Waban station

Last updated
Waban
Outbound train at Waban station, March 2022.JPG
An outbound train at Waban station in March 2022
General information
LocationBeacon Street and Waban Square
Newton, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°19′33″N71°13′50″W / 42.32583°N 71.23056°W / 42.32583; -71.23056
Line(s) Highland branch
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Construction
Parking74 spaces; paid
Bicycle facilities12 spaces
AccessibleNo
History
OpenedJuly 4, 1959 [1]
Passengers
2011 daily545 [2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA.svg MBTA Following station
Woodland
toward Riverside
Green Line Eliot
toward Union Square
Former services
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station
Woodland
toward Riverside
Highland branch Eliot
toward Boston
Location
Waban station

Waban station is a surface-level light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Green Line D branch, located just south of Beacon Street at Waban Square in the Waban section of Newton, Massachusetts. The station is located below grade; access to both platforms is via Wyman Street on the outbound side of the tracks or a stairway from Beacon Street. Waban is not accessible.

Contents

History

Waban station on a 1907 postcard Waban station 1907 postcard.jpg
Waban station on a 1907 postcard

Waban formerly boasted an H.H. Richardson-designed train station, like those still standing in Newton Highlands and Newton Centre. The original station was completed in August 1886 as part of the Boston and Albany Railroad's Highland branch and was one of the last stations designed by Richardson before his death in April 1886. [3]

Waban closed along with the rest of the Highland branch commuter rail line in 1958 and reopened on July 4, 1959, as part of the light rail D branch. The H. H. Richardson station was demolished in order to build a 57-space parking lot.

The station has two MBTA ticket machines for reloading stored-value CharlieCards and buying CharlieTickets, as well one fare validation machine. All three are enclosed in a heated passenger shed near the center of the inbound platform. On May 28, 2008, two westbound Green Line trains collided between Waban and Woodland, killing one person.

In 2019, the MBTA indicated that the four remaining non-accessible stops on the D branch were "Tier I" accessibility priorities. [4] A preliminary design contract for accessibility modifications at the four stations was issued in February 2021. [5] [6] Design reached 75% in June 2022 and was completed late that year. [7] [8] As of November 2023, construction is expected to be advertised in early 2024 and begin midyear. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Line (MBTA)</span> Light rail system

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longwood station (MBTA)</span> Light rail station in Brookline, Massachusetts, US

Longwood station is a light rail station on the MBTA Green Line D branch, located on Chapel Street in Brookline, Massachusetts, on the border with Boston, just north of Longwood Avenue. It serves the Longwood Medical Area, the Colleges of the Fenway, and residential areas of Brookline. The station opened with the rest of the line on July 4, 1959. After renovation work completed in 2009, Longwood station is accessible from both Chapel Street and Riverway Park.

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

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reservoir station (MBTA)</span> Light rail station in Brookline, Massachusetts, US

Reservoir station is a light rail station on the MBTA Green Line D branch, located in Brookline, Massachusetts, adjacent to the Cleveland Circle area of Brighton. The station is adjacent to Reservoir Yard and Carhouse, with the Cleveland Circle terminus of the C branch just a block away. With a daily ridership of 3,395, Reservoir is the second-busiest surface stop on the D branch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Line B branch</span> Light rail line in Boston, Massachusetts

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Line D branch</span> Light rail line

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 February 2023, service operates on 8 to 9-minute headways at weekday peak hours and 8 to 11-minute headways at other times, using 13 to 19 trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highland branch</span> Suburban railway line in Boston, Massachusetts

The Highland branch, also known as the Newton Highlands branch, was a suburban railway line in Boston, Massachusetts. It was opened by the Boston and Albany Railroad in 1886 to serve the growing community of Newton, Massachusetts. The line was closed in 1958 and sold to the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), the predecessor of the current Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), which reopened it in 1959 as a light rail line, now known as the D branch of the Green Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Framingham/Worcester Line</span> MBTA commuter railroad line

The Framingham/Worcester Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system runs west from Boston, Massachusetts to Worcester, Massachusetts through the MetroWest region, serving 17 station stops in Boston, Newton, Wellesley, Natick, Framingham, Ashland, Southborough, Westborough, Grafton, and Worcester. It is the third longest and third busiest line in the MBTA Commuter Rail system. Service on the line is a mix of local and express trains serving Worcester plus short-turn Framingham locals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waban, Massachusetts</span> Village in Massachusetts, United States

Waban is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States.

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

Fenway station is a light rail stop on the MBTA Green Line D branch, located under Park Drive near the Riverway in the Fenway–Kenmore neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It opened along with the rest of the D branch on July 4, 1959, when trolleys replaced Highland branch commuter rail service. The station is fully accessible from Park Drive via the Landmark Center parking lot, as well as from Miner Street. Named after the Fenway parkway rather than Fenway Park, it is further from the stadium than Kenmore, though still used during events.

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

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaconsfield station (MBTA)</span> Light rail station in Brookline, Massachusetts, US

Beaconsfield is an MBTA light rail station in Brookline, Massachusetts. It serves the Green Line D branch. It is located off Dean Road and Beaconsfield Road just south of Beacon Street. Like the other stops on the line, it was a commuter rail station on the Boston and Albany Railroad's Highland branch until 1958, when the line was closed and converted to a branch of what is now the Green Line. The station reopened along with the rest of the line in 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natick Center station</span> Train station in Natick, Massachusetts, US

Natick Center station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Natick, Massachusetts served by the Framingham/Worcester Line. The station, located below grade in a wide cut adjacent to North Main Street, has two side platforms serving the line's two tracks. The second-busiest non-accessible station on the system, it is undergoing a major accessibility renovation and modernization from 2020 to 2024.

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

Eliot station is a light rail station on the MBTA Green Line D branch located just north of Route 9 between the Newton Highlands and Newton Upper Falls villages of Newton, Massachusetts. The station has a parking lot at the end of Lincoln Street, a pedestrian entrance from Meredith Avenue, and pedestrian entrances from both sides of Route 9. A footbridge, built in 1977, crosses Route 9 adjacent to the railroad bridge.

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

Newton Highlands station is a surface-level light rail station located in Newton, Massachusetts on the Green Line D branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

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

Newton Centre station is a light rail station on the MBTA Green Line D branch, located in the Newton Centre village of Newton, Massachusetts. A former commuter rail station, it was converted for light rail use and reopened on July 4, 1959, along with the rest of the line. The 1891-built station and express office are part of the Newton Railroad Stations Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

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

Woodland station is a light rail stop on the MBTA Green Line D branch, located off Washington Street (MA-16) between the Newton Lower Falls and Auburndale villages of Newton, Massachusetts, United States. It serves as access to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital, as well as a park and ride station for nearby Route 128.

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

Brookline Hills station is a light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line D branch in the Brookline Hills neighborhood of Brookline, Massachusetts. The station has two side platforms serving the line's two tracks. It was closed from April 2021 to January 2022 as part of adjacent construction on a Brookline High School building, which included renovations to make the station accessible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auburndale station (MBTA)</span> Commuter rail station in Newton, Massachusetts

Auburndale station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Auburndale, Massachusetts. It serves the Framingham/Worcester Line. It is located next to the Massachusetts Turnpike near Lasell College. The modern station platform, built around 1961, replaced a highly acclaimed 1881 depot building designed by H. H. Richardson. A full renovation of the station for accessibility is planned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut Hill station (MBTA)</span> Light rail station in Newton, Massachusetts, US

Chestnut Hill station is a light rail station on the MBTA Green Line D branch, located off Hammond Street north of Massachusetts Route 9 in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Newton, Massachusetts. The station has two side platforms serving the line's two tracks. Chestnut Hill station is not accessible, but renovations are planned.

References

  1. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  2. "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  3. Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl (June 1988). "Architecture for the Boston & Albany Railroad: 1881-1894". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 47 (2): 109–131. doi:10.2307/990324. JSTOR   990324.
  4. "Preview of 2019 Recommendations: Presentation to the FMCB" (PDF). Plan for Accessible Transit Infrastructure (PATI). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 1, 2019. p. 12.
  5. "D Branch Station Accessibility Improvements". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  6. "D Branch Station Accessibility Improvements: Waban, Eliot, Chestnut Hill, Beaconsfield: Virtual Public Meeting" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 29, 2021.
  7. "D Branch Station Accessibility Improvements: Beaconsfield, Chestnut Hill, Eliot, Waban: Public Meeting" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 23, 2022.
  8. "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—December 2022" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. December 6, 2022. p. 4.
  9. "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—November 2023" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. November 27, 2023. pp. 3–4.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Waban station at Wikimedia Commons