Podcasts about green line extension

The Green Line Extension is up and running, the acting mayor of Methuen announces he's running for the permanent position, and Governor Healey looks to slash tuition for students. Stay in "The Loop" with #iHeartRadio.

A new report from The Boston Globe shows that MBTA officials were aware of issues with the Green Line Extension's construction long before the line opened to passengers earlier this year. Previously on The Common, Taylor Dolven, transportation reporter for The Globe, explained that slow zones were imposed on parts of the GLX after it was discovered that the rails on certain portions of the line were dangerously narrow. Today, Taylor tells us that not only are more than half of the rails along the GLX too narrow, they were built that way to begin with. Greater Boston's daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Trucks with humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip this morning. Service on the Green Line Extension is back to normal this morning. Charges against Boston City Councilor Kendra Laura have been reduced. 5 Minutes of news to keep you in "The loop".

Yesterday, MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng announced that miles of track on the less-than-one-year-old Green Line Extension were built too narrow. They'll need significant, labor-intensive repair. The most shocking part: leaders at the T knew about the problems since April of 2021

Chuck Zodda and Mike Armstrong discuss Jerome Powell signalling the Fed will extend interest-rate pause. There's a reason this bull market feels o weird. How five investors win in a world of 5% interest rates. The Green Line Extension is riddled with so many defects that a key part will need to be fixed. What happens to my solar panels if the company goes out of business?

On portions of tracks adding up to more than a mile, Green Line Extension trains are moving at only three miles-per-hour. The MBTA says these slow zones are a response to recent tests showing that portions of the tracks are narrowing. A concept that many transit experts say is unheard of. Boston Globe Transportation Reporter Taylor Dolven broke this story last week. She joins' The Common with more on what we know, and don't know, about the condition of the GLX, and how it's impacting the communities that rely on it.  Greater Boston's daily podcast where news and culture meet.

The MBTA's less-than-one-year-old Green Line Extension is in serious disrepair. Meanwhile, federal regulators are tightening the leash on track work in the name of worker safety.

The Green Line tracks are the wrong length...or something! Are you serious? Of course, Howie expected this much. Then, Howie shares some appalling statistics on marriage that show the decline in the American traditional family structure. It's better to be a single mom these days!

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Fund Transit With Development, published by jefftk on September 22, 2023 on LessWrong. When transit gets better the land around it becomes more valuable: many people would like to live next to a subway station. This means that there are a lot of public transit expansions that would make us better off, building space for people to live and work. And yet, at least in the US, we don't do very much of this. Part of it is that the benefits mostly go to whoever happens to own the land around the stations. A different model, which you see with historical subway construction or Hong Kong's MTR, uses the increase in land value to fund transit construction. The idea is, the public transit company buys property, makes it much more valuable by building service to it, and then sells it. While I would be pretty positive on US public transit systems adopting this model, I have trouble imagining them taking it on. Instead, consider something simpler and more distributed: private developers paying to expand public transit. Consider the proposed Somernova Redevelopment, in Somerville MA: This is a proposed $3.3B 1.9M-sqft development, adjacent to the Fitchburg Line. A train station right next to it would make a ton of sense, and could be done within the existing right of way without any tunneling. Somernova briefly mentions this idea on p283, where they say: Introducing a new train station on campus could dramatically reduce commute times, making all of Somernova within a five minute walk from the station. We look forward to ongoing dialog about these transit possibilities with the community and advocates, ensuring we continue to explore all options for enhanced connectivity longterm. This is pretty vague compared to the rest of the plan, which has a ton of estimates, but we can make our own. The MBTA recently completed a long and expensive project to extend the Green Line along this right of way, which stops at Union Square. Extending it to Dane Street would require another 0.9km of track and another station. The overall Green Line extension cost $2.2B for 7.6km, or $290M/km, though this included a bunch of over-designed work that needed to be thrown away and it should have been far less. This portion is relatively simple compared to the other work, with no maintenance facility or elevated sections, though it does include three bridges and moving a substation. Accepting the $290M/km figure, though, we could estimate $260M. A $260M extension would raise Somernova's construction costs by under 8%, less if you include the costs of the land, and I expect would raise the value of the completed project by well more than that - rents right next to subway stations are generally a lot higher than farther away. So even though Somernova would not capture all of the benefits of the new station they would capture enough to come out ahead. This isn't a new idea: in 2011 the Assembly Row developers made a deal with the MBTA to fund an infill station for their development. Because this was just a station it was cheaper: $15M from the developer and $16M from the federal government. Another place where something like this could make sense is building housing at Route 16. The other branch of the Green Line Extension, along the Lowell Line, could be extended 1.4km to Route 16. Figuring the same $290M/km this would be $400M, though as a straight-forward project in an existing right of way it should be possble to do it for about half that. Next to the site is a liquor store and supermarket, about 150k sqft: Let's say you build ground-floor retail (with more than enough room for the current tenants) and many stories of housing above it. It's not currently zoned for this, but zoning is often dependent on transit access and this is something the city could fix (ex: Assembly Square got special zoning). A hard...

Link to original articleWelcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Fund Transit With Development, published by jefftk on September 22, 2023 on LessWrong. When transit gets better the land around it becomes more valuable: many people would like to live next to a subway station. This means that there are a lot of public transit expansions that would make us better off, building space for people to live and work. And yet, at least in the US, we don't do very much of this. Part of it is that the benefits mostly go to whoever happens to own the land around the stations. A different model, which you see with historical subway construction or Hong Kong's MTR, uses the increase in land value to fund transit construction. The idea is, the public transit company buys property, makes it much more valuable by building service to it, and then sells it. While I would be pretty positive on US public transit systems adopting this model, I have trouble imagining them taking it on. Instead, consider something simpler and more distributed: private developers paying to expand public transit. Consider the proposed Somernova Redevelopment, in Somerville MA: This is a proposed $3.3B 1.9M-sqft development, adjacent to the Fitchburg Line. A train station right next to it would make a ton of sense, and could be done within the existing right of way without any tunneling. Somernova briefly mentions this idea on p283, where they say: Introducing a new train station on campus could dramatically reduce commute times, making all of Somernova within a five minute walk from the station. We look forward to ongoing dialog about these transit possibilities with the community and advocates, ensuring we continue to explore all options for enhanced connectivity longterm. This is pretty vague compared to the rest of the plan, which has a ton of estimates, but we can make our own. The MBTA recently completed a long and expensive project to extend the Green Line along this right of way, which stops at Union Square. Extending it to Dane Street would require another 0.9km of track and another station. The overall Green Line extension cost $2.2B for 7.6km, or $290M/km, though this included a bunch of over-designed work that needed to be thrown away and it should have been far less. This portion is relatively simple compared to the other work, with no maintenance facility or elevated sections, though it does include three bridges and moving a substation. Accepting the $290M/km figure, though, we could estimate $260M. A $260M extension would raise Somernova's construction costs by under 8%, less if you include the costs of the land, and I expect would raise the value of the completed project by well more than that - rents right next to subway stations are generally a lot higher than farther away. So even though Somernova would not capture all of the benefits of the new station they would capture enough to come out ahead. This isn't a new idea: in 2011 the Assembly Row developers made a deal with the MBTA to fund an infill station for their development. Because this was just a station it was cheaper: $15M from the developer and $16M from the federal government. Another place where something like this could make sense is building housing at Route 16. The other branch of the Green Line Extension, along the Lowell Line, could be extended 1.4km to Route 16. Figuring the same $290M/km this would be $400M, though as a straight-forward project in an existing right of way it should be possble to do it for about half that. Next to the site is a liquor store and supermarket, about 150k sqft: Let's say you build ground-floor retail (with more than enough room for the current tenants) and many stories of housing above it. It's not currently zoned for this, but zoning is often dependent on transit access and this is something the city could fix (ex: Assembly Square got special zoning). A hard...

You know what they say: When one Boston-area construction project closes, another opens. The Sumner Tunnel is once again open to drivers, but the Green Line Extension is closing for bridge repairs. Paris and Jeremy discuss.

The network stretches 13.2 miles to serve about 900,000 people from Bedford, Lexington, Arlington, Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston. WBZ's Kendall Buhl reports.

Happy Green Line Extension Week, one and all. On today's episode, Darryl and our producer Katelyn Harrop take us on an opening day ride from the brand-new Medford/Tufts station, all the way to the end of the extension... collecting stories and perspectives from riders along the way.  Greater Boston's daily podcast where news and culture meet.

The Green Line Extension servicing parts of Medford and Somerville opens, prices at the pump continue to drop and the Patriots head west for Monday Night Football. Five minutes of news that will keep you in “The Loop.”

The final branch of the Green Line Extension is officially open. WBZ's James Rojas reports.

The MBTA's new Green Line expansion to Somerville and Medford is set to open Monday. The extended subway line is being lauded as a major environmental win.

The Medford Branch will include stops in East Somerville, Gilman Square, Magoun Square, Ball Square, and Medford/Tufts stations. WBZ's Suzanne Sausville reports:

Last episode of March! Today on East to West we cover the house passing a bill to ban race-based hair discrimination, masks and COVID-19 testing no longer required after finals week, the Green Line extension project and more. FEATURING: Nellie Maloney, Bailey Salimes, Rani Thompson WRITTEN BY: Nellie Maloney, Bailey Salimes, Rani Thompson, Sophie Jin EDITED BY: Jit Ping LeeBASED ON DFP PIECES BY: Bella Ramirez, Fiona Broadie, Yoko Zhu, Ruhika PondaMUSIC:Acid Trumpet by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3340-acid-trumpet License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Backbay Lounge by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3408-backbay-lounge License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5010-ultralounge License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  This episode originally aired Mar. 28, 2022. For a full archive of “East to West,” head to dfpress.co/listen. 

This week listen as Mayor Siddiqui and Vice Mayor Mallon discuss Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Cat & Kitten Cafes, the Green Line Extension opening, COVID19 updates, the City's Green Fleet Policy, Riverbend Park updates, the resumption of street cleaning next week, and more. Stay up to date on all the Cambridge happenings with us!

The Extension is a project years in the making. We talk about these trade-offs and challenges with Zach Baum, president of the board for Union Square Main Streets, and co-owner of Bow Market, an outdoor mall in Union Square. Then, we turn to WBUR reporter Simón Rios for analysis.

Today's episode included an interview with Jim Silva. Jim can be contacted at jfsilva@smrto.org.   More information about updates regarding the process of Charter Review can be found at http://medfordcharterreview.org/index.html The next meeting of the Charter Review Coalition is scheduled for Next meeting: Wednesday, April 13 at 7 p.m. and the zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87516016799?pwd=RDlkYzFaMWZNR3lPVXo1ajVzQmQvdz09  More information about the Green Line Extension can be found at https://www.mass.gov/green-line-extension-project-glx  The Medford Parking Department can be found at https://www.medfordma.org/parking/  Thanks so much for listening to day's episode and as always, if you have feedback about this episode or ideas for future episodes, you can email medfordpod@gmail.com. You can also subscribe, rate and review the podcast on spotify and apple podcasts. Thanks so much for listening.

The first train departed the brand-new Lechmere station just before 5:00 AM on Monday. WBZ's James Rojas reports:

On the opening day of the new Lechmere station, people gathered nearby holding signs that read "No mass evictions," and "Don't let the Green Line become the Gentrification Line." WBZ's Karyn Regal reports.

Dozens have been killed as a result of Russian attacks on Ukraine, the MBTA announces the Green Line Extension opens on March 21, and hardware stores prepare for Friday's winter storm. Five minutes of news that will keep you in "The Loop."

WBZ's Karyn Regal took a look at the shiny new station

RT&S Editor-in-Chief Bill Wilson talks with Green Line Extension project manager John Dalton about progress and challenges behind the work.

Matt is joined by professor and transit researcher Eric Goldwyn to talk about why transit projects in the U.S. often fail. They discuss several high-profile cases, including the Second Avenue subway line in New York, the Green Line Extension in Boston, and the DC Streetcar. Why do cities spearhead redundant transit lines on top of existing rights-of-way? Why do cities in other countries spend so much less per mile on transit than American cities do? And, how can the political opposition to mass transit be met, to build the more accessible and environmentally-conscious transit infrastructure of the future? Resources: The Transit Costs Project "The Boston Case: The Story of the Green Line Extension" by Eric Goldwyn, Alon Levy, and Elif Ensari (Dec. 9, 2020) "Costly Lessons from the Second Avenue Subway" by Eric Goldwyn, New York Review of Books (Sep. 22, 2020) Guest: Eric Goldwyn (@ericgoldwyn), Program Director at the Marron Institute of Urban Management and Associate Professor in the Transportation and Land-Use program, NYU Marron Institute. Host: Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.com Credits: Erikk Geannikis, Editor and Producer As the Biden administration gears up, we'll help you understand this unprecedented burst of policymaking. Sign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weeds-newsletter. The Weeds is a Vox Media Podcast Network production. Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts About Vox Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Follow Us: Vox.com Facebook group: The Weeds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the third episode of A Blight on the Hill, reporters Rachel Carp, Abigail Alpern Fisch, Elie Levine, and Julia Greco talk to experts and investigate all aspects of the Green Line Extension's expected move to Medford, including housing, displacement and rising rents.

We're joined in studio by prominent Boston transit advocate Rafael Mares, Vice President and Director of Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice for the Conservation Law Foundation. CLF has been instrumental in improving access and mobility for MBTA users, including holding the state to transit project commitments they've tried to wiggle out of.We discuss the current state of transit operations and investment, the Control Board and politics, the fate of long-awaited projects such the Green Line Extension, the Big Dig legacy, and much more. This episode was recorded on May 16 in the studios of WMBR 88.1 FM in Cambridge, engineered by Scott Mullen. Find Rafael Mares online at @RafaelMares2 or CLF. TransitMatters advocates for fast, frequent, reliable and effective public transportation in and around Boston. As part of our vision to repair, upgrade and expand the MBTA transit network, we aim to elevate the conversation around transit issues by offering new perspectives, uniting transit advocates and promoting a level of critical analysis normally absent from other media.Like what you hear? Share it around, tell your friends and colleagues, and subscribe to the blog and podcast (on iTunes) to be notified of new posts and episodes. Support our work by becoming a member, making a donation or signing up to volunteer because we can't do this alone. Let us know what you think: connect with TransitMatters on Facebook or Twitter. Follow Jeremy Mendelson @Critical Transit, Josh Fairchild @hatchback31, Jarred Johnson @jarjoh, Marc Ebuña @DigitalSciGuy, Scott Mullen @mixmastermully or email us here.

We sat down with urban transit student and author of the popular Pedestrian Observations blog, Alon Levy, well known among advocates for his knowledge of best (and worst) practices in urban planning and transportation.In a time of short-sighted cost-cutting and privatization efforts, it is refreshing to hear smart and effective ways to use our existing transportation assets. We spend some time debunking the myth that new technology like the Hyperloop or personal rapid transit will solve our problems. Instead, we know how to address our challenges using existing technology, for example, modernizing commuter rail, increasing core system capacity and upgrading the network to serve modern travel needs. Using electronics before concrete. And of course, we cover the MBTA's Control Board and the ongoing mess, including privatization, late night service, the Green Line Extension, North South Rail Link, and try to learn why construction costs so much.And much more. The Transit Matters Podcast is your source for transportation news, analysis, interviews with transit advocates and more. By offering new perspectives, uniting transit advocates and promoting a level of critical analysis normally absent from other media, we can achieve a useful and effective transportation network because Transit Matters.Like what you hear? Share it around, tell your friends and colleagues, and subscribe to the blog and podcast (on iTunes) to be notified of new posts and episodes. Support our work by becoming a member, making a donation or signing up to volunteer because we can't do this alone. Let us know what you think by connect with TransitMatters on Facebook or Twitter. Follow Jeremy Mendelson @Critical Transit, Josh Fairchild @hatchback31, Jarred Johnson at @jarjoh, Marc Ebuña at @DigitalSciGuy, and or email us here.

This show is focused on MBTA advocacy, with the full crew sharing our thoughts on some of the things in the media lately, and which we've been working on. Fares increases are proposed again despite the absence of a vision for upgrading and growing our network. It's hard to ask people for more money without real improvements. Some say we should give discounts to low-income riders and raise fares for everyone else. We explore why a two-tier transit system is a terrible idea that will lead to a death spiral and actually impact the poorest riders most. Also, if a transit fare is not a tax, is it a fee? The MBTA board (FMCB) has proposed eliminating up to 28 bus routes, largely without any analysis of what these routes do or how they operate.  A better approach is to figure out why some routes are expensive and/or attract low ridership, such as poor service quality (on-time performance, frequency, connections) and many seem to be designed to fail. The existing late night service is one example, but rather than get rid of it, service should be vastly improved and expanded to full overnight service (don't forget the early morning needs!). Commuter rail come up too. We talk about the importance of good service planning, the different levels of planning, and how we can not only make small routine changes but also design a better network. Aside from service cuts, no routes have changed since 2008 and a comprehensive review has never been done, even though travel patterns have changed a lot since the 1964 creation of MBTA. Most routes do not meet basic service standards like crowding and on-time performance. How can we plan for upgrades? The Green Line Extension is way over budget and horribly mismanaged, largely due to schedule pressures, not enough MBTA staff to oversee this massive project (due to austerity) and as a result contractors scamming the T. Are we learning the lessons as the FMCB looks to cut the budget even more? We explain the importance of carrying out the GLX plan which was approved through an extensive public process, and how proposed project reductions would actually cause us to spend more in operating costs to run the line.

We turn our attention to the MBTA Commuter Rail network and how it must be be part of the solution to many of our local and regional transportation challenges. Regional rail is a very important component of the transit network in terms of tackling street and highway congestion and, if designed well, can actually fill both local and regional travel needs. With the North South Rail Link, many suburban rail lines combine for frequent, high capacity transit service in the city's core. Frequent service on the Fairmount Line can open major new opportunities for Boston's chronically underserved areas and represents a smart transit investment. Also, why we should ditch the traditional park-and-ride model in favor of building infill stations to add new options in already dense places, improving walk access to existing stations, increasing span and frequency, and other things that will increase ridership... and no more suburban rail extensions! But yes to intercity bus service and the new MassDOT Bus Plus program! We finish with a discussion of how to handle the delayed Green Line Extension, and we even found time to rant about rail shutdowns, shuttle buses, the Government Center fiasco and the reality that changing ridership patterns mean we're making all kinds of trips on the T at all hours.

Transit Matters co-editor Marc Ebuna joins me for this special inaugural episode focusing on the Green Line. Following a recent public meeting with MBTA staff, Marc shares the latest Green Line initiatives including vehicle tracking (real-time train arrival info), signal priority, stop consolidation, three-car trains, accessibility and fare collection. Also, construction on the Green Line Extension to Somerville and Medford is moving full-steam ahead. Lede photo credit: MassDOT Flickr