authority, told the Boston Herald that the accident on Thursday morning
happened at Davis Station in Somerville. It was the second escalator
mishap involving clothing on the "T'' in two days.

The man whose pants got stuck in the escalator wasn't hurt. Fellow commuters say he
was left standing in blue shorts while his pants were stuck in the
bottom of the escalator.

On Wednesday, an 89-year-old man was injured when he fell and his coat got caught in an escalator at the Chinatown Station.


MBTA officials are urging escalator riders to be mindful of loose clothing.

Freight slows as snow and cold pummel trains across New England - The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

Freight slows as snow and cold pummel trains across New England - The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram