Boston College (MBTA station)

BOSTON COLLEGE
Boston College MBTA station
Location	Commonwealth Avenue at Lake Street, Boston
Coordinates	42°20′24.3″N 71°10′1.2″W / 42.340083°N 71.167000°W / 42.340083; -71.167000Coordinates: 42°20′24.3″N 71°10′1.2″W / 42.340083°N 71.167000°W / 42.340083; -71.167000
Owned by	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Line(s)	Green Line "B" branch
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	1909
Rebuilt	2009
Previous names	Lake Street (1909-1947)
Traffic
Passengers (2009 daily)	1,042[1]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station Terminus Green Line "B" Branch South Street toward Park Street

The Boston College station is the western terminus of the MBTA Green Line's B-branch (also known as the "Boston College" line). It is located at St Ignatius Square on the Boston College campus in Brighton, Boston, near the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Lake Street. The current station is planned to be replaced by a new station located in the median of Commonwealth Avenue just east of Lake Street.

Station layout

History

Originally called Lake Street, the station was once the eastern terminus of another trolley line, the Commonwealth Avenue Street Railway, operated by the Middlesex and Boston Street Railway until 1930. The route of the former trolley line is evidenced by the grassy, tree-lined median which runs the entire length of Commonwealth Avenue in Newton. The station was renamed to Boston College on May 21, 1947 by vote of the Boston Elevated Railway trustees during the building of the Newton campus.^[2] Except for occasional service disruptions due to track work or blockages on Commonwealth Avenue, Boston College has been the terminus of the Commonwealth Avenue line ("B" Branch) since 1909.

Temporary outbound platform used during construction of the current platforms in 2009

In 2007, Boston College released its 10 Year Institutional Master Plan which includes a plan to relocate the station to the median of Commonwealth Avenue, just east of the Lake Street intersection. The college later agreed to aid the project financially and to donate land to widen Commonwealth Avenue to accommodate the station.^[3] A $296,000 temporary accessibility solution with new platforms was built on the existing site in 2009, but planning continues for the relocated station.^[4] (During construction, temporary platforms were built near Lake Street). The project was advanced to 15% design by a $656,000 federal grant and $164,500 of MBTA funds.^[4] The design is currently being advanced to the 30% level; once funds are made available, the new station will take 24 months to construct at a cost of $20 million.^[5]

The new station will have two side platforms, with a narrower platform between the tracks for passengers offloading from outbound trains and a wider platform with canopies for those waiting to board inbound trains.^[4] The new station would eliminate streetcars having to cross Commonwealth Avenue to access the platforms, which will reduce moves across Commonwealth by 89%, though streetcars will still need to cross to access the yard.^[5] It will have raised platforms for level, handicapped-accessible boarding on newer low-floor streetcars and a ramp for accessible boarding on older high-floor streetcars. (The current station is only accessible for low-floor streetcars.)

References

External links

• MBTA - Boston College Station
• MBTA project page
• Engineering drawings of new station
• Station from Google Maps Street View