According to T officials, the project has a budget of $169 million.
The statement said Tower One’s existing signaling system is outdated and sometimes causes delays, saying the system dates back to the 1980s.
The work on Tower One includes the replacement of “the existing main signaling system with a new signal house that will control all rail traffic in the South Station signal box,” according to T. In addition, “the most important signal box switches, connecting tracks, power systems, lighting and safety equipment” are to be replaced.
Even a five-minute interruption to the system could cause further delays, officials said..
In February 2016, signaling problems at Tower One caused two days of major disruptions to Amtrak and rail service. The problems forced the signaling system to be operated manually, limiting the number of trains that could enter and exit the station, the Globe reported.
And one morning last October, several S-Bahn trains were delayed by 20 to 30 minutes due to signaling problems at the station.
Upgrading and maintaining the infrastructure is essential because nearly 60,000 passengers pass through South Station every day and, due to the number of trains that depend on Tower 1, a five-minute disruption can cause delays affecting thousands of them. This will also allow for future expansion of South Station, the Department of Transportation said in 2019.
“This work will also support the future growth of MBTA and Amtrak,” the T said. “We are using Widett Circle to deliver materials and equipment for the critically important Tower One project currently under construction.”
This report uses material from previous Globe stories.
Travis Andersen can be reached at [email protected].
