The first part of restoring commuter rail service that connects Boston to southeastern Massachusetts reached the midway level this summer season, the MBTA stated.
“Exciting signs of progress are visible along the right of way at Taunton, Fall River and New Bedford,” states a recently-released MBTA/MassDOT truth sheet on the South Coast Rail undertaking.
“Stations and track work are approaching completion on the Fall River Secondary Line, as that contract was awarded first.”
According to the doc, work on the longer Middleborough Secondary/New Bedford Main Line is progressing as nicely. Construction crews have laid 56,000 linear toes of monitor, accomplished 12 of 18 station crossings and stations in Middleborough and New Bedford are seen.
Taunton, Fall River and New Bedford are the one main communities inside 50 miles of Boston that don’t presently have commuter rail entry to the Hub, in response to the MassDOT web site.
“It’s been many years since the vision of a restored South Coast Rail began to take shape,” the MBTA doc acknowledged. “With completion of the Fall River Line a few months away, and the New Bedford Line to follow, the project team will prepare for training crews and testing equipment and infrastructure next summer.”
The first part of the South Coast Rail undertaking, which is about to revive commuter rail service between Boston and the southeastern a part of the state by the tip of 2023, is being paid for by roughly $1 billion in state income bonds, the MassDOT web site acknowledged.
It will proceed service to 9 present stations on the Middleborough/Lakeville Line and add six new stations: Middleborough, East Taunton, Freetown, Fall River Depot, Church Street in New Bedford, and New Bedford, in response to MassDOT.
Work kicked off on the Fall River Secondary after May 2020, the month the MBTA awarded a roughly $159 million contract to Skanska DW White JV, which is about to wrap up main building on the road’s station constructions in Fall River and Freetown this fall.
The remaining work, resembling paving, landscaping, fencing, web site cleanup and utilities, is anticipated to be accomplished in December or early subsequent 12 months.
At that point, the contractor, partnered with the MBTA and rail operator Keolis Commuter Services, will undergo a “rigorous testing and commissioning process of all the equipment,” the T’s doc acknowledged.
For the Middleborough Secondary/New Bedford Line, a $403.5 million building contract was awarded to SRC Contractors in August 2020. The bundle consists of constructing the 2 strains and the sign and communications system for the complete hall, in response to the T.
The MBTA stated work for these strains is anticipated to be accomplished by the beginning of South Coast Rail service.
Funding has not been secured for the “full build project,” which is able to lengthen commuter rail service on the Stoughton Line to the New Bedford and Fall River Lines, connecting extra communities, together with Easton and Raynham, to Boston, the MassDOT web site acknowledged.
“The full build presents more challenges related to wetland impacts, complex engineering, electrification and cost,” the web site acknowledged. “An anticipated start date will be developed as the project advances.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”
