Assembly station

Last updated
Assembly
Assembly MBTA Orange Line Station, March 2024.jpg
A southbound train arriving at Assembly station in March 2024
General information
Location499 Foley Street
Somerville, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°23′32.48″N71°4′38.40″W / 42.3923556°N 71.0773333°W / 42.3923556; -71.0773333
Line(s) Haymarket North Extension
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks3 (two station tracks and one unused express track)
Construction
ParkingNo MBTA parking; Assembly Square parking is adjacent
Bicycle facilitiesRacks provided
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedSeptember 2, 2014 [1]
Passengers
FY20193,977 boardings (weekday average) [2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA.svg MBTA Following station
Sullivan Square
toward Forest Hills
Orange Line Wellington
toward Oak Grove
Location
Assembly station

Assembly station (originally Assembly Square in some planning documents) is a rapid transit station in Somerville, Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA's Orange Line. [3] It is an infill station, located on a section of the Orange Line that has been active since 1975. The station, which opened on September 2, 2014, was the first new rail station on the MBTA subway system since 1987. [1] [4] Assembly station is meant to provide convenient access to Assembly Square - a major retail and residential development located on the site of a former Ford assembly plant - and the adjacent Assembly Square Marketplace.

Contents

Station layout

Aerial view of station site in September 2012 Assembly Square site aerial September 2012.JPG
Aerial view of station site in September 2012

Assembly station is on the east side of the Assembly Square development, on the existing Orange Line tracks near the Mystic River. The station consists of a single island platform 410 feet (120 m) long, to handle up to 6 railcars on each side. [5] Unlike Community College, Sullivan, and Wellington, Assembly does not have a second island platform to serve the (currently unused) third track, which was intended to be an express track. The station has two headhouses, one on each end of the platform. Two footbridges, one from each headhouse, cross over the inbound track and connect to parking on G Street. [6] The station is fully accessible and includes bicycle storage facilities. Sullivan Square to the south and Wellington to the north are both major MBTA bus terminals, so Assembly was not designed as a bus transfer station.

Several public art elements are incorporated into the station. These include artistic benches and a metal panel mosaic on the station façade (both designed by Artists for Humanity) and MBTA-designed panels about the site's history. [3]

Adding a commuter rail station at Assembly Square was listed as a possibility in 2012 as an interim air quality mitigation measure in response to delays building the Green Line Extension [7] However, such a station could not be completed by 2015, and the project was not supported by MassDOT. [7] The station would have required building separate platforms for the Haverhill Line and the Newburyport/Rockport Line, which split near the station site.

History and financing

Construction work in January 2013 Assembly Square construction January 2013.JPG
Construction work in January 2013
Platform construction in December 2013 Assembly Square station construction December 2013 001.JPG
Platform construction in December 2013
Headhouse construction in January 2014 Assembly Square station north headhouse construction January 2014.JPG
Headhouse construction in January 2014

Construction was estimated to cost up to $57 million, of which $22 million (plus an optional $3.5 million extra) was from the state's Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. The remaining cost was divided between federal funding including the FTA Section 5309 New Starts program ($16 million) and the developer of Assembly Square ($15 million), Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRIT). [8]

The area around the station formerly hosted a Ford automobile assembly plant, which used the adjacent Western Route for rail access. Although the plant is long gone, the Assembly Square name is a reference to the site's history.

On February 8, 2011, the MBTA board unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding between the MBTA and FRIT, which defined the funding sources for the project. [9] The memorandum was a "critical milestone," according to a FRIT executive. [10] Somerville approved the project on May 2, 2011, and two days later the MBTA opened bidding for construction, [11] which was planned to start at the end of 2011. [10]

On October 5, 2011, the MBTA announced the award of a $29,229,184 construction contract to S&R Construction Co., Inc., with construction beginning later that fall. [12] The work required 18 weekend closures of the Orange Line from Sullivan to Oak Grove. [8] The first weekend closures began in June 2012 and continued past the station opening into late 2014. [13] The closures were extended to five nights per week for the second half of 2012, and continued sporadically into 2013 and 2014. [14]

For construction, the MBTA shifted outbound trains to the normally unused express track and inbound trains to the outbound track, to give construction crews full access to the site. [15] In January 2013, the MBTA began constructing concrete pillars to support the platform and headhouses; elevator shaft construction began in the spring. [15] Construction of the headhouse frames began in June 2013, and the platform segments were laid in July. The headhouses were completed in June 2014, with work remaining on other parts of the station. [16]

Inbound trains switched back to the normal inbound track on July 1, 2014; outbound trains began using the normal outbound track on July 21. [17] The station opened to passengers on September 2, 2014, although some final construction work lasted until November. [1] On the first day of operations, the station platform flooded from a rainstorm. [18] Partners Healthcare, which built its headquarters next to the south end of the station, funded the 2016 completion of the south headhouse as a full-time entrance and exit.[ citation needed ]

The Assembly Square project is estimated to generate 45,000 new vehicle trips each day, and the station was intended to reduce the number that use private automobiles by diverting travelers to mass transit. In 2011, daily ridership was projected to reach 5,000 riders per day in 2030. [5] Actual daily ridership was 1,864 within the first year, and 3,997 in FY 2019. [19] [2] The entire Orange Line, including Assembly station, was closed from August 19 to September 18, 2022, during maintenance work. [20]

A $49 million footbridge across the Mystic River between Assembly and the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett is planned. The project will include an extension of the station's north headhouse to the east, with direct access from Draw 7 Park. [21] As of June 2023, construction of the bridge is planned to begin in 2024. [22]

Assembly Square was a proposed stop on the Urban Ring Project. [23] The Urban Ring was to be a circumferential bus rapid transit (BRT) Line designed to connect the current radial MBTA rail lines to reduce overcrowding in the downtown stations; it was canceled in 2010. [24] Under draft plans released in 2008, the Urban Ring would have run on Grand Union Boulevard, with a stop at Foley Street about 800 feet (240 m) west of the Orange Line. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Park Street station (MBTA)</span> Subway station in Boston, Massachusetts, US

Park Street station is an MBTA subway station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is located at the intersection of Park Street and Tremont Street at the eastern edge of Boston Common in Downtown Boston. One of the two oldest stations on the "T", Park Street is the transfer point between the Green and Red lines, as one of the quartet of "hub stations" on the MBTA subway system. Park Street is the fifth-busiest station in the MBTA network, with an average of 16,571 entries each weekday in FY2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvard station</span> Subway station in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US

Harvard station is a rapid transit and bus transfer station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Located at Harvard Square, it serves the MBTA's Red Line subway system as well as MBTA buses. Harvard averaged 18,528 entries each weekday in FY2019, making it the third-busiest MBTA station after Downtown Crossing and South Station. Five of the fifteen key MBTA bus routes stop at the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porter station</span> Transit station in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US

Porter station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) transit station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It serves the Red Line rapid transit line, the MBTA Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line, and several MBTA bus lines. Located at Porter Square at the intersection of Massachusetts and Somerville Avenues, the station provides rapid transit access to northern Cambridge and the western portions of Somerville. Porter is 14 minutes from Park Street on the Red Line, and about 10 minutes from North Station on commuter rail trains. Several local MBTA bus routes also stop at the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davis station (MBTA)</span> Rapid transit station in Somerville, Massachusetts, US

Davis station is an underground Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Red Line rapid transit station located at Davis Square in Somerville, Massachusetts. The accessible station has a single island platform for the Red Line, as well as a dedicated busway on the surface. It opened in 1984 as part of the Red Line Northwest Extension project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendall/MIT station</span> Subway station in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Kendall/MIT station is an underground rapid transit station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA Red Line, Located at the intersection of Main Street and Broadway, it is named for the primary areas it serves - the Kendall Square business district and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Opened in March 1912 as part of the original Cambridge subway, Kendall/MIT has two side platforms serving the line's two tracks. The Kendall Band, a public art installation of hand-operated musical sculptures, is located between the tracks in the station with controls located on the platforms. Kendall/MIT station is accessible. With 17,018 weekday boardings by a FY2019 count, Kendall/MIT has the fourth highest ridership among MBTA subway stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haymarket station (MBTA)</span> Subway station in Boston, Massachusetts, US

Haymarket station is an underground Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rapid transit station located at Haymarket Square in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a transfer station between the Green Line and Orange Line of the MBTA subway system, as well as a terminal for MBTA bus routes serving northern and northeastern suburbs. The two lines run parallel to each other through the station, with two side platforms for the Orange Line and a single island platform for the Green Line. The station is fully accessible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Grove station</span> Transit station in Malden, Massachusetts, US

Oak Grove station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) intermodal transit station in the northern section of Malden, Massachusetts, just south of the Melrose border. It is the northern terminus of the rapid transit Orange Line and a stop on the Haverhill Line commuter rail service. The accessible station has a 788-space park and ride lot and is served by three MBTA bus routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lechmere station</span> Light rail station in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US

Lechmere station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line light rail station in Lechmere Square in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is located on the east side of Monsignor O'Brien Highway near First Street, adjacent to the NorthPoint development. The accessible elevated station has a single island platform, with headhouses at both ends. It opened on March 21, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX). Lechmere station is served by Green Line D branch and E branch service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sullivan Square station</span> Rapid transit station in Boston, Massachusetts, US

Sullivan Square station is a rapid transit station on the MBTA subway Orange Line, located adjacent to Sullivan Square in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is a major transfer point for MBTA bus service, with 12 routes using a two-level busway. The station has two island platforms serving the two active Orange Line tracks plus an unused third track. The Haverhill Line and Newburyport/Rockport Line pass through the station on separate tracks but do not stop.

The Urban Ring was a proposed project of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, to develop new public transportation routes that would provide improved circumferential connections among many existing transit lines that project radially from downtown Boston. The Urban Ring Corridor is located roughly one to two miles from downtown Boston, passing through the Massachusetts cities of Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Medford, Somerville, Cambridge, and Brookline. The project was expected to convert 41,500 car trips to transit trips daily.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copley station</span> MBTA subway station in Boston, Massachusetts

Copley station is an underground light rail station on the MBTA Green Line, located in the Back Bay section of Boston, Massachusetts. Located in and named after Copley Square, the station has entrances and exits along Boylston Street and Dartmouth Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatown station (MBTA)</span> Subway station in Boston, Massachusetts, US

Chinatown station is a rapid transit station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Orange Line, located at the edge of the Chinatown neighborhood in the downtown core of Boston, Massachusetts. The station has two offset side platforms, which run under Washington Street from Hayward Place to Lagrange Street. The three entrances are located at the intersection of Washington Street with Essex and Boylston streets. Like all Orange Line stations, both the subway platforms and all bus connections are fully accessible.

The Haymarket North Extension is a section of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's rapid transit Orange Line which currently constitutes the northern section of the line. It runs from North Station through an underground crossing of the Charles River, then along the Haverhill Line right-of-way to Oak Grove station in Malden, Massachusetts. Built to replace the Charlestown Elevated and originally intended to be extended as far as Reading, it opened in stages between 1975 and 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lansdowne station (MBTA)</span> Railway station in Boston, Massachusetts, US

Lansdowne station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves the Framingham/Worcester Line. Lansdowne is located next to the Massachusetts Turnpike in the Fenway–Kenmore neighborhood near Kenmore Square, below grade between Beacon Street and Brookline Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellingham Square station</span> Bus rapid transit station in Chelsea, Massachusetts, US

Bellingham Square station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Silver Line bus rapid transit (BRT) station located near Bellingham Square slightly north of downtown Chelsea, Massachusetts. The station has two accessible side platforms for buses on the SL3 route. The Boston and Maine Railroad and predecessor Eastern Railroad served Chelsea station at the same location from the mid-1850s to 1958. The MBTA opened Chelsea station on the Newburyport/Rockport Line in 1985. Prior to its 2010 cancellation, the Urban Ring Project planned for a circumferential BRT line with a stop at Mystic Mall. Planning continued for the Chelsea segment; a Silver Line extension to Mystic Mall was announced in 2013. Construction began in 2015, and SL3 service to the renamed Bellingham Square station began on April 21, 2018. Commuter rail service moved to the newly constructed Chelsea station on November 15, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ball Square station</span> Light rail station in Massachusetts, US

Ball Square station is a light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line located at Ball Square in Somerville and Medford, Massachusetts. The accessible station has a single island platform serving the two tracks of the Medford Branch. It opened on December 12, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX), which added two northern branches to the Green Line, and is served by the E branch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magoun Square station</span> Light rail station in Somerville, Massachusetts, US

Magoun Square station is a light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line located at Lowell Street south of Magoun Square in Somerville, Massachusetts. The accessible station has a single island platform serving the two tracks of the Medford Branch. It opened on December 12, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX), which added two northern branches to the Green Line, and is served by the E branch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilman Square station</span> Light rail station in Somerville, Massachusetts, US

Gilman Square station is a light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line located at Gilman Square in Somerville, Massachusetts. The accessible station has a single island platform serving the two tracks of the Medford Branch. It opened on December 12, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX), which added two northern branches to the Green Line, and is served by the E branch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Somerville station</span> Light rail station in Somerville, Massachusetts, US

East Somerville station is a light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line located in southeastern Somerville, Massachusetts. The accessible station has a single island platform serving the two tracks of the Medford Branch. It opened on December 12, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX), which added two northern branches to the Green Line, and is served by the E branch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Square station (Somerville)</span> Light rail station in Somerville, Massachusetts, US

Union Square station is a light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line located in the Union Square neighborhood of southeastern Somerville, Massachusetts. The accessible terminal station has a single island platform serving the two tracks of the Union Square Branch, which parallels the Fitchburg Line. It opened on March 21, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX), which added two northern branches to the Green Line.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hofherr, Justine (August 27, 2014). "Somerville's New Assembly Square MBTA Station to Open Next Week". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "A Guide to Ridership Data". MassDOT/MBTA Office of Performance Management and Innovation. June 22, 2020. p. 9.
  3. 1 2 "Assembly Square Public Meeting" (PDF). MassDOT. 15 November 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  4. ↑ "Assembly Square MBTA Station Opening Sept. 2". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  5. 1 2 "Assembly Square Station Final Design" (PDF). Federal Transit Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  6. ↑ MassDOT (12 January 2010). "Assembly Square Presentation" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  7. 1 2 Central Transportation Planning Staff (23 January 2012). "Green Line Extension SIP Mitigation Inventory" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  8. 1 2 Moskowitz, Eric (6 October 2011). "MBTA board OK's millions for stations". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  9. ↑ Taylor, Denise (9 February 2011). "MBTA Approves Assembly Sq. T-Stop Agreement". Somerville Patch. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  10. 1 2 Douglas, Craig M. (8 February 2011). "Assembly Square advances on key MBTA vote". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  11. ↑ Douglas, Craig M. (4 May 2011). "MBTA opens bidding for Assembly Square station". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  12. ↑ Coughlin, Kerri (25 October 2011). "Construction on Assembly Square T stop to begin later this fall". Tufts Daily. Archived from the original on 4 December 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  13. ↑ Orchard, Chris (24 May 2012). "Bus Diversions on Orange Line to Begin in June". Somerville Patch. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  14. ↑ Orchard, Chris (27 June 2012). "Buses Replace Evening Northbound Orange Line Trains Beginning July 8". South End Patch. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  15. 1 2 "Crucial Progress Continues on Assembly Station Project". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  16. ↑ Boroyan, Nate (18 June 2014). "MBTA Assembly Station to Open Later This Summer". BostInno. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  17. ↑ "Assembly Station". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  18. ↑ Vaccaro, Adam (3 September 2014). "And Here's the First Big Complaint About the New Orange Line Station". Boston Globe. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  19. ↑ "MBTA State of the Service: Orange Line Heavy Rail" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 6, 2016. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 26, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  20. ↑ "A Rider's Guide to Planning Ahead: Upcoming Orange & Green Line Service Suspensions" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. August 2022.
  21. ↑ Chesto, Jon (October 22, 2021). "Soon, you'll be able to walk over the Mystic River, Baker says". Boston Globe.
  22. ↑ "Car-Free Mystic River Bridge Will Begin Construction In 2024". Streetsblog MASS. June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Urban Ring Phase 2 Fact Sheet" (PDF). January 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  24. ↑ Mullan, Jeffery B. (January 22, 2010). "Re: Urban Ring Phase 2, EOEEA #12565" (PDF). Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
  25. ↑ "The Urban Ring Phase 2: Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report/Statement" (PDF). Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation. November 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.