Heath Street | |||||||||||||
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General information | |||||||||||||
Location | South Huntington Avenue at Heath Street Boston, Massachusetts | ||||||||||||
Coordinates | 42°19′43″N71°06′38″W / 42.32868°N 71.11068°W | ||||||||||||
Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||||
Tracks | 2 (on a balloon loop) | ||||||||||||
Connections | MBTA bus: 14, 39 | ||||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||
Rebuilt | January 13, 2003 [1] | ||||||||||||
Passengers | |||||||||||||
2011 | 820 (weekday average boardings) [2] | ||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||
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Heath Street station (also called Heath Street/VA Medical Center) is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line light rail station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the southwestern terminus of the Green Line E branch. It is located at the intersection of South Huntington Avenue and Heath Street on the border between the Mission Hill and Jamaica Plain neighborhoods.
A loop at Heath Street was constructed in 1945 to allow use of the new PCC streetcars, which only had an operator's cab at one end and could not use crossovers like the one at Francis Street to reverse direction. Route 57 (Francis Street–Park Street) was extended to the new loop on December 15, 1945, and began using PCC streetcars on January 3, 1946. [3] : 97 Until 1961, service on Huntington Avenue consisted of a Heath Street–North Station line and a Arborway–Park Street line. The Heath Street line was discontinued on September 11, 1961. [4] Peak-hour service to the loop resumed on December 26, 1964; for a period in 1966, every other train on Huntington Avenue short-turned at the loop. Heath Street was the terminus of all weekday service (except nights) for three periods in 1977–1978 due to streetcar shortages and track work. [4]
In 1972, the MBTA began planning a reconstruction of the median-running section of the line, then scheduled for 1973–1974. [5] The work, including track replacement at the loop, eventually began in 1980 when the line was closed to modify the track and wires for the new LRVs. The line was cut back to Symphony on March 21, 1980; it was re-extended to Northeastern University (using LRVs) on June 21 and Brigham Circle on September 20, but Heath Street and Arborway service did not resume until June 26, 1982. [4] Heath Street short turns were cut on February 11, 1983 when a snowstorm closed the line, and did not resume when it reopened. [4]
On September 8, 1984, short turns using LRVs were extended to Heath Street. [4] On December 28, 1985, the entire Arborway line was cut for repairs to the Huntington Avenue subway. Service to Brigham Circle resumed on July 26, 1986, and to Heath Street on November 4, 1989; Arborway service never resumed. [4] Around this time, a circular concrete shelter/crew base was built inside the loop.
In the early 2000s, the MBTA modified key surface stops with raised platforms for accessibility as part of the Light Rail Accessibility Program. Portable lifts were installed at Heath Street around 2000 as a temporary measure. [6] [7] The platform modifications – part of a $32 million modification of thirteen B, C, and E branch stations – were completed on January 13, 2003. The project included a wooden mini-high platform on the outer platform, allowing level boarding on older Type 7 LRVs. [1]
As part of a series of service reductions due to a budget crisis, on July 1, 2012 the MBTA began terminating weekend service at Brigham Circle. [4] The cutback was unpopular with local residents, who considered it an unnecessary inconvenience. [8] On October 13, 2012, the cut was quietly reversed by reducing frequency on the branch slightly, thus allowing the same equipment to cover the full line at no additional cost. [9] This was made official with the December 29, 2012 timetable. [4]
In March 2011, the MBTA recommended stop changes to route 39 as part of the Key Routes Improvement Project. The outbound stops at Back of the Hill station and south of Heath Street were to be consolidated, and the inbound stop at Heath Street would be dropped due to its proximity to Back of the Hill. [10] [11] The outbound stop south of Heath Street was dropped in 2013, but the inbound stop was kept until June 21, 2020. [12] [13]
The MBTA plans to modify the non-accessible surface stops between Heath Street and Brigham Circle with accessible platforms. The new platforms are planned to be long enough to accommodate two 110-foot (34 m) Type 10 vehicles; Heath Street may also be modified to fit these longer trains. Design work began in July 2023 and is expected to reach 15% completion in July 2024. [14] [15]
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 101,000 in 2023, it is among the most heavily used light rail systems 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.
Longwood Medical Area station is a light rail stop on the MBTA Green Line E branch, located in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is named for the adjacent Longwood Medical Area.
Brigham Circle station is a station on the light rail MBTA Green Line "E" branch, located just east of Brigham Circle in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. With raised platforms installed in a 2001-03 renovation, the station is accessible when served by low-floor streetcars.
Northeastern University station is a surface-level trolley stop on the MBTA Green Line. It is located in a dedicated median along Huntington Avenue in Boston, between Opera Place and Forsyth Street, and is adjacent to the Krentzman Quad on the campus of Northeastern University. It is the first surface-level stop going outbound along the Green Line E branch; trolleys rise from a portal located between Opera Place and Gainsborough Street and continue along the surface down Huntington Avenue towards Mission Hill.
Forest Hills station is an intermodal transfer station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA rapid transit Orange Line and three MBTA Commuter Rail lines and is a major terminus for MBTA bus routes. It is located in Forest Hills, in the southern part of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood. Most Providence/Stoughton Line and Franklin/Foxboro Line trains, and all Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains, pass through the station without stopping. Forest Hills station is fully accessible on all modes.
Boston College station is a light rail station on the MBTA Green Line B branch. It is located at St. Ignatius Square on the Boston College campus near the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Lake Street, on the border between the Brighton neighborhood of Boston and the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Newton, Massachusetts. Originally opened in 1896, it has been the terminus of the Commonwealth Avenue line since 1900. The current station is planned to be replaced by a new station located in the median of Commonwealth Avenue just east of Lake Street.
The E branch is a light rail line in Boston, Cambridge, Medford, and Somerville, Massachusetts, operating as part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line. The line runs in mixed traffic on South Huntington Avenue and Huntington Avenue between Heath Street and Brigham Circle, in the median of Huntington Avenue to Northeastern University, then into the Huntington Avenue subway. The line merges into the Boylston Street subway just west of Copley, running to North Station via the Tremont Street subway. It then follows the Lechmere Viaduct to Lechmere, then the Medford Branch to Medford/Tufts. As of February 2023, service operates on eight-minute headways at weekday peak hours and eight to nine-minute headways at other times, using 13 to 17 trains.
The C branch, also called the Beacon Street Line or Cleveland Circle Line, is one of four branches of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Green Line light rail system in the Boston, Massachusetts metropolitan area. The line begins at Cleveland Circle in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston and runs on the surface through Brookline along the median of Beacon Street. Reentering Boston, the line goes underground through the Saint Mary's Street incline and joins the B and D branches at Kenmore. Trains run through the Boylston Street subway to Copley where the E branch joins, then continue through the Tremont Street subway to downtown Boston. The C branch has terminated at Government Center station since October 2021.
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, B branch service 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.
The Green Line D branch is a light rail line in Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Newton, and Somerville, Massachusetts, operating as part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line. The line runs on a grade separated surface right-of-way for 9 miles (14 km) from Riverside station to Fenway station. The line merges into the C branch tunnel west of Kenmore, then follows the Boylston Street subway and Tremont Street subway to North Station. It is the longest and busiest of the four Green Line branches. As of June 2024, service operates on 6 to 8-minute headways at weekday peak hours and 7 to 13-minute headways at other times, using 13 to 19 trains.
As with many large cities, a large number of Boston-area streetcar lines once existed, and many continued operating into the 1950s. However, only a few now remain, namely the four branches of the Green Line and the Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line, with only one running regular service on an undivided street.
Arborway station was an MBTA light rail stop and bus transfer location in Boston, Massachusetts. It served the MBTA Green Line E branch. It was located in Arborway Yard near the Forest Hills station complex. It closed in 1985 when the outer section of the branch was temporarily—and ultimately permanently—closed.
Museum of Fine Arts is a surface-level light rail stop on the MBTA Green Line E branch, located the median of Huntington Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts, between Museum Road and Ruggles Street. The station is named after the adjacent Museum of Fine Arts, although it also provides access to Northeastern University, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Museum of Fine Arts station is accessible.
Mission Park station is a light rail stop on the MBTA Green Line E branch, located on Huntington Avenue in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
Back of the Hill station is a surface stop on the light rail MBTA Green Line E branch, located in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is named after, and primarily serves, the adjacent Back of the Hill apartment complex, a Section 8 development for elderly and disabled residents. Back of the Hill is located on the street running section of the E branch on South Huntington Avenue. The station has no platforms; passengers wait in bus shelters on the sidewalks and cross a traffic lane to reach Green Line trains.
Brookline Village station is a light rail station on the MBTA Green Line D branch, located in the Brookline Village neighborhood of Brookline, Massachusetts, United States. It was originally a commuter rail station on the Boston and Albany Railroad's Highland branch; it closed with the rest of the line in 1958 and reopened on July 4, 1959 as a light rail station. With 3,230 daily boardings, it is the third-busiest surface station on the D branch and the sixth-busiest surface station overall. Brookline Village station has raised platforms for accessibility with low-floor light rail vehicles.
Fenwood Road station is a light rail stop on the MBTA Green Line E branch, located on Huntington Avenue at Fenwood Road in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Fenwood Road is the third-least-used stop on the Green Line, with 221 daily boardings by a 2011 count.
Riverway station is a light rail station on the MBTA Green Line E branch, located at the intersection of South Huntington Avenue and Huntington Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts, slightly east of Brookline Village. The station is named for the Riverway parkway which runs on an overpass just to the west. Riverway is also the closest surface transfer between the D and E branches of the Green Line; Brookline Village station is about 1,500 feet (460 m) to the west.
Babcock Street station is a light rail stop on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line B branch, located in the median of Commonwealth Avenue in the west part of the Boston University campus. The accessible station has two side platforms serving the line's two tracks, with access at Babcock Street and Pleasant Street.
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.