The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority last week marked substantial completion of the South Coast Railroad mainline project, which is expected to begin passenger service in late 2023.
The $159 million contract for South Coast Rail Phase 1 includes the construction of two new stations at Freetown and Fall River, a new Weaver’s Cove transfer facility, and modernization of 12 miles of track. , and upgrades to nine bridges and ten flyovers. 11 culverts, MBTA officials said in a press release.
The Phase 2, $403 million contract continues construction of the New Bedford Line, upgrades to Middleborough Secondary and new stations at East Taunton, Middleborough and New Bedford. The work will also require the construction of a separate transit facility and signaling and communication systems, MBTA officials said.
MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, and other state and local officials attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Also on display at the event were four of MBTA’s new double-decker commuter rail carriages, 16 of which were procured as part of the South Coast Rail Project. A total of 80 Hyundai-Rotem bi-level coaches have been built and delivered.
MBTA officials said the rolling stock will replace single-level coaches, accommodate the urgent need for additional trains, and integrate active train control and other upgrades into passenger services. 16 will be delivered after June 2022 and the remaining 64 he expects to be delivered by summer 2024.
Meanwhile, the Federal Transportation Administration rejected 12 of 15 corrective action plans submitted by the MBTA to address employment issues, safety procedures and railroad operations. boston herald report.
MBTA has until January 3, 2023 to rework and resubmit rejected plans, said Meredith Sandberg, MBTA’s deputy chief of quality, compliance and oversight. The transit agency has obtained eight of his approvals out of a total of 20 plans, all of which are in line with the 20 findings of his four Special Directive FTAs issued in the Safety Management Inspection Report in August. Yes. Herald report.
The FTA requires the MBTA to develop a corrective action plan to better manage the impact of operations, maintenance and capital projects on its existing workforce. Prioritization of safety management information. Improve rail transport operating conditions and policies, procedures and training. Herald report.
