Ashmont station (signed as Ashmont/Peabody Sq.) is a
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...
(MBTA)
intermodal transit
Intermodal passenger transport, also called mixed-mode commuting, involves using two or more modes of transportation in a journey. Mixed-mode commuting is often used to combine the strengths (and offset the weaknesses) of various transportati ...
station located at Peabody Square in the
Dorchester neighborhood of
Boston, Massachusetts. It is the southern terminus of the Ashmont branch of the
rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
Red Line, the northern terminus of the connecting
light rail Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line
The Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line, commonly referred to as the Mattapan Trolley is a partially grade-separated light rail line which forms part of the MBTA's Red Line rapid transit line. The line, which runs through Boston and Milton, Ma ...
, and a major terminal for
MBTA bus
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates List of MBTA bus routes, 170 bus routes in the Greater Boston area. The MBTA has a policy objective to provide transit service within walking distance (defined as ) for all residents ...
service. Ashmont has two
side platform
A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...
s serving the below-grade Red Line and a single side platform on an elevated
balloon loop
A balloon loop, turning loop, or reversing loop ( North American Terminology) allows a rail vehicle or train to reverse direction without having to shunt or stop. Balloon loops can be useful for passenger trains and unit freight trains.
Bal ...
for the Mattapan Line. The station is fully
accessible
Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...
for all modes.
History
![Ashmont station interior, February 1929](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Ashmont_station_interior%2C_February_1929.jpg)
The first Ashmont station was a simple building along the original
Shawmut Branch of the
Old Colony Railroad
The Old Colony Railroad (OC) was a major railroad system, mainly covering southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island, which operated from 1845 to 1893. Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Plymouth, Fall River, ...
, which opened in 1872. Service on the branch ended in 1926 as the
Boston Elevated Railway
The Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) was a streetcar and rapid transit railroad operated on, above, and below, the streets of Boston, Massachusetts and surrounding communities. Founded in 1894, it eventually acquired the West End Street Railwa ...
constructed its Dorchester Extension. Ashmont and stations opened on September 1, 1928, with Ashmont the terminal station.
Like , Ashmont was designed for convenient transfer between rapid transit trains and surface streetcars. It had two
island platform
An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...
s with rapid transit on the inner tracks and streetcars on the outer tracks, allowing
cross-platform transfer
A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines at a metro (or other railway) station. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named. In the Un ...
s in both directions. Several streetcar lines were
replaced with buses shortly after the station opened, using a surface-level busway on the west side of the station.
[ ]
In 1929, the
Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway
The Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway (Eastern Mass) was a streetcar and later bus company in eastern Massachusetts, serving northern and southern suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. Its precursor company was the Bay State Street Railway, which ...
began operating bus service to Ashmont; unlike Fields Corner and , it was never served by Eastern Mass streetcars. The Eastern Mass eventually operated three bus routes out of Ashmont, all of which became
MBTA bus
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates List of MBTA bus routes, 170 bus routes in the Greater Boston area. The MBTA has a policy objective to provide transit service within walking distance (defined as ) for all residents ...
routes in 1971: to Brockton (now route ), to Quincy via Granite Avenue (), and to Quincy via Adams Street ().
The remaining surface streetcar lines running to Ashmont were gradually replaced by buses, with the final two routes (now routes and ) replaced by trolleybuses in 1949. The grade-separated Mattapan Line continued streetcar operation. From 1948 to 1968, Hudson Bus Lines operated service from Ashmont to several South Shore locations.
The station was modernized in 1976.
The station was made nominally
accessible
Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...
, though the 1990 passage of the
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ...
created stricter standards. In 1981, the platforms were extended for six-car trains, which were introduced in 1988.
Reconstruction
![Ashmont station south end panorama, January 2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Ashmont_station_south_end_panorama%2C_January_2016.jpg)
The MBTA issued a $4.3 million design contract for renovations of Ashmont, Shawmut, and Fields Corner stations on May 3, 2001; the Ashmont portion was $1.3 million.
The agency issued a
request for proposals for
transit-oriented development
In urban planning, transit-oriented development (TOD) is a type of urban development that maximizes the amount of residential, business and leisure space within walking distance of public transport. It promotes a symbiotic relationship between ...
on an adjacent MBTA-owned parcel on January 22, 2002, and began negotiations with a developer that June. The developer signed an 85-year lease and paid $1.4 million up front to the MBTA.
The Ashmont station renovation was originally to be smaller in scope than the major projects planned at the other Ashmont branch stations. The developer and the local community expressed their desires for a larger renovation, but the MBTA proceeded with design work.
On January 10, 2003, with design work at 90% and $2.2 million spent, the MBTA stopped work. A $3.3 million design for a full reconstruction was authorized on February 12, 2004.
The Shawmut and Fields Corner projects were constructed separate from the delayed Ashmont work.
The MBTA removed the membrane canopy from the design in September 2004 due to lack of funds. However, it was necessary to re-add (at a cost of $2.9 million) because many of the interior elements were not weatherproofed.
Original plans to include
public art
Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...
as part of the
Arts on the Line
Arts on the Line was a program devised to bring art into the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) subway stations in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Arts on the Line was the first program of its kind in the United States and became th ...
program were removed in budget cuts; only historical
interpretive panels were installed.
In September 2004, the MBTA began reconstruction of the 75-year-old station, then expected to cost $44 million. The MBTA awarded the $35.2 million main construction contract on June 9 2005.
The reconstruction included demolition of the existing station, the addition of two fare lobbies over the ends of the station, and a new busway at the fare lobby level. Elevators were added to make station fully
accessible
Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...
, and direct access from Peabody Square (removed in the 1970s renovation) was added. The Ashmont–Mattapan line loop was moved to a new viaduct at the south end of the station, with a platform near the south fare lobby; the former cross-platform transfer was eliminated.
Red Line service to Ashmont was maintained through the whole construction process.
However, the Ashmont–Mattapan line was closed from June 24, 2006 to December 22, 2007 for construction of the new viaduct. During that time,
Mattapan station
Mattapan station is an MBTA light rail station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the southern terminus of the Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line, part of the Red Line, and is also an important MBTA bus transfer station, with ten routes termin ...
and the intermediate stations were also renovated for accessibility.
The main reconstruction contract was completed in 2009 at a cost of $53.2 million - an increase of $18 million over the original price due to change orders.
The $10.3 million architectural work lasted until June 14, 2011, at which point the station was declared accessible.
In September 2011, a "HOLD" sign was installed on the trolley platform to allow an easier connection for those transferring from the Red Line.
The total cost of the entire reconstruction was $83 million.
Bus connections
![BAT route 12 bus at Ashmont station, November 2017](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/BAT_route_12_bus_at_Ashmont_station%2C_November_2017.jpg)
Ashmont is a major terminal for the
MBTA bus
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates List of MBTA bus routes, 170 bus routes in the Greater Boston area. The MBTA has a policy objective to provide transit service within walking distance (defined as ) for all residents ...
system, with nine local routes serving the station busway:
*: Ashmont station–
*: Ashmont station–
*: Ashmont station– via Talbot Ave
*: Ashmont station–Ruggles station via Washington Street
*: Ashmont station-Norfolk Street Loop
*: –Ashmont station
*: Mattapan station–
*: –Ashmont station via West Quincy
*: Quincy Center station–Ashmont station via
Wollaston station
Wollaston station is a rapid transit station in Quincy, Massachusetts. Located in the Wollaston neighborhood, it serves the MBTA's Red Line. It was opened in September 1971 as the second of three stations in the original South Shore Extensio ...
*: Avon Square–Ashmont station
The
Brockton Area Transit Authority
Brockton Area Transit Authority, branded as Brockton Area Transit (BAT), is a public, non-profit organization in Massachusetts, charged with providing public transportation to the Brockton area, consisting of the city of Brockton and the adjoini ...
operates its route 12 to Ashmont – one of the only non-MBTA routes running to an MBTA rapid transit station. It was part of route 240 until 1971.
References
External links
MBTA – AshmontStation from Google Maps Street View
{{MBTA Subway Stations
Dorchester, Boston
Red Line (MBTA) stations
Railway stations in Boston
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1928
Stations along Old Colony Railroad lines
MBTA subway stations located above ground