Upgraded Union Station commuter rail platform running behind schedule
WORCESTER — It has started to get chillier outside and holiday travel is just around the corner, and riders at the Union Station grand hall still need to make the trek to a temporary platform a short walk away, toward Shrewsbury Street.
While earlier projections from the state and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said the project to build a center platform at Union Station should be completed by winter 2023, a spokesperson for the MBTA confirmed Thursday that the authority is targeting a spring completion of the project.
The MBTA spokesperson directed the Telegram & Gazette to a September MBTA presentation to the Worcester Redevelopment Authority that lists completion as likely occurring in the winter or spring 2024.
The project page on the MBTA website lists completion as spring 2024 while the city website still lists the completion date as winter 2023.
A project to waterproof the station's plaza was also projected to be completed in spring, according to the MBTA presentation.
The September presentation pegged the cost of the project at $45 million.
The project would build a high-level center platform at Union Station that would enable the station to handle two trains at once and effectively double the station’s capacity.
Several improvements
The project also includes stairs and an elevator up to the platform, a pedestrian bridge, infrastructure upgrades and accessibility improvements to the parking area.
Aside from the increased capacity, officials cited several additional benefits of the project, including that it comes as the neighborhood surrounding the station grows with housing and as nearby Polar Park provides a draw for visitors.
Since March 2022, Amtrak and commuter rail riders have had to use the temporary platform to board trains at the east end of the station and signage remains at the station to direct them to the temporary platform. They can also access the temporary platform from the commuter rail parking lot.
From Union Station's grand hall, riders will need to make a healthy walk to the temporary platform. If they're not bristling from the cold, they can get a firsthand look at the ongoing work to install the new platform.
What train riders say
At Union Station Thursday, some riders gave varying opinions on how going to the temporary platform impacts their experience.
Cleve Rea of Fitchburg was making his way to Montana through Chicago by Amtrak and uses Union Station once a year. While Rea enjoys taking the Amtrak, he said the extra walking can be a burden.
"It seems ridiculous to me, especially because it's been 14 months and we're still doing it," Rea said.
Rowan Crowley, a Clark University student traveling to Natick, regularly gets on the commuter rail at Union Station.
Crowley characterized going to the temporary platform as a "minor inconvenience" and hopes the finished platform reduces the time it takes to get to the train.
"It's a little bit annoying, but it's not the end of the world," Crowley said.
Ashley Thomson of Lanesborough was traveling home for the holidays from her school in Rhode Island. She makes the ride a few times a year, usually for holidays.
While Thomson said the extra walking does not have too much of an impact on her travel, she said getting to the platform takes a bit more time in the cold.
"Having to walk all the way down, it takes longer, especially in the time of year when it's freezing outside," Thomson said.
Arthur Theurer of Worcester was taking a break at Union Station, but is a daily rider to the Natick area for work.
"It's inconvenient right now and it's been going on for probably a year at least," Theurer said.
Theurer said it can also be confusing to riders to not see the main platform in operation and the temporary platform could have been better publicized, saying he missed his train the first time he came with the temporary platform in place.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: MBTA: Upgraded Union Station train platform running behind schedule
