Morton Street (MBTA station)

MORTON STREET

Morton Street station, looking inbound
Location 865 Morton Street
Mattapan, MA 02126
Coordinates 42°16′50″N 71°05′09″W / 42.2806°N 71.0857°WCoordinates: 42°16′50″N 71°05′09″W / 42.2806°N 71.0857°W
Owned by MBTA
Line(s)
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 2
Connections MBTA Bus: 21, 26
Construction
Parking None
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Fare zone 1A
History
Opened 1855; November 3, 1979;[1]
October 5, 1987[1]
Closed 1944, January 30, 1981[1]
Rebuilt 2006
Previous names Forest Avenue
Traffic
Passengers (2009) 203 (weekday inbound average)[2]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station
toward Readville
Fairmount Line
toward Readville
Fairmount Line
2015 (planned)
Franklin Line
(Limited service)

Morton Street is a passenger rail station on MBTA Commuter Rail's Fairmount Line, on the Morton Street parkway. It is officially located at 865 Morton Street (MA 203) in the Mattapan section of Boston, Massachusetts, although access to the parking lot is available only from Morton Village Drive, which leads from the intersection of Morton and Evans Streets. With two full-length high-level platforms and ramps to the street, the station is fully wheelchair accessible. The station was reconstructed in 2006, with the official reopening in 2007.[3]

History

Inbound platform and stairs before 2006 rebuild
Morton Street after 2006 rebuild
Morton Street before and after the 2006 reconstruction

Service on the Fairmount Line (as the Dorchester Branch of the Norfolk County Railroad and later the New York and New England Railroad and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad) began in 1855 and lasted until 1944. The service included a stop at Morton Street, originally known as Forest Avenue.[4]

The Dorchester Branch (also known as the Midland Route) was reopened as a bypass in November 1979 during Southwest Corridor construction, including stops at Uphams Corner, Morton Street, and Fairmount.[1] However, Uphams Corner and Morton Street were dropped in January 1981 as part of systemwide cuts.[1] Morton Street was originally built at minimal cost, with small low-level platforms and staircases to Morton Street. The station was not handicapped accessible, since service over the route was intended to be temporary; however, it was popular with residents of the communities the line passed through. When the Southwest Corridor reopened in October 1987, the Fairmount shuttle service was retained, with Uphams Corner and Morton Street reopened.[1]

Starting in 2006, the station underwent a $6.5 million rebuilding as part of the Fairmount Line Improvements project. The upgrades included two full-length high-level platforms, ramps to Morton Street and Flint Street, canopies, and improved lighting and signage. The station is now fully handicapped accessible.[5] The station officially reopened on July 17, 2007.[3]

Bus connections

The station is served by two MBTA Bus routes:

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Belcher, Jonathan (23 April 2012). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  2. ↑ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "State Implementation Plan – Transit Commitments Monthly Status Report" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  4. ↑ Leo S. (26 December 2009). "Railroad Stations in Dorchester". Dorchester Atheneum. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  5. ↑ "MBTA to rebuild Morton Street station". Progressive Railroading. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 10 May 2012.

External links