Construction on South Coast Rail New Bedford stations expected to start this winter

Kiernan Dunlop

NEW BEDFORD - For many New Bedford residents the construction of South Coast Rail has long been a pipe dream they scoff at, but now work is scheduled to ramp up at station sites at the end of the year and everything appears to be on schedule for service to start in 2023.

Some initial work clearing the sites is already near completion.

A $1.7 million demolition contract was awarded to D.W. White Construction of Acushnet to work on nine sites across the South Coast.

In New Bedford, the contract involved demolishing the old Julius Koch industrial building at 387 Church St., which once produced cord and invisible tape for custom window coverings, and some other small buildings on the property to make room for one of the two stations planned for the city, according to D.W. White Construction owner Mark White.

White said he expects his crews will fulfill the contract and finish up at the site by the end of this week.

The contractor has heard conversations where people say South Coast Rail is never going to happen, and he said it’s nice to be able to tell them, “Well I have a contract for it.”

Others directly involved in South Coast Rail know the project has been a long time coming.

At a virtual meeting discussing progress on the New Bedford stations at the end of September, South Coast Rail Program Manager Jennifer Tabikan congratulated state and city departments for getting to this point with South Coast Rail after working on it for 20 years.

“We have been waiting for this for an awful long time,” Jean Fox, director of community engagement for South Coast Rail, said at the same meeting.'

Fox described the different elements of the New Bedford Main Line: 24.1 miles of track; four new stations - Middleborough Station, East Taunton Station, Church Street Station, and New Bedford Station; a layover; 18 grade crossings; and 11 culverts.

In addition to the work at the Church Street site, New Bedford residents may have seen work related to South Coast Rail at the grade crossing at Tarkiln Hill Road and King’s Highway, where Fox said there has been a lot of activity updating the crossing.

The activity at the South Coast Rail sites in the Whaling City is just getting started.

Bob Campbell, Director of Design Administration for South Coast Rail, said at the meeting that construction on both the Fall River and New Bedford Lines will begin before the end of 2020.

On Tuesday, Lisa Battison, a spokesperson for the MBTA, confirmed that active construction at both New Bedford stations is expected in winter 2020/2021.

She also acknowledged previous obstacles the South Coast Rail project has faced.

"This project had many starts and stops in years past, but the Baker-Polito Administration has strongly committed to a passenger rail connection between southeastern Massachusetts and Boston," Battison said in an email.

According to Battison, SCR Constructors, a joint venture between Middlesex Corporation and Tutor-Perini, was recently awarded the contract to construct the stations.

SCR Constructors received Notice to Proceed on October 15, Battison said, but until its submittals for safety procedures and reporting and environmental documentation and plans, which it is currently developing, are received and approved the city will see limited activity at the sites.

Though, Battison said, increased activity is anticipated before the end of the year.

Neighbors may see some preparatory work at the sites in the coming months such as grading along the right away and deliveries of long-lead special track work, according to Battison.

Field office will also be established at the site as the contractor gears up for major work in the spring, Battison said.

State and city departments are interacting regularly on the project and Fox said, “We are all on track to get these done, as you’ve heard the contracts are out and we are pushing and we are going to get service by the end of 2023.”

A schedule for Phase 1 of the South Coast Rail project lists construction beginning on the Middleboro Station and New Bedford Main Line in the fourth quarter of 2020 and ending in the second quarter of 2023 with a start of service goal in late 2023.

Construction at the Church Street Station will include building an 800-foot platform that has an 182-foot canopy, signage, and benches, according to Fox.

A similar platform will be constructed at the New Bedford Station in the north end of the Whale’s Tooth parking lot Downtown, though the canopy at that site will be 167 feet.

The Church Street station will have 355 parking spaces and 22 bicycle parking spots, according to Fox, with a bus stop and drop-off.

To allow pedestrian access to the station, MBTA plans to improve the pedestrian crossing at Church and Carlisle streets and reconstruct 2,800 feet of sidewalk on the west side of Church Street from Tarkiln Hill Rd to the station driveway.

Allowing pedestrian access to the New Bedford Station will require a little more.

The MBTA plans to construct a pedestrian bridge over Route 18 that connects from Purchase Street, according to Fox who said the sidewalk from Acushnet Avenue will also provide access.

The New Bedford Station will have 352 parking spaces that are shared with the Ferry Terminal and 22 bike park spaces with a bus stop on Acushnet Ave and a drop-off.

In addition to the two train stations, a space to store trains overnight that will include facilities for crew, cleaning and fuel will be constructed and called the Wamsutta Layover Facility.

“We see [South Coast Rail] as an opportunity to open up incredible housing stock in the city but also as an opportunity for people to come from outside and see the wonderful amenities that New Bedford has to offer,” Fox said.

Though the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted most plans in 2020, Fox said MassDOT views the pandemic as a temporary situation and it is still committed to getting South Coast Rail built.

“We do understand that the MBTA is facing some fiscal constraints but we are fully funded, our money’s not going anywhere and we truly believe our ridership numbers are fairly conservative...so we’re looking forward to building this and seeing everyone on the train,” Fox said.

Battison echoed Fox's statements in her email Tuesday,  "There have been no impacts to the project because of the pandemic, and no funding constraints."

In August, the MBTA Fiscal and Management Body Control Board approved a $400 million contract that will go towards the construction of the New Bedford Stations, after awarding a $159 million contract in June for work on the Fall River secondary line.

Allowing pedestrian access to the New Bedford Station will require a little more.

The MBTA plans to construct a pedestrian bridge over Route 18 that connects from Purchase Street, according to Fox who said the sidewalk from Acushnet Avenue will also provide access.

The New Bedford Station will have 352 parking spaces that are shared with the Ferry Terminal and 22 bike park spaces with a bus stop on Acushnet Ave and a drop-off.

In addition to the two train stations, a space to store trains overnight that will include facilities for crew, cleaning and fuel will be constructed and called the Wamsutta Layover Facility.

“We see [South Coast Rail] as an opportunity to open up incredible housing stock in the city but also as an opportunity for people to come from outside and see the wonderful amenities that New Bedford has to offer,” Fox said.

Though the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted most plans in 2020, Fox said MassDOT views the pandemic as a temporary situation and it is still committed to getting South Coast Rail built.

“We do understand that the MBTA is facing some fiscal constraints but we are fully funded, our money’s not going anywhere and we truly believe our ridership numbers are fairly conservative...so we’re looking forward to building this and seeing everyone on the train,” Fox said.

Battison echoed Fox's statements in her email Tuesday,  "There have been no impacts to the project because of the pandemic, and no funding constraints."

In August, the MBTA Fiscal and Management Body Control Board approved a $400 million contract that will go towards the construction of the New Bedford Stations, after awarding a $159 million contract in June for work on the Fall River secondary line.

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