The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has selected GLX Constructors’ $1.08 billion bid for the reboot of the $2.2 billion Green Line light-rail extension in Boston, according to The Boston Globe.
The 4.7-mile Green Line extension is the biggest project in MBTA history and will add seven stations to the system between Cambridge, Mass., and Medford, Mass.
The next round of bids, due in January 2018, will translate to a construction start date somewhere in late 2018 and completion in 2021.
MBTA’s control board was also expected to approve a 13-year, $723 million contract with Cubic Corp. to design and operate the new system, which officials hope to fully implement by the spring of 2020.
Transit officials predicted the project would speed up the boarding process for passengers by phasing out the present-day fare cards and allow riders to board trains, trolleys and buses with a tap of a credit card or smartphone. The overhaul plan would reduce fare evasion and cost about $65 million less to operate over the course of the contract than if the current system remained in place.