Newton Highlands station

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.

Newton Highlands
An inbound train at Newton Highlands station in March 2022
General information
Location1170 Walnut Street
Newton Highlands, Newton, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°19′21″N 71°12′20″W
Line(s)Highland branch
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport MBTA bus: 59
Construction
AccessibleYes
History
Opened1852 (Charles River Branch Railroad)
Key dates
1958Station closed for conversion to light rail
July 4, 1959Station reopened
Passengers
20111,627 (weekday average boardings)[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Eliot
toward Riverside
 Green Line Newton Centre
toward Union Square
Former services
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station
Eliot
toward Riverside
 Highland branch Newton Centre
toward Boston
Location

History
Early-20th-century postcard of the station

The Brookline Branch of the Boston and Worcester Railroad was extended west to Newton Upper Falls by the Charles River Branch Railroad in November 1852. A flag stop was located at Oak Hill (later Newton Highlands).[2][3] The 1880s Boston and Albany Railroad depot building, designed by H. H. Richardson in collaboration with landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 3, 1976, and is part of the Newton Railroad Stations Historic District.[4] Commuter rail service on the line ended in 1958; it reopened as a light rail station on July 4, 1959.

The station's interior, occupied by an auto parts store for years, is being renovated and is partially occupied by a periodontist's office.[5] It is not used as a passenger waiting area, although the building's eaves provide some shelter for outbound passengers.

Renovations
Temporary ramp at the station in 2020

Newton Highlands station has three entrances – ramps from Walnut Street and Station Avenue, and stairs from Hyde Street – all to the outbound platform. Passengers must cross the tracks to reach the inbound platform. The station had low platforms and the ramps were too steep, making the station not fully accessible; however, portable lifts were present to provide partial accessibility.[6]

Design for a fully accessible renovation reached 30% in October 2015.[7] The project will make the two existing ramps accessible, add an accessible ramp from Hyde Street to the inbound platform, and raise the platforms.[8] In 2019–20, a temporary accessible ramp and platform sections were built to make the station accessible while it was used as a terminal during track work on the line.[9][10] By December 2022, design was to completed that month; the project was expected to be advertised for bidding in early 2023, with construction beginning after midyear.[11][12] However, by June 2023, the schedule had slipped: design completion in mid-2023, with construction not until mid-2024.[13]

References
  1. "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  2. ABC Pathfinder Railway Guide. New England Railway Publishing Company. 1858. p. 12 – via Google Books.
  3. Szolovits, Peter (18 March 2002). "History of Newton Highlands". City of Newton. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  4. Goldin, Dina Q. "Auburndale Station". Citizens for Auburndale Station. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  5. "Leonard H. Strauss, D.M.D. P.C." Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  6. "Newton Highlands Green Line Station Accessibility Project: Public Informational Meeting April 30, 2018". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 30, 2018. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  7. Brelsford, Laura (December 5, 2016). "MBTA System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives: December 2016 Update" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. pp. 24, 27.
  8. "Newton Highlands Green Line Station Accessibility Project: Public Informational Meeting November 15, 2018". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 15, 2018. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  9. Brelsford, Laura (June 5, 2019). "SWA Initiatives—June 2019" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. p. 1.
  10. "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—May 2022" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. May 2022. p. 3.
  11. "Week in Review and Lookahead: Friday, December 2, 2022" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 2, 2022.
  12. "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—December 2022" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. December 6, 2022. p. 4.
  13. "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—June 2023" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. June 5, 2023. p. 3.
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