Ashmont (MBTA station)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Original configuration, with streetcar loop (later bus loop) and 1929-added busway | |
| Ashmont Station | |
|---|---|
| Station statistics | |
| Address | 1900 Dorchester Avenue at 200 Ashmont Street, Dorchester |
| Lines | MBTA Subway Red Line (Ashmont Branch) Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line |
| Bicycle facilities | eight spaces |
| Other information | |
| Opened | September 1, 1928 (Red Line) August 26, 1929 (Ashmont-Mattapan Line) under construction as of August 2005 |
| Rebuilt | to be completed 2009 |
| Accessible |  |
| Owned by | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |
Ashmont is a station on the rapid transit Red Line in Ashmont, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. It opened on September 1, 1928, and is the terminal for the Red Line's Dorchester Branch. Ashmont is also the terminus of the streetcar Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line, which loops around on each side of the station, with platforms between the sets of tracks. Buses run southbound on the west side of the station, some running around the loop with the streetcars.
The first Ashmont Station was a simple building along the original Shawmut Branch of the Old Colony Railroad, which opened in 1872. That was when steam locomotives powered the passenger trains that continued into Boston with a stop at Fields Corner. The current intermediate Shawmut Station was not created as a train stop until the Shawmut Branch of the steam railroad was adapted to electrified subway service in the late 1920s and placed underground as it approached Ashmont Station.
When first built in 1928, no buses served the station; all lines ran streetcars. Specifically, the following Boston Elevated Railway streetcar lines operated to Ashmont (using post-1942 numbers), unloading on the east side and loading on the two west tracks on the west side:
- 22 Dudley via Talbot Avenue
- 23 Dudley via Washington Street, Dorchester
- 27 Mattapan Station via River St.
Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway cars to Brockton also used the station.
Two streetcar lines serving the area west of Ashmont were bustituted soon after opening, later becoming the 25 and 26 buses. They were rerouted to Ashmont for faster access to downtown. A new busway was built on the west side of the station in 1929; this has since been connected to the old streetcar ramps. The first section of the Mattapan High Speed Line (originally 28) also opened in 1929, serving the easternmost track on the west side.
The Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway line converted to bus in 1932, using the busway. The 27 was bustituted in 1933, and a new route (24, renumbered 12 ca. 1967) serving the area east of the station was also added. Additionally the Eastern Mass started running buses over what are now the 215 and 217 routes.
The ramps were paved, and in 1949 trackless trolleys replaced the 22 and 23 lines.
[edit] Reconstruction
In 2005, the MBTA awarded a $35.2 million contract for the complete reconstruction of the 75 year old Ashmont Station. As of August 2006, razing of the station is nearly complete, save a walkover that allows commuters to access the inbound platform. Construction crews will now rebuild the station from the ground up, with the completion projected in 2009. Trolley service, however, is projected to resume in 2007. Highlights of the project include:
- New platforms and a viaduct for the trolley service to Mattapan
- Two new lobbies with access at the station
- An elevated busway that is level with the new lobbies
- Public access over the subway tunnel to Peabody Square
- Three new elevators and two new escalators
- CCTV security cameras and significantly enhanced lighting
- Charlie Card automated fare vending machines and fare gates
The station construction includes of a first-of-its-kind transit oriented development (TOD) on the station site. The 116 units of mixed income housing are a represent a state, city, MBTA, community and private developer's combined effort to provide housing adjacent to rapid transit, thereby reducing automobile usage. The housing project, developed by Trinity Financial will be completed in the Spring of 2008.
[edit] Accessibility
The station is wheelchair-accessible.
