Green Line (MBTA)

The Green Line is a metro - tram in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ( MBTA ) in the city of Boston, Massachusetts in the United States and in adjacent areas. It is the oldest city train in Boston and is referred to by the locals simply as the "T". The route runs in the city center in the underground and in outer areas above ground. With a daily passengers carried figure of 232,000 people it is also the most widely used light rail line in the United States.

The line has a green color because it goes primarily through the green belt of the city called Emerald Necklace. The four branches B, C, D and E are the remains of a once very extensive system of tram lines, with the Cambridge Railroad began in 1856. The oldest subway tunnel in North America is the step by step from 1 September 1897 to September 3, opened in 1898 Tremont Street Subway, which brings up to today in the Boston center together with adjacent tubes vehicles of all rail lines.

Background

Today's Green Line ends in the north at the station in eastern Cambridge Lechmere. From there it goes south on the Lechmere Viaduct and through the Tremont Street Subway under the center of Boston, then continue to the west by the Boylston Street Subway Station to Kenmore. In planning documents are the tunnels of the Green Line, which run through the city center and through Back Bay, sometimes called the Central Subway. In the route divides west from the station Copley Green Line E and leads southwest through the Huntington Avenue Subway, to then reach the surface and continue thence along the Huntington Avenue to its terminus at Heath Street.

The lines Green Line B, C and Green Line Green Line D branch each west from the station Kenmore. The "B" line runs along Commonwealth Avenue to its terminus Boston College, the "C" line reached on Beacon Street the surface and leads to the terminus at Cleveland Circle. The line "D" eventually leads to a crossing-free path that was used until 1958 by the Boston and Albany Railroad, to the terminus Riverside.

There was also a Green Line A, which led to Watertown until 1969 and was then adjusted. In fact, never has a train out this term, although the system had been introduced two years before setting the route. The rails of the line "A" were in operation until 1994, in order to take advantage of the located in Watertown maintenance facilities can.

Rolling stock

Like the three other metro lines of the MBTA runs the Green Line on track with standard gauge.

Background

At the end of the 19th century, the original purpose of the Tremont Street Subway was to allow ordinary trams to get around the worst traffic jams on the roads in the densely populated areas of Boston. Therefore, these ordinary trams were also the first rail vehicles that came on the later designated as Green Line route used.

For many years, used the Green Line, the PCC car at the time of the Great Depression developed. These were the mid-1970s gradually replaced by the Boeing LRV manufacturer Boeing Vertol. However, the first series of these cars suffered from chronic malfunction, leading to a real crisis in transportation. The MBTA asked for dependable material and called a comprehensive PCC overhaul program in place to extend maintenance cycles and increase the reliability. In 2011, ten of these vehicles were still on the Ashmont - Mattapan High Speed ​​Line of the Red Line in use.

In 1987, the MBTA LRV 100 units of the second generation with the Japanese company Kinki Sharyo in order and ordered 20 more in 1997. The last train from Boeing Vertol was put out of service in March 2007 and, like most other scrapped. In 2011 the trains presented by Kinky Sharyo together with the Breda trains most of the rolling stock of the Green Line.

One of the first trains of type 5 with the number 5734 can be parked visited together with the train PCC 3295 on a siding of the station Boylston today. They were still used for a while for historical tours, but not moved since 1997.

Active fleet

As of February 2010 the following features are available on the Green Line in operation:

Decommissioning Asked vehicles

The following statements do not include the vehicles from the era of the Boston Elevated Railway.

Accessibility

Unlike the Red Line, Blue Line and Orange Line, each exclusively designed as a U -Bahn and variable entries and exits can customize in stations to the platform height flexible on the level, is the Green Line is basically a partially underground propelled tram with a variety of different vehicle types that came in the course of its history used. The access for disabled persons are therefore still limited to this line.

Originally flexible platforms were available at no station of the Green Line, so that the passengers several stages in the vehicle had to climb up, which was a partially insurmountable hurdle especially for those with walking difficulties. To address this problem, two major changes have been made:

• At some stations there are wheelchair ramps and lifts, which have proven in use to be very time consuming and provide high traffic areas for significant delays.
• It will gradually be used with low-floor vehicles equipped to allow for faster boarding and alighting of passengers with wheelchairs.

These 100 low-floor vehicles were ordered by the Italian manufacturer AnsaldoBreda in a first step, the Pininfarina got a modern look. These vehicles, however, were initially problematic in operation and difficult to maintain - the first specimens used were from every 640 km, while the specifications of the MBTA actually provide 14.5 thousand kilometers. In addition, they tended to derail what the MBTA forced to an additional investment of 9.5 million U.S. dollars to modify the railways so that this problem no longer occurred. However, there were some difficulties in turn with the vehicles from Boeing. The MBTA has been criticized for having failed adequately to consider the reliability of the vehicles AnsaldoBreda prior to purchase and during delivery.

In December 2004, the MBTA canceled their order for the remaining ordered as part of an originally more than 9 years scale and comprehensive 225 million U.S. dollar project at AnsaldoBreda vehicles. A year later, the MBTA announced that it had entered into new contract negotiations with the Italian merchants, the contract scope was reduced to 85 vehicles. The remaining sum should be paid only if the vehicles meet all specifications. The production of the last car of this contract was completed on 14 December 2006. The end of 2007, however, the MBTA announced that they have agreed due to the high utilization of the Green Line with AnsaldoBreda to provide further ten vehicles, so that a total of 95 of the original 100 vehicles were to be used. The remaining 5 vehicles should only be supplied unfinished for spare parts. In June 2008, there were 90 vehicles of the type 8 in use, a copy was badly damaged in a derailment with nascent fire and four others were still in the testing phase. After several years in which modifications to the tracks of the Green Line D were done, the vehicles AnsaldoBreda could also be used there again, so that they can drive freely on each branch of the line today.

The MBTA operates on the Green Line trains with one, two or three vehicles, depending on the demand and availability. As of December 2011 trains with two vehicles are continuously used from Monday to Friday, while three vehicles are coming on selected routes during rush hour on the lines " B", " D" and " E" to use. At the same time she promised in each composite of two or more vehicles at least one of AnsaldoBreda use with low-floor technology.

Extension to Somerville / Medford

To settle a court dispute with the Conservation Law Foundation, which had the Commonwealth of Massachusetts sued to reduce the increase by the Big Dig automobile emissions, agreed this one to extend the Green Line from its previous northern terminus Lechmere to Medford Hillside. The extension would lead through the two suburbs of Boston Somerville and Medford, which are currently supplied below average by the MBTA in terms of population density, their economic importance as well as its proximity to Boston. For the expansion of two existing rail routes can be used, which are currently used by the Lowell Line on the Downeaster and the Fitchburg Line. According to official information is expected that working day 52,000 people will be traveling alone on the extended route of the Green Line. Thus, the MBTA would win a total of 7-8000 new passengers.

As of February 2, 2009, the new breakpoints of extended range include an offset station in Lechmere Station, Brick Bottom on Washington Street, Gilman Square at Medford Street, Lowell Street, Ball Square, Hillside on College Avenue in Medford on the campus of Tufts University and the terminus at U.S. Highway 16 and the Mystic Valley Parkway in Somerville at the Mystic River. Another possible breakpoint at the Winthrop Street and Boston Avenue was canceled due to the proximity to other stations and neighboring protests from the plans. The expansion is scheduled to be completed by 31 December 2014.

The new stations should be easily accessible for cyclists and pedestrians, but no new parking offer. In 2003, a financial requirement in the amount of 375 million U.S. dollars was calculated for the required track maintenance, but under the assumption that the rich expansion to West Medford, which is about 1,500 ft ( 457 m ) than the later combined actual plan. For seven new breakpoints and 24 new vehicles costs in the amount of 953.7 million U.S. dollars have been predicted.

In 2010, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation ( MassDOT ) announced that the commissioning of the new route for October 2015 ( and thus about 1 year later than originally planned ) is provided. Intermediate measurements of air quality are necessary should occur as expected the delay. The MassDOT had previously announced that it will be outsourced to a second, future expansion phase due to budget shortage of part of the College Avenue to Highway 16 and should not be longer part of the current project.

As of August 2011, the MassDOT has informed that the opening of an extension could take place at the earliest in the autumn of 2018. The completion of the distance to the College Avenue could shift to 2020, while the end point on the Mystic Valley Parkway was taken indefinitely from planning. The reason for the delay is in severe conditions in the purchase of land and concerns about costs and financing.

Accidents

On 28 May 2008, two trains collided the Green Line D in Newton. One of the platoon leader was killed, many passengers arrived with varying degrees of injury to the hospital. Initially it was assumed that a telephone call caused an accident with a mobile phone, but it was found afterwards that the real reason was a caused by sleep apnea sleep seconds of the driver.

On 8 May 2009, two vehicles collided the Green Line in the tunnel between Park Street Station and the Government Center station, as the 24- year-old driver of one of the traits of his girlfriend sent a text while driving. Then, stricter rules on the use of mobile phones have been adopted by the MBTA. The causing driver had missed a stop signal before the accident because of his distraction. 46 people were injured in the accident. According to official figures the MBTA damage in the amount of 9.6 million dollars was.

A pilot test of a technology for collision avoidance was provided on the Ashmont - Mattapan High Speed ​​Line in 2009 and was designed to investigate the objective possibilities for transfer to the Green Line.

On March 10, 2014 derailed a train, the D -Line between the stations Kenmore and Fenway and crashed into the wall of the tunnel. Seven passengers were slightly injured thereby. After an investigation of the accident on failure of the train inspector was returned.