State Fiscal Board Votes to Amend Commuter Rail Contract

Image from Creative Commons

The state's Fiscal Management and Control Board (FMRB) voted to amend the 2012 Ruggles Stastion Transportation Project contract with Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc, (VHB).

• You can take a closer look at the original legislative slideshow for the project here.

Amendments to the contract by the MBTA include a reconstructed lower busway, new elevators, and other adjustments for disabled commuters in order to comply with American Disability Act. The project received a $20-million-grant in 2014. Improvements to the station will occur in phases, with the platform portion being the first, according to the MBTA. An additional $1.6 million was approved today for the project, with a contract extension to December 31, 2019.

In a slideshow presented to the Massachusetts legislature in 2012, various shortcoming for the Ruggles commuter rail station were listed.

Source: MBTA Legislative Brief

In the project's executive summary, the MBTA states:

"Today, more than 30 percent of the inbound trains bypass Ruggles Station, requiring inbound passengers to transfer from the commuter rail to the Orange Line at Back Bay to travel back to Ruggles Station."

The Ruggles Commuter rail station opened in 1987. The MBTA considered constructing an additional platform as early as 1993. The station has grown to be the fourth busiest in the commuter rail system. The project was authorized in 2012 for $1.5 million to include the creation of a new 800-foot platform to service Track 2.

Projected design of the station from MBTA

Originally authorized in March 2012 for $1.5 million, this project contract already includes the layout and design of a new 800-foot platform. Northeastern University has also been involved with station construction, with a pedestrian bridge planned to cross over the tracks, providing access from Columbus Avenue. The project budget also includes $10 million from the MBRA Revenue Bond Fund. The work is scheduled to begin in 2017 and continue from 2019.