Riverside (MBTA station)

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RIVERSIDE

A Green Line train arrives at Riverside.
Station statistics
Address 333 Grove Street off Route 128/I-95, Newton
Coordinates 42°20′14″N 71°15′08″W / 42.3372°N 71.2521°W / 42.3372; -71.2521Coordinates: 42°20′14″N 71°15′08″W / 42.3372°N 71.2521°W / 42.3372; -71.2521
Line(s)
  Green Line "D" branch
Platforms 1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks 2
Parking 925 spaces
Bicycle facilities 48 spaces
Other information
Opened 4 July 1959
Accessible
Owned by Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Traffic
Passengers (2009)2,192 (weekday average boardings)[1]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station
Terminus Green Line

Riverside is the western terminus of the MBTA Green Line "D" Branch (Highland Branch) light rail line. It is located at 333 Grove Street, off Exit 22 on Interstate 95 (Route 128), in Auburndale, a village of Newton, Massachusetts. Scheduled travel time to Park Street is 46 minutes. Riverside includes a parking lot with spaces for 925 automobiles and bicycle parking. A loop allows trams to reverse direction for the trip back to Boston, and storage tracks and the Riverside Carhouse are connected to the loop.

Riverside station is home to a scale model of the dwarf planet Pluto in the Boston Museum of Science's community-wide solar system model.[2]

History

Map of Riverside station and yard showing current and former platform locations
PCC streetcar #3318 at Riverside sometime between 1959 and 1964

Through 1958, when the Highland Branch was served by the Boston and Albany Railroad, Riverside station was at the junction between the Highland Branch and the B&A main line. The MTA built a large commuter parking lot with a new station at the center, and opened the branch to streetcar service on July 4, 1959. In 1995 the present day platforms were opened.

A track connection still exists with the main line (now the Framingham/Worcester Line); catenary is installed up to the junction for offloading trolleys delivered by the railroad onto the light rail network. This connection was also used at least once, in 1996, for temporary commuter rail service to downtown Boston via the main line when flooding in the Kenmore Square and Fenway areas closed the light rail subway; a temporary platform at location "D" was used.

On February 12, 2009, the MBTA authorized an 85-year lease of a portion of Riverside Station. A mixed-use development will be built on what are currently parking lots. As originally planned, this development will contain 420,000 sq ft (39,000 m2) of office space, 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m2) of retail space, and 190 residential units.[3] As of mid-2012, this project is still in the planning and approval stages.

Fare control

Riverside is one of a few ground-level MBTA light rail stations with a fare controlled platform area aka prepayment stations. This allows passengers to enter through front and rear doors of trolleys efficiently, without lining up to pay fares upon boarding. Fare control began ca. 1996 for morning rush hours only when the current station platforms opened. Full-time fare control began ca. 2006 when the Charlie Card fare card system was introduced.

Bus connections

One MBTA bus route, the 558 Riverside - Downtown Boston via Newton Corner & Turnpike, runs as a partial express to downtown Boston from Riverside. The 500 (discontinued) and 555 (cut back to Central Square, Waltham as the 553) routes formerly ran to Riverside as well.

Intercity bus services to and from Boston, including Greyhound Lines, Peter Pan Bus Lines, World Wide Bus and Megabus offer occasional stops at Riverside. This service was temporarily suspended in early 2010 but was soon reinstated in October 2010.[4] Also in October 2010, World Wide Bus began providing regular service to and from Riverside station to New York City.[5]

Accessibility

See also: MBTA accessibility

The station is wheelchair accessible when served by the MBTA's newer low-floor trolley cars and buses. There is accessible parking.

Images of Riverside

  • Tram waiting in the Riverside Yard

  • Plaque from 1959 opening of Highland Branch

  • Station name carved into entrance ramp

  • Inbound platform sign

References

  1. ↑ "Ridership and Service Statistics". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2012. 
  2. ↑ "Community Solar System Official Passport". Boston Museum of Science. Retrieved 3 August 2011. 
  3. ↑ "Riverside Station Lease Approved". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 12 February 2009. Retrieved 3 August 2011. 
  4. ↑ "Riverside bus service reinstated". Wicked Local. 19 October 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2011. 
  5. ↑ Thomas, Sarah (19 October 2010). "NYC-bound buses will roll from Newton and Cambridge". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 3 August 2011. 
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