MBTA sign system upgrades will influence service all through the summer time for riders on 4 commuter rail traces that function out of North Station.
Those utilizing the Newburyport/Rockport, Haverhill, Fitchburg and Lowell traces ought to anticipate service adjustments in July and August, in accordance with the MBTA.
“The critical signal work taking place this summer at the North Station terminal areas helps the T to upgrade the kinds of behind-the-scenes signal infrastructure that riders might not see every day, but can have an enormous impact on their commutes,” mentioned MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak.
“When the work is finished, the new state-of-the-art signaling system at North Station will improve resiliency and reduce delays, ultimately providing a more reliable ride for our north side commuter rail riders,” he added.
Budgeted at $45.2 million, the North Station Terminal Area Signal System Improvement Project includes changing the “obsolete signal system that controls the movement of the MBTA commuter rail and Amtrak trains in and out of North Station.” The previous relay-based sign system is being changed with a microprocessor-based system, the T mentioned.
The MBTA mentioned the North Station challenge additionally consists of the set up of two new crossovers, “which will allow for more train routing options to improve operations through the terminal area.”
“Although the project area only spans one mile, this area includes a complex network of tracks and switches that connect the station tracks at North Station, five major commuter rail lines, and the Boston Engine Terminal, where trains are supported and maintained,” the T mentioned.
The T mentioned this summer time’s work is the primary of a three-phase sign system cut-over course of, which is scheduled to be accomplished within the spring of 2023. Future work to interchange the drawbridges over the Charles River will complement the sign system upgrades; each initiatives will enable for using all 12 tracks at North Station.
The MBTA mentioned service can also be impacted by its plans so as to add Automatic Train Control to the Newburyport/Rockport line, as a part of Positive Train Control, a “federally-required safety control system that monitors a train’s location, direction, and speed in real time and reduces speed when needed.”
The ATC system, which has already been applied on commuter rail traces working out of the South Station, is programmed to alert the practice engineer of doubtless unsafe situations, by way of using sign indications inside the practice and sign lights alongside the tracks. If a crew doesn’t reply, ATC mechanically slows down or stops the practice.
According to the T’s challenge web site, riders on the affected traces ought to anticipate service adjustments from July 9-10, 16-17, 21-24, 30-31, and Aug. 4-7.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”