Oak Grove | ||||||||||||||||
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General information | ||||||||||||||||
Location | Washington Street at Winter Street Malden, Massachusetts | |||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 42°26′13″N71°04′15″W / 42.436942°N 71.070889°W | |||||||||||||||
Line(s) | Haymarket North Extension Western Route | |||||||||||||||
Platforms | 1 island platform (Orange Line) 1 side platform (Commuter Rail) | |||||||||||||||
Tracks | 2 (Orange Line) 1 (Commuter Rail) | |||||||||||||||
Connections | MBTA bus: 131, 132, 137 | |||||||||||||||
Construction | ||||||||||||||||
Structure type | At grade | |||||||||||||||
Parking | 788 spaces ($9 fee / $3 fee on weekends) | |||||||||||||||
Bicycle facilities | 140 spaces in "Pedal and Park" bicycle cage | |||||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | |||||||||||||||
Other information | ||||||||||||||||
Fare zone | 1A (Commuter Rail) | |||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||
Opened | March 20, 1977 (Orange Line) [1] | |||||||||||||||
Passengers | ||||||||||||||||
FY2019 | 6,637 (daily average boardings) [2] | |||||||||||||||
Services | ||||||||||||||||
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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.
The Boston and Maine Railroad opened through Malden in 1845, and a stop at Oak Grove was added by the 1870s. It closed in 1958 amid a series of cuts. The MBTA opened the modern station in March 1977 as the northern terminus of the Haymarket North Extension of the Orange Line. It also temporarily served as the southern terminus of Haverhill Line service in 1984–85 after a bridge fire at North Station. Renovation work on the Orange Line platform, including a new emergency exit ramp, took place in 2013–14. Three new elevators were added in 2019–2022, with one existing elevator replaced. Haverhill Line resumed stopping at the station during a 2022 closure of the Orange Line; Oak Grove was retained as a stop after.
Oak Grove has a single island platform serving the two tracks of the Orange Line. Terminating trains use both tracks, changing tracks at a crossover just south of the station. [3] A single side platform serves the Haverhill Line track on the east side of the Orange Line. A fare lobby is located over the tracks at the south end of the station. It has entrances from Washington Street on the west and Banks Place on the east, with elevators to the lobby from both entrances and the Orange Line platform for accessibility.
Three MBTA bus routes serve Oak Grove station. Routes 131 and 137 use a dedicated busway in the parking area on the east side of the station, while route 132 runs on Washington Street on the west side of the station. [4]
The Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) opened its mainline from Wilmington Junction to Boston on July 1, 1845, allowing it to operate independently of the Boston and Lowell Railroad. [5] Oak Grove was not initially a stop on the line, but was in service by 1859. [6] : 154 [7] The two-story wooden station building, located on the west side of the tracks just south of Oak Grove Court, had a prominent central gable. [8] [9] The Western Route became a busy commuter line, but service declined after World War I, and again after World War II. [5]
On April 18, 1958, the Public Utilities Commission approved a vast set of cuts to Boston and Maine Railroad commuter service, including all stations on the Western Route south of Wyoming Hill save for Malden. [10] The stations were closed on May 18, 1958, amid the first of a series of cuts. [5] [11] The Oak Grove station building was reused as an antique store by 1962, and was later demolished. [12]
Oak Grove opened on March 20, 1977, as the northern terminus of the Haymarket North Extension of the Orange Line. [1] The design of Oak Grove station was based on that of North Quincy, opened in 1971. [13] The extension was originally intended to run to Reading, but was cut back to Oak Grove. A platform (sized for Orange Line trains rather than longer commuter rail trains) was built to serve the single Western Route commuter rail track, for potential use should the remainder of the extension be built. In the fare mezzanine, a sign labels the platform as "Orange Line outbound".
Malden Center served as a stop for commuter rail trains from 1977 to 1979, while Oak Grove did not. After the approach trestles at North Station burned on January 20, 1984, Malden Center temporarily became the inbound terminus for the Haverhill Line. [1] The terminal was changed to Oak Grove on February 15, 1984. [14] When North Station reopened on April 20, 1985, Malden Center replaced Oak Grove as the Malden commuter rail stop. [1] The switch may have been made due to a request by John A. Brennan Jr., who was then constructing a large development near Malden Center station. [15]
Because of its Orange Line connection, Oak Grove occasionally served as a temporary inbound terminus for Haverhill Line service during commuter rail service disruptions between Oak Grove and Boston's North Station. (Double track begins just north of the station, making operations easier than using Malden Center as the terminal. [16] ) It served this role during the 2004 Democratic National Convention, when North Station was closed for a week for security purposes. [1] In October 1997, Oak Grove was identified as a possible site for a parking garage, but this was never pursued. [17]
During 2013, the MBTA performed heavy maintenance on the Orange Line platform, which had substantially deteriorated during 36 years of operation. High-pressure water was used to strip away the top layer of concrete; a smoother top coat and new tactile platform edging were installed. The work was performed on one side of the platform at a time with no station closures. [18] The project also included new track lighting, guardrails, and expansion joints. [19]
The project, originally expected to cost $2.3 million, was issued a notice to proceed in December 2012. Phase 1, which lasted from April to August 2013, focused on the inbound side of the platform. Original plans called for an exit-only ramp on the north end of the Orange Line platform to be constructed as part of Phase 1; however, this was put off due to the discovery of buried utilities not present on site plans. Phase 2, from August to December 2013, focused on the outbound side of the platform. [19] From March 2 to June 30, 2014, the MBTA constructed the emergency exit ramp and a public restroom as Phase 3. [18]
The existing elevators, which connect the fare mezzanine to the Orange Line platform and the busway, were built with the station and renovated in 1987. [20] [21] (This made Oak Grove the first Orange Line station to be accessible.) [22] [23] Three elevators are being added to the station – an elevator between Washington Street and the mezzanine, a redundant elevator between the mezzanine and the platform, and a redundant elevator between the busway and the mezzanine – and one existing elevator renovated. [24] The MBTA awarded a $22.5 million construction contract in August 2019, and work began that December. [25] [26] [24] The Washington Street elevator opened on January 31, 2021, followed by the first new platform elevator in August. [27] [28] The new east elevator opened in May 2022, with the replacement platform elevator completed that November. [29]
The entire Orange Line, including the Orange Line portion of Oak Grove station, was closed from August 19 to September 18, 2022, during maintenance work. The Haverhill Line stopped at Oak Grove during the closure to provide alternate service. [30] [31] Oak Grove was retained as a permanent Haverhill Line stop after the Orange Line closure. [32] [33] Rail service on the inner Haverhill Line was suspended from September 9 to November 5, 2023, to accommodate signal work. Substitute bus service was operated between Reading and Oak Grove. [34]
The Orange 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 on the surface from Oak Grove station in Malden, Massachusetts through Malden and Medford, paralleling the Haverhill Line, then crosses the Mystic River on a bridge into Somerville, then into Charlestown. It passes under the Charles River and runs through Downtown Boston in the Washington Street Tunnel. The line returns to the surface in the South End, then follows the Southwest Corridor southwest in a cut through Roxbury and Jamaica Plain to Forest Hills station.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) system is mostly but not fully accessible. Like most American mass transit systems, much of the MBTA subway and commuter rail were built before wheelchair access became a requirement under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The MBTA has renovated most stations to be compliant with the ADA, and all stations built since 1990 are accessible. The MBTA also has a paratransit program, The Ride, which provides accessible vehicles to transport passengers who cannot use the fixed-route system.
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.
North Station is a commuter rail and intercity rail terminal station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by four MBTA Commuter Rail lines – the Fitchburg Line, Haverhill Line, Lowell Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line – and the Amtrak Downeaster intercity service. The concourse is located under the TD Garden arena, with the platforms extending north towards drawbridges over the Charles River. The eponymous subway station, served by the Green Line and Orange Line, is connected to the concourse with an underground passageway.
Wellington station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Orange Line rapid transit station in Medford, Massachusetts, near the border of Everett. It is located on the Revere Beach Parkway, slightly east of its intersection with Route 28. Wellington functions as a park and ride with more than 1,300 spaces, and a bus hub with eight routes terminating at the station. The Station Landing development, connected to the station by an overhead walkway, includes residential and retail buildings and additional parking. Wellington Carhouse, the primary repair and maintenance facility for the Orange Line, is located adjacent to the station.
Ruggles station is an intermodal transfer station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rapid transit, bus, and commuter rail services and is located at the intersection of Ruggles and Tremont streets, where the Roxbury, Fenway–Kenmore, and Mission Hill neighborhoods meet. It is surrounded by the campus of Northeastern University. Ruggles is a station stop for the Orange Line subway, as well as the Providence/Stoughton Line, Franklin/Foxboro Line, and Needham Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system. Thirteen MBTA bus routes stop at Ruggles.
Malden Center station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) intermodal transit station in Malden, Massachusetts. Located on an elevated grade above Pleasant Street in downtown Malden, it serves the rapid transit Orange Line and the MBTA Commuter Rail Haverhill Line. The station has one island platform for the two Orange Line tracks and a single side platform for the single commuter rail track. Two busways are used by 12 MBTA bus routes.
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 Mattapan 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 10 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.
Community College station is a rapid transit station on the MBTA Orange Line in Boston, Massachusetts. It is located in the Charlestown neighborhood off Austin Street near New Rutherford Avenue (MA-99), under the double-decked elevated structure carrying Interstate 93 to the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge. The station is named for the adjacent Bunker Hill Community College. The station opened in April 1975, replacing the City Square and Thompson Square stations of the Charlestown Elevated. It was made accessible around 2005.
The Haverhill Line is a branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running north from downtown Boston, Massachusetts to Haverhill. The service operates on the Western Route of the former Boston and Maine Railroad, which extends north to Portland, Maine, though MBTA commuter rail service has not continued north of Massachusetts since 1967.
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.
Haverhill station is an intercity and regional rail station located in downtown Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States. It is served by Amtrak's Downeaster service and the MBTA Commuter Rail Haverhill/Reading Line; it is the northern terminus of MBTA service on the line. Haverhill is one of two major hubs for MVRTA local bus service; the Washington Square Transit Center is located 1⁄5 mile (0.3 km) east of the rail station.
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Melrose Highlands station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station on the Haverhill Line located in the Melrose Highlands neighborhood of Melrose, Massachusetts. It is the most used station in the city, and was originally planned to be a station on the cancelled extension of the Orange Line to Reading. The station is accessible.
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Winchester Center station is a MBTA Commuter Rail station in Winchester, Massachusetts, served by the Lowell Line. The station is located on a viaduct in downtown Winchester, with two accessible side platforms serving the line's two tracks. The station was temporarily closed on January 8, 2021 due to structural deterioration; the first portion of the rebuilt station opened on October 1, 2024, with the remaining portion expected to open in late 2024 or early 2025.
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.
Oak Grove is the first new station with an elevator for the use of handicapped persons when new elevators planned or under contract at several stations being modernized are installed.