West Newton 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.

West Newton
West Newton station in May 2011
General information
Location	1395 Washington Street, Newton, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°20′52″N 71°13′51″W / 42.34780°N 71.23075°W / 42.34780; -71.23075Coordinates: 42°20′52″N 71°13′51″W / 42.34780°N 71.23075°W / 42.34780; -71.23075
Line(s)	Worcester Line
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Connections	MBTA bus: 170, 505, 553, 554
Construction
Parking	45 spaces ($4.00 fee)
Other information
Fare zone	2
History
Opened	1834
Passengers
2018	256 (weekday average boardings)^[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Auburndale toward Worcester Framingham/​Worcester Line Newtonville toward South Station
Former services Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station Auburndale toward Albany Boston and Albany Railroad Main Line Newtonville toward Boston
Location

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.^[2] By the late 1840s, a dedicated station building was located on the north side of the tracks just west of Chestnut Street.^[3] By the 1870s, West Newton was a flag stop, with a larger station building on the south side of the tracks.^[4]

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.^[5][6] Normal service resumed to the two stations on March 16, 1981.^[5]

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.^[7]

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.^[8] 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.^[9] Drilling for geotechnical surveying took place in October–November 2022.^[10][11]

Bus connections

West Newton is served by one local MBTA bus route and two express routes with a stop on Washington Street at Elm Street:

• 170: Waltham Center–Nubian station
• 553: Roberts–Federal Street & Franklin Street
• 554: Waverly Square–Federal Street & Franklin Street

An additional express bus route stops on Washington Street at Prospect Street:

• 505: Waltham Center–Federal Street & Franklin Street

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".
4. "South East Part of West Newton". Atlas of Newton. J.B. Beers & Co. 1874 – via Ward Maps.
5. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
6. "T changes start today". Boston Globe. February 1, 1981. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com. 
7. 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.
8. Brelsford, Laura (May 24, 2021). "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—May 2021" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. p. 6.
9. "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—December 2022" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. December 6, 2022. p. 6.
10. . Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. September 26, 2022. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022.
11. "Drilling Activities Continue at Newton Commuter Rail Stations". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 7, 2022.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to West Newton station.

• MBTA – West Newton
• Washington Street (east) entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Washington Street (west) entrance from Google Maps Street View