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General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | 170 Charles Street Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 42°21′41″N71°04′17″W / 42.3613°N 71.0714°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Structure type | Elevated | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | February 27, 1932 [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rebuilt | June 2003–February 17, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FY2019 | 10,515 (weekday average boardings) [2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Charles/MGH station is a rapid transit station on the MBTA Red Line, elevated above Charles Circle on the east end of the Longfellow Bridge in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The station is named for Charles Circle and the adjacent Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) campus. It has two side platforms, with a glass-walled headhouse structure inside Charles Circle. Charles/MGH station is fully accessible.
The Cambridge subway opened in 1912; planning for an infill station at Charles Street began in 1924. After several false starts, construction of Charles station began in 1931. The Art Deco station, with cast stone headhouse and copper-sheathed platforms, opened on February 27, 1932. A pedestrian tunnel that provided station access was replaced by footbridges in 1961. The station was renamed Charles/MGH in 1973. From 2003 to 2007, the station was renovated for accessibility; a new glass entrance replaced the original structure. The proposed Red–Blue connector would extend the Blue Line to Charles/MGH, with a new underground platform level.
Charles/MGH station is located at Charles Circle at the west end of the West End and Beacon Hill neighborhoods. The station is on a short elevated segment that connects tracks in the median of the Longfellow Bridge to the west with an incline into the Beacon Hill Tunnel to the east. [3] : 1–7 The two elevated side platforms, 22 feet (6.7 m) above ground level, run west from Charles Circle onto the east end of the Longfellow Bridge. [4]
At their east ends, the platforms widen into passageways that lead to elevators, escalators, and stairs to the surface-level fare lobby in the center of Charles Circle. The station entrance is on the west side of the fare lobby under the tracks, with crosswalks connecting to the sidewalks on both sides of Cambridge Street. [5] : 3–6 The fare lobby and passageways are wrapped in a teardrop-shaped curved glass facade, while most of the platforms have a patinaed copper windscreen. [6] : 66
The Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) opened its Cambridge Subway from Park Street Under to Harvard on March 23, 1912. The line ran in the median of the Longfellow Bridge to cross the Charles River. Like the Lechmere extension opened the same year and the Boylston Street subway opened in 1914, the Cambridge Subway originally had no station serving the area just outside downtown Boston, to speed travel time from farther stations. [1] [7] : 41 Although Bowdoin opened on an extension of the East Boston Tunnel in 1916, much of the West End and Beacon Hill neighborhoods were poorly served by the subway system. [8]
On June 2, 1924, the Massachusetts General Court passed legislation authorizing the state Department of Public Utilities (DPU) to construct an infill station at Charles Street. Following a 1924 study by the Boston Transit Department (BTD), the DPU delegated the project to the BTD on January 12, 1925. [9] That study also considered an extension of the East Boston Tunnel to Charles Street to provide a transfer between the lines. [10] The project stalled in 1926 as the $600,000 appropriated by the legislature was only sufficient for four-car platforms, while the BERy insisted on six-car platforms at a cost of $850,000 to accommodate its future plans. [11] [12] [13]
Despite pressure from the Massachusetts General Hospital, located adjacent to the proposed station site, the legislature again refused additional funding in 1927. [14] [15] Uncertainty over whether the station would be built delayed plans to construct a traffic circle at the intersection. [16]
No further progress was made until 1930, when the BERy and BTD reached an agreement for a $350,000 station with four-car platforms. [8] The cost reduction was achieved by having the platforms on the straight track west of Charles Street, rather than the curve to the east. Plans for the station were completed in July 1930. [17] Bidding on the station opened in early July 1931, and a construction contract was awarded later that month. [18] [19] Charles Circle was completed in November 1931, by which time the steel structure of the station was in place in the center of the traffic circle. [20] Charles station opened on February 27, 1932. [1] [21] The station was served by Bowdoin Square–Park Square and Charles station–Massachusetts station bus routes, though a Kendall Square–Bowdoin Square route was closed with the station's opening. [22]
Charles station was designed by H. Parker from the office of Richard Clipston Sturgis. [6] : 65 The three-story headhouse structure, 42 by 70 feet (13 m × 21 m), was framed with steel and clad in cast stone. [23] : 14 [6] : 65 The first story had a rough finish, while the double-height second story and the third story (divided into two by the tracks) were smooth. The structure was Art Deco/Art Moderne in style, with decorative pilasters and a chevron panel. [3] : 1–6 The platforms had copper windscreens, also in Art Deco style. [6] : 65 [3] : 1–6 A north-south pedestrian underpass crossed the traffic circle, with stairs leading from the underpass to the station entrance. [21] [24] Only the north half of the underpass was originally planned; public pressure resulted in the addition of the south half. [25] A 14-story Art Deco tower over the station, designed by H. F. Kellogg, was proposed but never built. [26]
In 1961, the pedestrian underpass was replaced by a pair of footbridges, with the south footbridge forked to reach both sides of Charles Street. The second story was modified to serve as a fare mezzanine, with a low ceiling under the trackway. Openings were cut in the walls to accommodate the footbridges. [3] : 1–6 Around half of pedestrian traffic on the footbridges was crossing the circle rather than using the station, which caused congestion in the mezzanine area. [23] : 14
On January 13, 1961, the MTA began operating "modified express service" on the line during the morning rush hour, following the introduction of similar service on the Forest Hills–Everett line the month before. Every other train bypassed Charles and three other stations. [27] This was discontinued in September 1961 to reduce wait times at the skipped stations, most of which were outdoors. [28] In 1964, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) replaced the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which had replaced the BERy in 1947. The MBTA designated the line as the Red Line in 1965. [1]
The final bus service at the station, a Back Bay–Downtown circulator route, was discontinued in June 1971. In December 1973, the station was renamed Charles/MGH after the nearby Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). [1] Three southbound trains collided inside the Beacon Hill Tunnel just south of the station on August 1, 1975, injuring 132 passengers. [29] [30] In 1982, the platforms were extended 120 feet (37 m) west to allow for use of six-car trains, which began operation in 1988. [31] [1] [23] : 15 Surveys in 1984 and 1987 found that the station was not eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. [6] : 66
The MBTA renovated most Red Line stations for accessibility in the 1980s and 1990s. Planning began for modifications to Charles/MGH in the late 1990s. [3] : 1–4 Although the station was determined to be eligible for inclusion on the National Register, it was in poor condition: the cast stone cladding was spalled and cracked, water infiltration had rusted steel and damaged plaster, and the mezzanine level was overcrowded. [23] : 14 [3] : 1–7 The platforms were pitted, columns were rusted, and paint was peeling. [23] : 15 Three options were developed in a 2000 design report: rehabilitation of the existing station with added elevators, a new surface-level station entrance slightly to the east inside the traffic circle, and a surface-level entrance at Cedar Street with a footbridge above the tracks and ramps down to the platforms. The second option was recommended. [23] : 63
In June 2003, the MBTA began its $34.4 million reconstruction of the station – part of a $48.6 million project that also realigned Charles Circle. [32] [33] Temporary staircases directly to the platforms were opened in May 2004. [34] The pedestrian bridges were removed, and the original headhouses were demolished in July 2004. [35] The new glass headhouse was built slightly to the east of the former headhouse location. [6] : 66 The copper platform enclosures were restored with new interior cladding to preserve some of the historic station architecture. [36]
The new entrance opened on February 17, 2007, making the station fully accessible. [35] Public art created by the community from recycled materials was installed in the fare lobby in June 2007. [37] The renovations made the station no longer eligible for National Register inclusion. [6] : 66 The renovation received the "Honor Award" from the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board in 2009. [4]
Design began in October 2019 for rehabilitation of the viaduct spans around the station, as well as the station platforms. The project will also include a new accessible station entrance west of the existing headhouse. [38] As of June 2024 [update] , design work is in progress for 75% completion, after which the project will be paused pending funding availability. [39] [40]
The Red–Blue connector is a proposed 0.4-mile (0.6 km) extension of the Blue Line from Bowdoin west under Cambridge Street, providing a direct transfer between the Red and Blue lines. The project was first proposed in 1924, and was returned to consideration in the 1978 update to the Program for Mass Transportation. [10] [41] In 1991, the state agreed to build the project by 2011 as part of the settlement of a lawsuit over auto emissions from the Big Dig project. [42] This commitment was changed to design only in 2007–08 and lifted entirely in 2015. [43] [44] [45]
Original plans for the connector in 1986 called for a cut-and-cover tunnel extension west from Bowdoin, with an underground stub-end terminal connected to the existing Charles/MGH station. Three configurations for the Blue Line level at Charles/MGH were considered: a three-track terminal with two island platforms, a two-track terminal with one island platform and pocket tracks to the east, and a three-track terminal with one island platform (one track not used for passenger service) and pocket tracks to the east. [46] The 2010 Draft Environmental Impact Report instead called for a pair of deeper tunnels bored by a tunnel boring machine (TBM); the Charles/MGH terminal would have a single island platform with tail tracks extended to the west. [47]
A 2018 update which analyzed multiple tunneling methods maintained this station configuration. [48] In April 2019, the MBTA indicated plans to spend $15 million to design the connector in a five-year spending plan. [49] In April 2021, MGH released the Draft Project Impact Report for their expansion plans, which include space reserved for a new headhouse on the north side of Cambridge Street near North Anderson Street. [50] MBTA conceptual designs created in 2020 and released in 2021 also maintained the station configuration, with the new MGH entrance incorporated. Potential designs not chosen included one with a below-grade fare mezzanine for both lines, and one with the Blue Line platform located on the north side of Charles Circle. Construction was planned to last from 2025 to 2030. [51] [52]
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 Mattapan Line continues to Mattapan station. The Braintree branch runs southeast through Quincy and Braintree to Braintree station.
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.
Alewife station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) intermodal transit station in the North Cambridge neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is the northwest terminal of the rapid transit Red Line and a hub for several MBTA bus routes. The station is at the confluence of the Minuteman Bikeway, Alewife Linear Park, Fitchburg Cutoff Path, and Alewife Greenway off Alewife Brook Parkway adjacent to Massachusetts Route 2, with a five-story parking garage for park and ride use. The station has three bike cages. Alewife station is named after nearby Alewife Brook Parkway and Alewife Brook, themselves named after the alewife fish.
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.
Government Center station is an MBTA subway station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is located at the intersection of Tremont, Court and Cambridge Streets in the Government Center area. It is a transfer point between the light rail Green Line and the rapid transit Blue Line. With the Green Line platform having opened in 1898, the station is the third-oldest operating subway station in the MBTA system; only Park Street and Boylston are older. The station previously served Scollay Square before its demolition for the creation of Boston City Hall Plaza.
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.
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.
Science Park station is an elevated light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The station is located at the Boston end of the Charles River Dam Bridge at Leverett Circle. It is at the southeast end of the Lechmere Viaduct, which carries the Green Line over the Charles River. The station is named for the nearby Boston Museum of Science. With 873 daily boardings by a FY 2019 count, Science Park is the least-used fare-controlled station on the Green Line, and the second-lowest on the MBTA subway system after Suffolk Downs.
Maverick station is a rapid transit station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA's Blue Line and is located at Maverick Square in East Boston. It is the easternmost underground station on the Blue Line and a transfer point to various buses. A center island platform provides access to the surface in the middle of Maverick Square. In the station, a track map lined with light bulbs shows the position of the trains on the Blue Line between Bowdoin and Orient Heights. It was one of the last stations to be converted to 6-car train service as part of the MBTA's Blue Line Renovation Project. Maverick is a terminal for MBTA bus routes 114, 116, 117, 120, and 121.
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.
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.
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 to Andrew. The station has a single island platform to serve the two tracks.
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.
South Station is a transfer station on the MBTA rapid transit Red Line and bus rapid transit Silver Line, located at Summer Street and Atlantic Avenue in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is a part of the complex of the same name, the second busiest transportation center in New England. Eight MBTA Commuter Rail and three Amtrak intercity rail services terminate at South Station; many of those passengers then transfer to the rapid transit lines to reach other destinations in the city. With 24,639 daily boardings in 2019, South Station is the busiest station on the MBTA rapid transit system.
North Station is an underground MBTA subway station in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Served by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line and Orange Line, it is connected to the surface terminal of the same name used by MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak. The station is fully accessible.
External images | |
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Charles station in 1970 | |
Charles/MGH station in 1979 | |
Temporary stairs in 2004 |
Media related to Charles/MGH station at Wikimedia Commons