Broadway station (MBTA)

Broadway
Broadway
	A southbound train departing Broadway station in June 2024
General information
Location	Dorchester Avenue at Broadway; South Boston, Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°20′34″N71°03′26″W / 42.3429°N 71.0572°W
Line(s)	Dorchester Tunnel
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	MBTA bus: 9, 11, 47
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	December 15, 1917
Rebuilt	1985
Passengers
FY2019	6,020 boardings (weekday average)
Services
Former services (South Boston station)
Location
Location

Last updated June 22, 2024

Broadway station is a subway station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA's Red Line. It is located at the intersection of Dorchester Avenue and Broadway in South Boston. It was opened on December 15, 1917, as part of the Dorchester Extension from Downtown Crossing (formerly Washington station) to Andrew. The station has a single island platform to serve the two tracks.

History

Railroad stations

The Old Colony Railroad was built along the west edge of South Boston next to the Bass River in 1845. South Boston station was opened just south of the Dover Street (West 4th Street) bridge by the late 1860s.^[2]^[3]^[4] The New York and New England Railroad (NY&NE) had its own South Boston station on the Midland Branch, located at West 1st Street near B Street. In use around the 1880s, it was closed no later than 1896, when Midland Branch service was rerouted to the Old Colony terminal during construction of South Station.^[5]^[6]

Both the Old Colony and the NY&NE were absorbed by the New Haven Railroad in the 1890s as the Old Colony Division and Midland Division. By 1915, South Boston station was primarily served by Boston–Mattapan (Shawmut Branch) service, plus a small number of Midland Division trains and Old Colony Division trains to/from Braintree or points south.^[7] The station closed around the time that Broadway station opened, though it reopened briefly in July 1919 during a strike that shut down subway and streetcar service.^[8]

Construction

After the Cambridge Tunnel was completed between Harvard and Park Street in 1912, work began to extend the line south to Dorchester. Rather than being opened all at once, the second section was opened station-by-station as soon as possible due to popularity. Extensions opened to Washington (Downtown Crossing) in 1915, South Station Under in 1916, and to Broadway on December 15, 1917. Broadway was the southern terminus of the line until Andrew opened on June 29, 1918.^[9] With the exception of Park Street - which was built with three platforms to handle crowds - Broadway was the only station on the original Cambridge-Dorchester Tunnel with an island platform (rather than two side platforms) in order to facilitate transfers through its three levels. Not until the aboveground Columbia and Savin Hill stations opened in 1927 were there other island platforms used on the line.

Broadway station was originally built as a three-level station, with six stairways to allow easy transfer between streetcars and subway trains. Some streetcars stopped at a surface-level platform, others in a tunnel segment just below ground, while subway trains used the lowest-level tunnel. Each level consisted of two tracks and an island platform.^[10] The street-level platform served streetcars that ran from the Tremont Street Subway to City Point and South Boston via the Pleasant Street Portal and Broadway, on the route 9 streetcar line. Buses replaced the single line to Bay View (which originally used the middle-level tunnel segment) in 1929, but the City Point line lasted until March 1, 1953 before being bustituted.^[10]

Renovations

In the mid-1980s, the MBTA spent $80 million to extend the platforms of seven underground Red Line stations and three Orange Line stations to allow the use of six-car trains.^[11] Contracts for Broadway and three other stations were awarded on December 18, 1985, with a groundbreaking held on February 13, 1986.^[12]^[13] The Broadway work cost $7.9 million, with the platform extended by 70 feet (21 m).^[13] Six-car trains entered service on January 21, 1988.^[9] A new entrance east of Dorchester Avenue opened on February 16, 1988, and the project was completed on October 26, 1989.^[12] Elevators were installed during the project, making Broadway one of the first older stations on the system to be modified for accessibility.^[14]^[13]

As part of the Arts on the Line program, two works of public art were installed:^[15]^[16]

Domestic Objects & Tools of the Trade by Jay Coogan: 60 enameled steel sculptures suspended over the platform stairs
200 engraved ceramic tiles by students at the nearby St. Brigid's School

Broadway was a proposed stop on the Urban Ring – a circumferential bus rapid transit (BRT) line designed to connect the existing radial MBTA rail lines to reduce overcrowding in the downtown stations.^[17] Under draft plans released in 2008, a westbound stop was to be located on the Broadway Bridge approach west of Dorchester Avenue, with the eastbound stop adjacent to the main station headhouse.^[18] The project was cancelled in 2010.^[19]

The MBTA plans to add a third headhouse with two elevators at the southwest corner of Dorchester Avenue and West 4th Street, which will provide redundant elevator access to the station. The existing elevators will also be rebuilt. A $6.6 million design contract for Broadway and Davis was awarded in April 2020.^[20]^[21] Design work for Broadway reached 30% completion in 2021 and was nearly 75% complete by November 2023.^[22]^[20]^[23]

Streetcar tunnel

The middle-level streetcar tunnel ran from a portal on Foundry Street south to another in the median of Dorchester Avenue. Service lasted for under two years' time, until October 14, 1919 - just after Andrew opened - since Andrew provided more convenient service to South Boston and eliminated unprofitable running on an industrial section of Dorchester Avenue.^[24] The Dorchester Avenue portal was filled in December 1941, but much of the tunnel still exists.^[24]

The streetcar tunnel saw several adaptive reuses. In the 1930s, the Boston Elevated Railway attempted to grow mushrooms in the tunnel, and in the 1980s it was used to test tactile platform edging for blind passengers.^[25] The 1985-built fare lobby occupies a section of the old streetcar platform and tunnel. After the September 11th attacks focused attention on infrastructure safety preparedness, the MBTA used the tunnel to train firefighters to respond to a burning train.^[25]

In mid 2012, the MBTA started construction on an $10 million emergency training center located in the old streetcar tunnel, to replace the previous equipment. The $8.8 million facility, paid for with Department of Homeland Security funding, includes two Blue Line and one Green Line cars plus a Silver Line bus. The first Blue Line car was lowered into the Foundry Street Portal by crane in September 2012.^[26] The facility opened on June 12, 2013.^[27]

Related Research Articles

The Red Line is a rapid transit line operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) as part of the MBTA subway system. The line runs south and east underground from Alewife station in North Cambridge through Somerville and Cambridge, surfacing to cross the Longfellow Bridge then returning to tunnels under Downtown Boston. It continues underground through South Boston, splitting into two branches on the surface at JFK/UMass station. The Ashmont branch runs southwest through Dorchester to Ashmont station, where the connecting light rail Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line continues to Mattapan station. The Braintree branch runs southeast through Quincy and Braintree to Braintree station.

The Green Line is a semi-metro system run by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in the Boston, Massachusetts, metropolitan area. It is the oldest MBTA subway line, and with tunnel sections dating from 1897, the oldest subway in North America. It runs underground through downtown Boston, and on the surface into inner suburbs via six branches on radial boulevards and grade-separated alignments. With an average daily weekday ridership of 137,700 in 2019, it is the third-most heavily used light rail system in the country. The line was assigned the green color in 1967 during a systemwide rebranding because several branches pass through sections of the Emerald Necklace of Boston.

The Blue Line is a rapid transit line in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, one of four rapid transit lines operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). It runs from Bowdoin station in downtown Boston under Boston Harbor to East Boston and Revere on the inner North Shore, where it terminates at Wonderland. The stop at Airport Station, by way of a free shuttle bus, is one of two rapid transit connections to Logan International Airport. In 1967, during a systemwide rebranding, the line was assigned the blue color because it passes under the Boston Harbor. With an end-to-end travel time of less than twenty minutes, the Blue Line is the shortest of Boston's heavy-rail lines and the only line to have both third rail and overhead catenary sections.

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", and part of the oldest subway line in the United States, 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.

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.

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.

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.

JFK/UMass station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) intermodal transfer station, located adjacent to the Columbia Point area of Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by the rapid transit Red Line; the Greenbush Line, Kingston/Plymouth Line, and Middleborough/Lakeville Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, and three MBTA bus routes. The station is named for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and the University of Massachusetts Boston, both located nearby on Columbia Point.

Downtown Crossing station is an underground Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rapid transit station located in the Downtown Crossing retail district in the downtown core of Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by the Orange Line and Red Line, and is one of four "hub stations" on the MBTA subway system. Downtown Crossing is also a major bus transfer location serving 13 MBTA bus routes, including one Silver Line route. It is the second busiest subway station in the MBTA network, with an average of 24,074 entries per weekday in FY2019.

State station is an underground Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rapid transit station located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is the transfer point between the Orange Line and the Blue Line, and one of four "hub stations" on the MBTA subway system. The Orange Line has two side platforms on two levels, while the Blue Line has two side platforms on a single level. The station is fully accessible.

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.

Aquarium station is an underground rapid transit station on the MBTA Blue Line in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is located under State Street at Atlantic Avenue on the eastern edge of Boston's Financial District near Boston Harbor. The station is named for the nearby New England Aquarium. It is adjacent to Long Wharf, which is used by two MBTA Boat lines. The station has two side platforms serving the two tracks of the Blue Line; an arched ceiling runs the length of the platform level. With the platforms 50 feet (15 m) below street level, it is the second-deepest station on the MBTA system.

Hynes Convention Center station is an underground light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line. It is located at the intersection of Newbury Street and Massachusetts Avenue near the western end of the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The station is named for the Hynes Convention Center, which is located about 700 feet (210 m) to the east along Boylston Street. It has two side platforms serving the two tracks of the Boylston Street subway, which are used by the Green Line B branch, C branch, and D branch. The main entrance to the station from Massachusetts Avenue leads to a fare lobby under the 360 Newbury Street building.

The B branch, also called the Commonwealth Avenue branch or Boston College branch, is a branch of the MBTA Green Line light rail system which operates on Commonwealth Avenue west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts. One of four branches of the Green Line, the B branch runs from Boston College station down the median of Commonwealth Avenue to Blandford Street. There, it enters Blandford Street portal into Kenmore station, where it merges with the C and D branches. The combined services run into the Boylston Street subway and Tremont Street subway to downtown Boston. B branch service has terminated at Government Center since October 2021. Unlike the other branches, the B branch runs solely through the city limits of Boston. The Green Line Rivalry between Boston College and Boston University is named in reference to the B branch, which runs to both universities.

Ashmont station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) intermodal transit station located at Peabody Square in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the southern terminus of the Ashmont branch of the rapid transit Red Line, the northern terminus of the connecting light rail Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line, and a major terminal for MBTA bus service. Ashmont has two side platforms serving the below-grade Red Line and a single side platform on an elevated balloon loop for the Mattapan Line. The station is fully accessible for all modes.

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.

Bowdoin station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rapid transit station in Bowdoin Square in Boston, Massachusetts. The station is the downtown terminus of the Blue Line, part of the MBTA subway system. It has a single wedge-shaped island platform located inside a balloon loop. Bowdoin is the only Blue Line station that is not accessible.

Shawmut station is a subway station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves the Ashmont branch of the MBTA's Red Line. It is located on Dayton Street in the Dorchester neighborhood. The station, the only underground station on the Red Line south of Andrew station, sits in a shallow cut-and-cover subway tunnel that runs from Park Street south to Peabody Square where it surfaces at Ashmont station. Shawmut opened along with Ashmont on September 1, 1928, as part of a southward extension of the Cambridge–Dorchester line.

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.

North Station is an underground MBTA subway station in Boston, Massachusetts. Served by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line and Orange Line, it is connected to the North Station surface terminal used by MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak. The station is fully accessible.

References

↑ "A Guide to Ridership Data". MassDOT/MBTA Office of Performance Management and Innovation. June 22, 2020. p. 9.
↑ Crafts, N. Henry (1868), Plan of Boston, with additions and corrections, City of Boston – Engineering Department
↑ Hopkins, Griffith Morgan Jr.; Busch, Edward (1874). "Plate A". Atlas of the county of Suffolk, Massachusetts : vol. 3rd including Boston and Dorchester: from actual surveys and official records. Vol. 3. G.M. Hopkins & Co. pp. 10–11.
↑ "Fatal Railroad Accident". New England Farmer. November 6, 1869. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "Sixteen Hundred Picnickers". Boston Globe. July 19, 1888. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ Barrett, Richard C. (1996). Boston's Depots and Terminals. Railroad Research Publications. p. 113. ISBN 1884650031.
↑ Summer Schedule: Lines East of New London and Willimantic. New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. August 9, 1915.
↑ "South Boston Must Walk and is Doing It". Boston Globe. July 17, 1919. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
1 2 Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
1 2 O'Regan, Gerry (2005). "MBTA Red Line". NYCsubway.org. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
↑ 1985 Annual Report. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 1985. p. 13 – via Internet Archive.
1 2 Sanborn, George M. (1992). A Chronicle of the Boston Transit System. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015 – via MIT.
1 2 3 Crocket, Douglas S. (February 14, 1986). "Broadway station work begins". Boston Globe. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ Tran Systems and Planners Collaborative (August 24, 2007). "Evaluation of MBTA Paratransit and Accessible Fixed Route Transit Services: Final Report" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
↑ Howe, Peter J. (April 27, 1988). "MBTA hopes riders will be transported by art". Boston Globe. pp. 21, 35 – via Newspapers.com. (second page)
↑ "On the Red Line" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2017. p. 9.
↑ "Urban Ring Phase 2 Fact Sheet" (PDF). January 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2011.
↑ "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.
↑ Mullan, Jeffery B. (January 22, 2010). "Re: Urban Ring Phase 2, EOEEA #12565" (PDF). Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
1 2 Normand, Eitan (April 2022). "Broadway Station Accessibility Improvements: Recorded Project Overview – 30% Design" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
↑ Schwarz, John (April 13, 2020). "MBTA Contract Nos. A90PS02, A90PS04, & A90PS05: Architectural and Engineering Services for Station and Accessibility Improvements" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
↑ "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—December 2021" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. December 2021. p. 10.
↑ "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—November 2023" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. November 27, 2023. p. 10.
1 2 Clarke, Bradley H. (2003). Streetcar Lines of the Hub. Boston Street Railway Association. p. 33. ISBN 0938315056.
1 2 Bierman, Noah (26 December 2009). "Transit archeology: Tour of abandoned subway network offers a glimpse of how the T was built". Boston Globe. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
↑ Werthmann, Melissa M. (September 17, 2012). "Subway car is added to MBTA underground training facility for emergency workers". Boston Globe.
↑ Powers, Martine (June 12, 2013). "MBTA sets up disaster training center in tunnel". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2017.

External links

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[fy2019counts-1] "A Guide to Ridership Data". MassDOT/MBTA Office of Performance Management and Innovation. June 22, 2020. p. 9.

[2] Crafts, N. Henry (1868), Plan of Boston, with additions and corrections, City of Boston – Engineering Department

[3] Hopkins, Griffith Morgan Jr.; Busch, Edward (1874). "Plate A". Atlas of the county of Suffolk, Massachusetts : vol. 3rd including Boston and Dorchester: from actual surveys and official records. Vol. 3. G.M. Hopkins & Co. pp. 10–11.

[4] "Fatal Railroad Accident". New England Farmer. November 6, 1869. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "Sixteen Hundred Picnickers". Boston Globe. July 19, 1888. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] Barrett, Richard C. (1996). Boston's Depots and Terminals. Railroad Research Publications. p. 113. ISBN 1884650031.

[7] Summer Schedule: Lines East of New London and Willimantic. New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. August 9, 1915.

[8] "South Boston Must Walk and is Doing It". Boston Globe. July 17, 1919. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.

[netransit-9] 1 2 Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.

[nyc-10] 1 2 O'Regan, Gerry (2005). "MBTA Red Line". NYCsubway.org. Retrieved 3 March 2012.

[11] 1985 Annual Report. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 1985. p. 13 – via Internet Archive.

[chronicle-12] 1 2 Sanborn, George M. (1992). A Chronicle of the Boston Transit System. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015 – via MIT.

[begins-13] 1 2 3 Crocket, Douglas S. (February 14, 1986). "Broadway station work begins". Boston Globe. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.

[2007doc-14] Tran Systems and Planners Collaborative (August 24, 2007). "Evaluation of MBTA Paratransit and Accessible Fixed Route Transit Services: Final Report" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

[15] Howe, Peter J. (April 27, 1988). "MBTA hopes riders will be transported by art". Boston Globe. pp. 21, 35 – via Newspapers.com. (second page)

[16] "On the Red Line" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2017. p. 9.

[17] "Urban Ring Phase 2 Fact Sheet" (PDF). January 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2011.

[18] "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.

[19] Mullan, Jeffery B. (January 22, 2010). "Re: Urban Ring Phase 2, EOEEA #12565" (PDF). Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

[april2022-20] 1 2 Normand, Eitan (April 2022). "Broadway Station Accessibility Improvements: Recorded Project Overview – 30% Design" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

[21] Schwarz, John (April 13, 2020). "MBTA Contract Nos. A90PS02, A90PS04, & A90PS05: Architectural and Engineering Services for Station and Accessibility Improvements" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

[swadec2021-22] "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—December 2021" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. December 2021. p. 10.

[swanov2023-23] "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—November 2023" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. November 27, 2023. p. 10.

[linesofthehub-24] 1 2 Clarke, Bradley H. (2003). Streetcar Lines of the Hub. Boston Street Railway Association. p. 33. ISBN 0938315056.

[archeology-25] 1 2 Bierman, Noah (26 December 2009). "Transit archeology: Tour of abandoned subway network offers a glimpse of how the T was built". Boston Globe. Retrieved 7 August 2013.

[26] Werthmann, Melissa M. (September 17, 2012). "Subway car is added to MBTA underground training facility for emergency workers". Boston Globe.

[27] Powers, Martine (June 12, 2013). "MBTA sets up disaster training center in tunnel". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2017.

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