New MBTA stations included in the Green Line Extension Project have reportedly had their opening dates pushed back a year.
Plans had called for the relocated Lechmere Station, as well as new Washington Street and Union Square Stations to open in 2016, with remaining GLX stations tentatively slated to open in 2019. But a GLX Working Group meeting Thursday night, October 2, revealed that stations originally scheduled to open in 2016 are now expected to open in 2017, and remaining stations aren’t expected to start serving riders until summer 2020.
The project is set to add a total of 6 new stations, extending the Green Line to Somerville and Medford. Lechmere Station in Cambridge is expected to be relocated across the street from its current location.
More potentially bad news: The project – originally estimated to cost $1.3 billion before that total was bumped up to $1.6 billion – could now cost $1.9 billion, if the project is not completed on time. The extra $300 million, as explained at Thursday night’s meeting, is money that the Federal Transit Administration has asked the T to set aside for use in the event the project encounters construction delays.
Some good news did come out of this meeting. Construction on the next phase of the project, for example, has been approved, and Lechmere, Washington St, and Union Square station designs are 90 percent complete. Unfortunately, this will likely be overshadowed by the fact that the project has been pushed back another year.
According to meeting notes, as documented by the Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance, here’s the current timeline for the GLX project:
–Start of construction of commuter rail track interlocking at Tufts/College Avenue: March 2015
–Start of Phase 4 construction (Lowell Street, Gilman Square, Ball Square and College Avenue stations): November 2015
–Vehicle maintenance facility construction (Phase 3): February 2016 to January 2019
–Opening of Lechmere, Washington Street and Union Square stations: December 2017
–Opening of Phase 4 stations: Summer 2020
Photo via Eric Kilby
