68-526: South Station , officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station , is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England 's second-largest transportation center after Logan International Airport . Located at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Summer Street in Dewey Square , Boston, Massachusetts , the historic station building
136-599: A dog park , new lighting, boardwalks, murals, and 175 parking spaces. The artwork in the public space was created by street artists from around the United States. The original Central Artery did not have any exit numbers. These were added after the roadway was designated as I-93 in 1974. Many of these exits either do not exist or no longer resemble their original forms. Exits 19, 21, and 25 were completely eliminated. 16 and 18 (formerly exits 20 and 26) were separated northbound and southbound; 16 (former exit 20) northbound uses
204-651: A bypass around downtown to use the Artery south of Storrow Drive and the Southeast Expressway . In 1974, I-95 was canceled through Boston (cancelling its approach from Providence, Rhode Island through the Southwest Corridor ) and was instead rerouted around the city using part of Route 128 . US 1 was realigned to use the Tobin Bridge and Northeast Expressway , which had been signed as part of I-95; thus US 1 used
272-572: A cost of $ 3.6 million (1899 dollars). The architects were Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge of Boston, and the construction was undertaken by the engineering firm of Westinghouse, Church, Kerr & Co. The station opened on January 1 for use by Old Colony Division and Midland Division trains, the latter of which had been using the Old Colony terminal since August 22, 1896 to allow for construction. B&A trains began using South Station on July 23, followed by Providence Division trains on September 10 (along with
340-541: A four-track maximum-service plan, estimated to cost $ 21.5 billion and three double-track routes ranging in cost from $ 12.3 to 14.7 billion. South Station expansion was estimated to cost $ 4.7 billion. These costs are in 2018 dollars and include purchasing additional rolling stock, other required infrastructure improvements and a 3.5% annual inflation rate. Greater Boston Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH MSA Other Statistical Areas in Boston CSA Greater Boston
408-500: A population of more than 8.4 million people, making it one of the most populous such regions in the U.S. Some of Greater Boston's most well-known contributions involve the region's higher education and medical institutions. Greater Boston has been influential upon American history and industry . The region and the state of Massachusetts are global leaders in biotechnology , artificial intelligence , engineering , higher education , finance , and maritime trade . Greater Boston
476-650: A powerful scientific, commercial, and cultural role in the history of the United States. Before the American Civil War , the region was a center for the abolitionist , temperance , and transcendentalist movements. In 2004, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legally recognize same-sex marriage as a result of the decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in Boston. Many prominent American political dynasties have hailed from
544-743: A redesign of the South Station interlocking , new commuter rail layover facilities, and the restoration of public access to the adjacent section of Dorchester Avenue and the Fort Point Channel, filling in a missing half-mile segment of the Boston Harborwalk . The station expansion is intended to allow for increases in commuter rail service on the Fairmount Line and Framingham/Worcester Line , addition of South Coast Rail service, and increased Amtrak frequencies. As of October 2014, purchasing of
612-433: A section that protrudes from the curving shape of the building. The doors are housed under tall arches that give the impression of grandeur while also making the building appear smaller from far away. This visual trick is common in classical buildings and is further amplified by the oversized windows and large balustrade on the third floor and roof. Above the doorways are classical Ionic order columns that ostensibly hold up
680-461: Is ranked tenth in population among US metropolitan statistical areas , home to 4,941,632 people as of the 2020 United States Census , and sixth among combined statistical areas , with a population of 8,466,186. The area has hosted many people and sites significant to American culture and history, particularly American literature , politics , and the American Revolution . Plymouth was
748-581: Is defined as a New England City and Town Area . The metro area definition is based on counties, while the NECTA definition is based on city and town boundaries. Counties included in the county-based definition include: The NECTA definition includes all of the communities from the MAPC definition, as well as the Merrimack Valley communities, parts of southern New Hampshire (northward to Milford and Hampton , and
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#1732852190041816-580: Is part of the Metropolitan Highway System . A 1926 state report on rapid transit expansion recommended the conversion of the Atlantic Avenue Elevated to an elevated highway; however, it closed in 1938 and was demolished in 1942. The above-ground Artery was built in two sections in the 1950s. First was the part north of High Street and Broad Street to the Tobin Bridge, built between 1951 and 1954. Immediately, residents began to hate
884-608: Is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston , the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England, and its surrounding areas. The most stringent definition of the region, used by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, consists of most of the eastern third of mainland Massachusetts, excluding the Merrimack Valley and most of Southeastern Massachusetts , though most definitions (including
952-487: Is the region administered by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. The MAPC is a regional planning organization created by the Massachusetts legislature to oversee transportation infrastructure and economic development concerns in the Boston area. The MAPC includes 101 cities and towns that are grouped into eight subregions. These include most of the area within the region's outer circumferential highway, I-495 . In 2013,
1020-775: The Arts on the Line program, are located inside South Station: South Station is served by heavy rail, rapid transit, and bus. It is the northern terminus of Amtrak 's Northeast Corridor and is served by the Acela Express , the Northeast Regional , and the Boston section of the Lake Shore Limited . It is also the downtown terminus of the nine southern lines of the MBTA Commuter Rail system. An underground subway station serves
1088-447: The John F. Fitzgerald Expressway ) is a section of freeway in downtown Boston , Massachusetts ; it is designated as Interstate 93 , US 1 and Route 3 . The original Artery, constructed in the 1950s, was named after John F. Fitzgerald ; it was partly elevated and partly tunneled . Its reputation for congestion inspired the local nicknames "The Distressway," "the largest parking lot in
1156-715: The Köppen climate classification system), with high humidity and precipitation year-round. Greater Boston has a sizable Jewish community, estimated at between 210,000 people, and 261,000 or 5–6% of the Greater Boston metro population, compared with about 2% for the nation as a whole. Contrary to national trends, the number of Jews in Greater Boston has been growing, fueled by the fact that 60% of children in Jewish mixed-faith families are raised Jewish, compared with roughly one in three nationally. The 2020 PRRI Atlas found that 35% of
1224-605: The Leverett Circle Connector bridge. Former exit 22 continued to exist as an offramp to Chinatown from the southbound (former northbound) Dewey Square tunnel until the ramp was closed off in 2004. 23 exists both northbound (now new exit 17) and southbound (now new exit 16B) and leads to the Scollay Square area. 17A-B southbound (formerly exit 24) now exits to Haymarket Square and MA-1A (the Callahan Tunnel). Much of
1292-796: The Massachusetts Turnpike . The renovations, including the bus terminal, cost $ 195 million in 2001 dollars. In September 2017, the Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation, which also owns the Faneuil Hall Marketplace , purchased the 98-year lease on the office space and concourse areas of the station from the Blackstone Group for $ 123.2 million. In August 2019, the Federal Railroad Administration awarded MassDOT up to $ 41.2 million to replace much of
1360-509: The Red Line and the Silver Line bus rapid transit system's Waterfront routes (SL1, SL2, and SL3). Local bus service on lines 4, 7, and 11 and rapid service to Nubian on Silver Line route SL4 also stop at South Station. South Station's amenities include: The commuter rail and Amtrak platforms are fully accessible , with level access from the main station entrance and the waiting area onto
1428-642: The Taunton area. The widest definition of the metropolitan area based on commuting patterns, is defined by the U.S. Census as the Boston–Worcester–Providence combined statistical area . This area consists of the following counties in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire: The total population for the extended region was estimated at 8,466,186 at the 2020 census. The Boston area has humid continental climates ( Dfa and Dfb under
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#17328521900411496-470: The mid-Atlantic states , and Montreal , Canada. The bus terminal has its own concession area , and can be entered from the railway platform area or directly from Atlantic Avenue. As a major transfer station offering connections to multiple modes, South Station is expected to see additional passenger throughput as a result of system improvements and a general increase in ridership. The existing underground Red Line and Silver Line stations are adequate for
1564-470: The Artery is numbered I-93 and US 1 on the whole route, and Route 3 on all but the northernmost section—it leaves at exit 18 (former exit 26). The Artery has had many different route numbers through its history. When first built, the section between the Sumner Tunnel and Storrow Drive received the numbers C1 and C9 (city routes of US 1 and Route 9 ), which were rerouted off local streets. The rest of
1632-515: The Artery north of Storrow Drive. The former alignment of US 1 from Storrow Drive south along the Artery to the Sumner Tunnel became an extended 1A , and I-93 was extended south from Charlestown along the Artery, Southeast Expressway and Route 128 from Braintree to Canton. In 1989, US 1 was moved off the MDC Parkways onto its current alignment along the full Artery. Route 1A was then truncated to
1700-650: The Artery were canceled. These included the Inner Belt project, which would have taken through traffic off the Artery and the Massachusetts Turnpike Extension coming in from the west. The Southwest Expressway would have been the route of Interstate 95 from Canton into Boston, and would have tied into the Inner Belt of I-695. Modifications of the above-ground Artery, which was in service until its demolition in 2003 included an additional interchange for
1768-431: The Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Italian American: Census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Portuguese American: Census tracts in the Boston CSA with French or French Canadian listed as first ancestry: Cities and towns with a population over 50,000 as of the 2020 census include: A long established center of higher education,
1836-536: The Boston CSA: The 40 census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Hispanic or Latino: Census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Black American: Census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Asian American: Census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Irish American: Census tracts in
1904-403: The Boston metro area identified as Protestant while 26% identified as Catholic. The City of Boston also has one of the largest LGBT populations per capita. It ranks fifth of all major cities in the country (behind San Francisco , and slightly behind Seattle , Atlanta , and Minneapolis ), with 12.3% of the city identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. The 40 most diverse Census tracts in
1972-588: The Boston region, including the Adams and Kennedy families. Harvard University in Cambridge is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, founded in 1636 , with the largest financial endowment of any university, and whose Law School has spawned a contemporaneous majority of United States Supreme Court Justices . Kendall Square in Cambridge has been called "the most innovative square mile on
2040-517: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts was awarded a $ 32.5 million grant from the federal government to begin planning for this expansion. After deliberations, a $ 43 million contract (including $ 10.5 million in state funds) was awarded in August 2012. The planning project will advance the new station area, including a possible passenger mezzanine over the platforms, to the 30% design level. Other elements include
2108-584: The MBTA in 1977, the BRA retained the air rights over the tracks. The South Station Tower complex, which is being built on the air rights, will include a 51-story, 678-foot (207 m) skyscraper and an expansion of the bus terminal. Construction began in January 2020 and is expected to take four years. The tower is being built on foundations put in place when the station was last renovated. The project will include an expansion of
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2176-585: The Massachusetts Turnpike (Mass Pike) extension that was completed in 1965, the removal of several on and off-ramps and the reworking in the late 1980s of the Tobin Bridge interchange. The Central Artery North Area (CANA) project placed the above ground ramps from the Artery underground into the City Square Tunnel in Charlestown and resulted in a reworking of the interchange at the north end, placing
2244-598: The New England, Old Colony, and Boston & Providence had been acquired by the New York & New Haven Railroad , while the B&;A was acquired by the New York Central Railroad . However, the four separate terminals remained. The Boston Terminal Company, established in 1897, was charged with the task of consolidating service from the four terminals at a single terminal (a union station ). South Station opened in 1899 at
2312-774: The New Haven's Old Colony Division–successor of the Old Colony Railroad–which had served the South Shore and Cape Cod , stopped passenger service. The New Haven itself went bankrupt in 1961. South Station was sold to the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) in 1965. Portions of the station were demolished and the land was used to build the Boston South Postal Annex and the Stone and Webster building. In
2380-565: The Tower 1 interlocking outside South Station. The remaining $ 41 million of the $ 82 million project will be funded by Amtrak and the MBTA. As of January 2021, completion is expected in 2026. Bidding for the $ 68.7 million main construction contract opened in September 2022. The MBTA awarded the contract at a higher cost of $ 99 million in March 2023. When the Boston Redevelopment Authority sold South Station to
2448-625: The US Census definition) include much of these areas and portions of southern New Hampshire . While the city of Boston covers 48.4 square miles (125 km ) and has 675,647 residents as of the 2020 census, the urbanization has extended well into surrounding areas and the Combined Statistical Area (CSA in the rest of the document), which includes the Providence, Rhode Island , Manchester, New Hampshire , Cape Cod and Worcester areas, has
2516-457: The adjacent subway station . The station was renamed for former Massachusetts governor Michael S. Dukakis in November 2014, though maps and station signs continue to use the shorter "South Station". When the railroads serving Boston were first laid out and built, each one stopped at its own terminal. The four terminals serving the south-side railroads were as follows: By the late 19th century,
2584-502: The area includes many community colleges, two-year schools, and internationally prominent undergraduate and graduate institutions. The graduate schools include highly regarded schools of law, medicine, business, technology, international relations, public health, education, and religion. Greater Boston contains seven R1 Research Institutions as per the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education . This is, by far,
2652-531: The area with a vital transportation link and a strong focal point. Office buildings began rising nearby, expanding the downtown area. With the completion of the Big Dig and the Rose Kennedy Greenway , South Station has become an even more important feature in the area. The Greenway provides a pedestrian-friendly connection between South Station and North Station . Two works of public art, installed as part of
2720-520: The dead-end storage capacity for trains at South Station. Prominent NSRL supporters include former Governor Michael S. Dukakis (Democrat) and former Governor William F. Weld (Republican), who have made joint public appearances regarding this issue. Based on their advocacy, MassDOT agreed to fund a $ 2 million study in February 2016. The NSRL reevaluation report was released in June 2018. Its tunnel options included
2788-513: The demolition of the postal facility and take 5 years to complete. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs approved the FEIR on August 12, 2016. The South Station Expansion Project has been opposed by a number of transportation advocates, community groups, and environmental groups, many of which instead advocate building a North–South Rail Link (NSRL) through connection to North Station and points beyond, rather than expanding
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2856-427: The designs clearly share the same effects on the immediate area. In the 1980s, with South Station in disrepair, a great effort began to revitalize the station using Federal funding. The revitalization included addition of two wings that extend from each side of the head house, constructed with granite from the same quarries to provide a consistent appearance. Renovation and expansion was completed in 1989, reinvigorating
2924-488: The early 1970s, the BRA developed plans to demolish the rest of the station and replace it with a multi-use development including a new train station, a bus station, a parking garage, and commercial structures. The plan was never realized, and South Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. In 1978, the BRA sold what was left of the station to the MBTA, though the BRA retained air rights over
2992-540: The entire Artery underground was first floated in the 1970s emanating from the central artery depression concept developed by the Boston Transportation Planning Review . The final section through the Dewey Square Tunnel and on to the Southeast Expressway at Massachusetts Avenue opened in 1959. The highway gradually became more and more congested as other highway projects meant to complement
3060-553: The figurines commonly placed atop classically styled buildings. The curved shape of the building facade pushes its presence into the surrounding area, making it much more prominent. This also gives the building a more distinctive and accessible main entrance from Atlantic Avenue, Summer Street, and Dewey Square. A similar concept is also seen in the Santa Maria della Pace in Rome, Italy. This church did not directly influence South Station, but
3128-407: The frieze and pediment. Uncommon for Ionic order columns is the lack of fluting , which is usually used to draw the eye upward, increasing the grandeur of the facade. The numerous projections and recessions on the façade attribute to the planar quality of the building, while also creating interesting shading and lighting patterns on the stone and within the building. Inside, a coffered ceiling adorns
3196-596: The high-level platforms. Elevators are provided for step free access to the subway station . The bus station can be reached via the track 1 platform. Boston's main inter-city bus terminal, the South Station Bus Terminal , is housed in a separate building built over the train platforms along Atlantic Avenue. The bus terminal hosts service by Greyhound , Peter Pan , and other bus companies; to all of New England , New York City , upstate New York , Atlantic City ( New Jersey ), Philadelphia , Washington, D.C. ,
3264-664: The highest number of such institutions in a single Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States . References: The first railway line in the United States was in Quincy. See Neponset River . The following Regional Transit Authorities have bus service that connects with MBTA commuter rail stations: Annual sporting events include: The Greater Boston League , a high school athletic conference in Massachusetts. Central Artery The Central Artery (officially
3332-407: The highway was unnumbered, despite being closely paralleled by C37 south from the Sumner Tunnel. By 1969, I-95 was assigned to the whole Artery as part of its never-built route through Boston. The "C-prefixed" routes were removed in 1971, with Route C1 becoming part of a realigned US 1, using the Artery between Storrow Drive and the Sumner Tunnel . Additionally in 1971, Route 3 was moved from
3400-508: The near future, but the surface-level commuter rail and Amtrak platforms are at capacity. A proposed relocation of the Boston General Mail Facility, which is located on Dorchester Avenue next to the station tracks, would allow for increased capacity at South Station. Seven more tracks are planned to be added to the existing thirteen tracks, allowing increased use by both MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak trains. In October 2010,
3468-640: The new highway and the way it towered over and separated neighborhoods. Due to this opposition, the southern end of the Central Artery through the South Station area was built underground, through what became known as the Dewey Square Tunnel . Eventually, the entire highway was moved underground as part of the Big Dig Project. The Dewey Square Tunnel was the one part of the original Artery not torn down; it now serves southbound traffic. The idea of building
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#17328521900413536-442: The northbound offramp from the east side to the west side, and eliminating dangerous weaving across the lanes of the Charlestown High Bridge , which required traffic coming from Storrow Drive and wanting to go to Charlestown to cross three lanes of traffic in only a tenth of a mile. In September 2017, a new park was opened beneath the Central Artery adjacent to the Ink Block section of Boston's South End . The $ 8.5 million park has
3604-442: The old exit 19 location in South Bay, while southbound begins at the portal to the renovated Dewey Square Tunnel (now completely enclosed by Big Dig construction; 18 (former exit 26) northbound begins just shy of the tunnel exit onto the Zakim Bridge, while 18 (former exit 26) southbound is located in Charlestown's Sullivan Square near northbound exit 20 (formerly exit 28) at the portal to the double decked section of I-93 and feeds onto
3672-422: The opening of Back Bay station ). It became the busiest station in New England by 1913. A stop on the Atlantic Avenue Elevated served South Station from 1901 to 1938; what is now the Red Line subway was extended from Park Street to South Station in 1913. The train shed, originally one of the largest in the world, was eliminated in a 1930 renovation due to corrosion caused by the nearby ocean's salt air. In
3740-452: The original Artery was demolished and replaced with the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway , named after the daughter of John F. Fitzgerald and the mother of John F. Kennedy . The Central Artery runs from the Massachusetts Avenue Connector just beyond Andrew Square in South Boston , north to the split with U.S. Route 1 in Charlestown . Along with the harbor tunnels and the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) from Route 128 to East Boston, it
3808-401: The original configuration, two tracks came off each approach to join into a four-track line and then run under the main platforms in a two-track loop. These tracks were never put into service, and later became a parking lot and bowling alley for employees. While the station handled 125,000 passengers each day during World War II , post-war passenger rail traffic declined in the US. In 1959,
3876-414: The outdoor waiting area with a new arched roof, a roof covering the entire platform area, a new entrance from Dorchester Avenue, and a more direct connection to the bus terminal. The South Station head house and wings incorporate Neoclassical architecture . The building's symmetry and stone façade are common to the style. The granite came from nearby quarries in New England. The main doorways are located in
3944-414: The planet", in reference to the high concentration of entrepreneurial start-ups and quality of innovation which have emerged in the vicinity of the square since 2010. Both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , also in Cambridge, have been ranked among the most highly regarded academic institutions in the world. The most restrictive definition of the Greater Boston area
4012-484: The population of the MAPC district was 3.2 million, which was 48% of the total population of Massachusetts, in an area of 1,422 square miles (3,680 km ), of which 39% is forested and an additional 11% is water, wetland, or other open space. The cities and towns included in this definitions are: Two definitions are used by the United States Census to define the Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH Metro Area or Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH Metropolitan NECTA , which
4080-415: The postal facility is in limbo, as the Postal Service is not willing to accept the amount offered by the state. Part of this deal would include moving the facility to South Boston, with MassPort taking some of the Post Office's parking lot located across Fort Point Channel. The Final Environmental Impact Report for the South Station Expansion Project was released on June 30, 2016. The project would begin with
4148-458: The reconfiguration of on and offramps (particularly the wide separations of the ramps for exits 16 and 18) was done to move exiting traffic off the mainline of the road, reducing stress on the mainline. The entire route was in Boston , Suffolk County . The entire route is in Boston , Suffolk County . Exit numbers on I-93 will eventually change to a mileage-based exit numbering as part of Massachusetts Exit Renumbering Project. Currently,
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#17328521900414216-435: The site of the first colony in New England, founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims , passengers of the Mayflower . In 1692, the town of Salem and surrounding areas experienced one of America's most infamous cases of mass hysteria , the Salem witch trials . In the late 18th century, Boston became known as the "Cradle of Liberty" for the agitation there that led to the American Revolution . The Greater Boston region has played
4284-404: The station. Funding was obtained for a major renovation of the station that was completed in 1989. A total of 13 tracks became available, all with high level platforms and some capable of handling 12-car trains. Piers were installed for the eventual construction of an office building and bus station above the tracks. This renovation also added direct access to the Red Line subway station from inside
4352-470: The surface station lobby; previously, the only access was via street stairwells. The Central Artery/Tunnel Project (Big Dig) occupied almost all of the building's office space beginning in July 1988. After some delays, an inter-city bus terminal opened in October 1995, replacing one on top of the I-93 Dewey Square Tunnel diagonally across from the station between Summer Street and Congress Street. The new bus terminal has direct ramp connections to I-93 and
4420-425: The terminal and protects travelers from the rain and snow. Constructed over 100 years ago, the clock on top of the main head house is the largest operating hand-wound clock mechanism in New England. The clock is styled after London's Big Ben , and has a 12-foot (3.7 m) wide face. The mechanism weighs over 400 pounds (180 kg). In 2008, the clock underwent a six-week restoration and repair. The clock mechanism
4488-416: The world", and "the other Green Monster " (the paint of the highway girders shared the same color as the left field wall at Fenway Park ). The Artery was significantly rerouted during a 10-year period from the mid-1990s through the early 2000s as part of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (the " Big Dig "). The present-day Artery is almost entirely directed through the newly constructed O'Neill Tunnel , while
4556-417: Was completely disassembled and transported to a nearby workshop, where replacement pieces had to be fabricated by hand. The clock, once one of many in the city, is a hallmark of a bygone era—something that commuters rely on to make their trains, and which visitors admire for its historical presence. The stone eagle that sits atop the clock is 8 feet (2.4 m) wide and weighs over eight tons. The eagle imitates
4624-417: Was constructed in 1899 to replace the downtown terminals of several railroads. Today, it serves as a major intermodal domestic transportation hub, with service to the Greater Boston region and the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. It is used by thousands of commuter rail and intercity rail passengers daily. Connections to the rapid transit Red Line and bus rapid transit Silver Line are made through
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