Government Center Station to get full rebuild during 2 year closure

Courtesy: MBTA

The MBTA's Government Center station will soon get a much needed modernization. The MBTA has announced that starting in September of 2013 they will be closing the station to the riding public for a total of two years. The $90 million project is set to completely modernize the station and also rebuild parts of City Hall Plaza.

The renovation will replace the relic station entrance that looks more like a bunker than a station head house. In addition to the new head house, the Green Line and Blue Line platforms will be reconstructed, new escalators and elevators will be installed, and the stations fare collection area will be expanded. An overhaul of the stations electrical and lighting system will also take place.

Government Center station (then Scollay Square station) was opened in to Green Line customers in 1898 and Blue Line customers in 1916, it has the distinction of being the second oldest station in the MBTA's system. The station has not seen a reconstruction since it was re-named "Government Center" about 50 years ago.

Current Station entrance
Uploaded by Flickr user: Kingdafy

The project will also bring the station up to ADA compliancy. Currently Government Center station is one of six stations in the subway system that are not handicap accessible.

The 24 month closure is said to be saving the T over $16 million and shaving over a year off the construction process.

One large problem for the 21,000 commuters that use this station per day is going to be finding another station to use during the construction. Fortunately, the T will be running a special bus shuttle that will run between Government center, Haymarket, and State street stations. MBTA spokesperson, Joe Pesaturo, also said that Bowdoin station, normally closed on nights and weekends, will be open for passengers later on weeknights and on weekends. This will only be on a trial basis however. 

Courtesy: MBTA 

MBTA officials are are set to hold a public hearing about the construction project and station closure on December 12th from 5:30 - 7:00pm. The hearing will be held at 100 Cambridge street in conference rooms B, C, and D which are located on the second floor. 


Federal funding is said to offset about 80% of the costs associated with this $90 million project. 

Orient Heights Station Replacement

©2012 Boston to a T

The reconstruction and of Orient Heights station on the Blue Line is finally underway. The $51 Million project, which was passed last year, is set to turn the decaying station into a more modern and accessible station like other stations on the Blue Line.

Orient Heights station, which opened in 1952, was one of the only stations on the Blue line that had not received a modernization since it was built. Over the years the station saw so much neglect that it had the distinction of being the only MBTA station to still have a turnstile (after the implementation of the Carlie Card), a system map from 1967 (still showing the Washington St. "EL" and the "A" branch of the green line), and platforms that were being held up by 2 x 4's.

Phase 1 of the project began last spring and by september most of the station had been torn down. Currently, only the platforms and a small catwalk remain at the station while crews begin to frame out the new station’s design.

The last turnstile in the system

In addition to adding modern station features the project will also make the station fully ADA compliant. Some of the  work includes the installation of a new overhead pedestrian bridge, installation of four elevators and two escalators, new mechanical and power systems, a renovated Train Operations Building, new platforms and improvements to the bus access areas.  

In order to finish the project, the MBTA will be closing the Orient Heights station for a total of six and a half months starting on March 23rd.


During the six and a half month closure, the MBTA will also be replacing trains with buses for a total of 16 weekends between Airport and Wonderland stations.

Talbot Ave. Station opens on MBTA Fairmount Line

Talbot Ave. Station in September 2012
Wikipedia Commons

The first of four new stations on the MBTA's Fairmount line is set to open Monday, November 12th, after nearly two years of preparation and construction. The Talbot Avenue stop, which began construction in November of 2010, will include two full-length high-level platforms and will be located just north of Codman Square in Dorchester. 

The Fairmount line is the only MBTA commuter rail line to lie primarily within the city of Boston, serving the neighborhoods of Dorchester, Mattapan, and Hyde Park. Currently, there are only four stations on the line, Uphams Corner, Morton Street, Fairmount, and Readville, all of which get served every half hour during rushes and every hour during off-peak times. There is no night or weekend service on the line. 

In 2005, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts agreed to make improvements to the line, in part because of its legally binding commitment to mitigate increased air pollution from the Big Dig.

The MBTA has allocated $37 million to the project and $39 million has been allocated from the Commonwealth from the Emergency Needs Bond Bill of 2007. The total cost of the project is estimated to be about $79.4 million.

Wikipedia Commons

To date, the existing Morton St. and Uphams Corner stations have been completely rebuilt, six bridges have been either replaced or repaired, and both signaling and track work has been completed. After the Talbot Ave. station is opened Monday, three more stations will need to be opened before the line is complete. Stations are currently being constructed at New Market Square in Dorchester (planned opening June 2013), Washington Street (Four Corners/Geneva) in Dorchester (planned opening April 2013), and Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester (planned opening sometime in 2015).

The addition of new stations and the upgrades to the existing infrastructure are projected to divert 220 trips from automobiles to transit, and increase daily weekday ridership on the line from around 2,800 to 7,300 passengers.

After the Talbot Ave. station opens on Monday it will be served by trains 28 times every weekday (14 inbound and 14 outbound). You can access the new schedule for the Fairmount Line (effective Nov. 7th) HERE.

The New MBTA Wickford Junction Station

Courtesy: Wickford Junction 

Rail travel in the Ocean State is about to get a little more robust. 

March 7th marked the start of the testing phase for the Wickford Junction Station. MBTA #1127 was the first train to roll into the new station and test the brand new tracks!

The station and adjacent shopping plaza, located in North Kingstown RI, have been about 30 years in the making. Bob Cioe and his family bought the land for the shopping plaza in 1982 and had always hoped to see rail travel come back to the area, now they are finally seeing their dreams come true.

Other than the shopping plaza, which boasts a Walmart as it's anchor store, the land is also home to a 1,100 car parking facility that looks more like an 1800's mill building than a parking structure. Don't let it fool you though, the new garage has energy efficient lights, heated and air-conditioned bathrooms, charging stations for electric cars and a coffee shop for commuters! 

 North Kingstown resident Ryan Salio says she is very excited for the new stop. "Getting to Providence, Warwick, and South Attleboro can be a hassle. It's nice to finally have an option on this side of the state (RI). I will make traveling to Boston exponentially easier." 

Construction for station itself broke ground in August of 2010 and was funded partially by the 2005 Transportation Bill, $12,269,449 came from the Transportation and Housing & Urban Development appropriations bill, and the state of Rhode spent $3.2 million to purchase 350,000 square feet of land for the station and parking garage. 

Connecting the station to the North East Corridor
Public Domain Wickipedia Commons 

The MBTA has 11 stops (Monday - Friday) scheduled for the new Wickford Junction station. There will be five morning trains, two afternoon trains, and four evening trains. The last train to leave the station each night would be at 8:15 p.m and arrive at South Station at 9:55 p.m. Travel time to Providence will be 25 minutes and travel time to Boston will be approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes. 

The station will be located in the MBTA fare zone 9 on the Providence/Stoughton line which will cost $9 one way to Boston. If commuters are only going as far as Providence, however, their round trip ticket will only cost $5 plus a $4 fee at the parking garage. 

The MBTA announced that the stations tentative opening date will be on Monday April 23rd, one month from today. The station will be last piece of the $336 Million project to extend commuter rail in the state of Rhode Island. 

For more information check out the Wickford Junction Facebook Page!