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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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West Newton (MBTA Station)
West Newton station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Newton, Massachusetts. It serves the Framingham/Worcester Line, and is located inside the Massachusetts Turnpike Exit 16 rotary in the village of West Newton. West Newton has had continuous rail service since 1834. The station consists of a single low side platform serving one of the line's two tracks, with small crossings to access trains on the far track. West Newton is not accessible; a renovation for accessibility is planned.

History

A stagecoach and train at West Newton in 1834

West Newton was the first terminus of the Boston and Worcester Railroad in April 1834, and one of the first locations in the world from which workers could commute to a city by rail for regular working hours. The Railroad Hotel originally served as the train station. By the late 1840s, a dedicated station building was located on the north side of the tracks just west of Chestnut Street. A new station building was constructed in 1850 at an expense of $2,700. It was located on the south side of the tracks.

Service to West Newton and Auburndale stations was reduced to one daily round trip on January 30, 1981, as part of a series of service cuts due to a budget crisis. Normal service resumed to the two stations on March 16, 1981.

A 2011 village plan prepared for the city by MIT proposed a four-story development integrated with a rebuilt commuter rail station, with two high-level side platforms providing accessible boarding on both tracks.

Design for an accessible platform on the north side of the tracks reached 30% in November 2020 and was expected to be complete in spring 2022. The designs were later changed to have two platforms to reduce operational impacts. The new design reached 30% completion in early 2022. A ramp was added to the design scope at that time, delaying expected design completion to February 2024. Drilling for geotechnical surveying took place in October–November 2022. Design work for the Newton stations was paused at 75% completion in September 2023 because project costs had risen to $255 million. In April 2024, the MBTA indicated that it would proceed with Newtonville before the two other stations.

References

  1. ^ Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  2. ^ Harwood, Herbert H. (Spring 1992). "History Where You Don't Expect It: Some Surprising Survivors". Railroad History (166): 103–125. JSTOR 43523701.
  3. ^ Woodward, E.F.; Ward, W.F. (April 1848). Map of the Town of Newton (Map). 1:18,600. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013.
  4. ^ Report of the Directors of the Boston and Worcester Railroad. Boston and Worcester Railroad. 1851. p. 8.
  5. ^ "Plate G: Part of Ward 3, West Newton" (Map). Atlas of the city of Newton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. 1:1,800. J.B. Beers & Co. 1874. pp. 34–35.
  6. ^ Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  7. ^ "T changes start today". Boston Globe. February 1, 1981. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  8. ^ 2011 Community Growth and Land Use Planning Practicum (December 2011). "WEST NEWTON VILLAGE AREA PLAN" (PDF). MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning. pp. 146–148.
  9. ^ Brelsford, Laura (May 24, 2021). "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—May 2021" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. p. 6.
  10. ^ "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—December 2022" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. December 6, 2022. p. 6.
  11. ^ "Drilling Activities Continue at Newton Commuter Rail Stations". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. September 26, 2022. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022.
  12. ^ "Drilling Activities Continue at Newton Commuter Rail Stations". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 7, 2022.
  13. ^ "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—November 2023" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. November 27, 2023. pp. 6–7.
  14. ^ "Newton Stations Accessibility Improvements" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 10, 2024.

Media related to West Newton station at Wikimedia Commons

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