Pre-fabricated Rail Ties on MBTA’s Green Line Extension Made to Incorrect Specifications – UPDATED

MBTA Green Line train

en.wikipedia.org

BOSTON – Pre-fabricated rail ties were made to the wrong specifications and then installed on MBTA's Green Line extension.

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this post quoted MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng as stating rail ties “were placed too close together.” However, the narrow rails are due to the fact that pre-fabricated rail ties were made to incorrect specifications and then installed.

Commonwealth has reported that between Somerville and Medford, “it appears the prefabricated plated rail ties for the Green Line extension were made to incorrect specifications and then installed,” and that “the problem could have been caught in April 2021, more than a year before the Green Line extension opened, and again in November 2022, shortly before the Medford/Tufts branch of the line opened.” 

In September and early October, repairs to the Green Line were ordered “to remove 3-mile-per-hour slow zones implemented because of narrow rails.” Then, on October 11^th, Eng stated that it had removed those speed restrictions on both Green Line extension branches. Now, 50% of rail ties on the Somerville Branch and 80% of rail ties on the Medford-Tufts branch need to be fixed via removing the plates and repositioning them.

According to Eng, the rails should be 56.5 in. apart, but their recent scans have found the gage to be 56 1/8 inches to 56 3/8 inches apart. Even with 1/16 inch tolerance, “remedial action must be taken, either by slowing trains down or widening the tracks.” Eng was concerned about narrow tracks, but he maintained the Green Line is still safe for passengers as of now. Additionally, Eng commented that he believed “the team could have been more proactive” in detecting and reporting the issue.

In terms of fixing the issue, Eng commented that GLX Constructors, the contractor, has come up with a plan. MBTA will review the plan, but Eng said GLX will pay the cost of fixing it as “this is not something the public should be paying for.” As of reporting, there was no estimate given as to the cost of the repairs or how long they would take. 

The MBTA conducted an investigation in April 2021, and the conductor found a failure on the “track inside the Medford train yard at points where the track curved.” The report shows that a “widened gauge section of yard track found to be pre-plated too narrow. . . noting that specs for the curve called for a width of 56 7.8 inches and the actual width was narrower.”

A geometry scan took place in November 2022, and it “identified 29 locations where the gauge was less than 56 1/8 inches. The scan also identified significant portions of the Green Line extension where the gauge was narrow but not dangerously so.” Those 29 locations received repairs.

Governor Maura Healey stated her “frustration and disappointment at the revelation that senior MBTA officials under the previous administration knew about issues with the Green Line extension tracks years ago and did not disclose them to our administration or address them on their watch. . . The people of Massachusetts deserve better. I applaud GM Eng for uncovering this and taking swift action to hold people accountable and demand a work plan from the contractor to fix the narrow gauges on their own dime. The MBTA is committed to fixing this and delivering the service that riders deserve.”

The consultant who oversaw the project, John Dalton, commented that he “was not aware of any widespread problem,” and that he was “proud of the work the MBTA did on the project.”

Now, WCVB has reported that two senior officials on the project were fired, and a new manager has taken over.  Emails between officials back in December of 2022 show warnings about the Medford branch. Close to 30 locations had “areas of URGENT NARROW GAGE,” and “would require speed restrictions.”