MBTA taps better maintenance practices with Green Line improvements

Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has provided the Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) with a long-term strategic plan for continued track maintenance and an update on major short-term improvements for Green Line track areas.  

 

MBTA said its Track Department has used accelerated rail replacement techniques to install 500-plus feet of new track in three-hour time slots working overnight. The transportation authority notes that this work previously took entire weekends to carry out. Methods used include pre-welding rail to the desired length, pre-staging materials, pre-installation of tie and plate work, as well as post-installation material removal.

So far, the MBTA has replaced nearly 25,000 feet of track and about 1,000 ties and tie plates, which is predicted to reduce track defects by 50 percent. The upgrades also allow for the lifting of speed restrictions in place at certain locations where work was performed, the MBTA said. Officials estimate that lifting the speed restrictions will cut travel times by about seven minutes.

“Finding new ways to increase productivity in essential track work like this is the key to making real progress toward our State of Good Repair backlog,” said MBTA General Manager Luis Manuel Ramírez. “But even more important, this takes into account the needs of our customers by executing on this work with precise coordination and synchronicity, and to make the most amount of progress we can within into the smallest incremental disruptions to normal service hours.”

MBTA said these improvements make way for core groundwork to take place in the coming months and years as part of the Green Line Track Renewal Plan.

“Our success here is the product of working in a more coordinated manner to make even more progress within the time we have,” said Deputy General Manager Jeffrey Gonneville. “Given the results of these internal process improvements, going forward, we’ll be looking to the Green Line track replacement as the model for how we can maximize our efforts on other lines and continue to tackle our State of Good Repair needs.”

Green Line track replacement and maintenance work in the past two years has included:

  • Rail gauge face angle upgrades on more than 90,000 feet of rail
  • Upgraded crossings at Packards Corner, St. Paul Street, Summit Avenue and Lake Street
  • The ongoing development of new training methods and track renewal plan
  • Optimization of the Track Geometry Collection
  • Upgrades to Type 8 Trucks Yaw Device and Primary Suspension
  • The execution of track work contracts
  • Flange lubricators deployed on all Type 8 Green Line cars
  • LIDAR data collected on the entire Green Line
  • Improvements to work methods that have led to the dramatic increase in lengths of continuously welded rail during night shifts

The improvements have resulted in significant reductions of wheel wear, which has increased the Green Line’s fleet availability and cut down on demand on the Riverside truck shop.

Derailment risks have also been significantly reduced with 100 percent of all Type 8 Center Truck Flange Lubricators installed, the transportation authority said.

The MBTA said a long-term plan remains necessary to continue track upgrades on the Green Line. Many track components were last replaced in the 1970s and 1980s, which indicates that the line’s rail, ties and other parts will eventually not be able to be maintained to standard and will require full replacement.

Next steps for updating the Green Line include:

  • Finalizing the Green Line Track Renewal Plan
  • Approval from the FMCB regarding accessing the track area for replacement
  • Developing contingency plans
  • Integrating MBTA and stakeholder activity to maximize efficiency and minimize disruptions

The estimated construction costs for the Green Line track replacement project are about $120 million and work is expected to be completed throughout a period of about three years.

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