Fields Corner station is a

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 ...

station on the Ashmont branch of the

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) Red Line, located in the

Fields Corner Fields Corner is a historic commercial district in Dorchester, the largest neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ; ...

district of Dorchester,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. It serves as a major transfer point 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. The station opened in 1927 and was completely rebuilt from 2004 to 2008, making it 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 ...

History

Fields Corner and stations opened on November 5, 1927. Fields Corner was the southern terminus of the line for about a year until and opened in 1928. The elevated station was designed for efficient transfer between rapid transit trains and surface streetcars and buses. 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 the rapid transit tracks in the center and the streetcar tracks on the outside (two tracks on the north side). A busway (later closed) was located at ground level on the south side of the station. The pedestrian tunnel from Charles Street was controversially closed in January 1970 due to crime and vandalism. In the mid-1980s, the platforms were extended for six-car trains, which were introduced in 1988. The MBTA issued a $4.3 million design contract for renovations of Ashmont, Shawmut, and Fields Corner stations on May 3, 2001. Shawmut and Fields Corner reached 100% design by January 10, 2003; Ashmont was delayed due to design changes. The MBTA broke ground for the Red Line Rehabilitation Project - a $67 million reconstruction of Shawmut, Fields Corner, and Savin Hill stations - in October 2003. Construction began in March 2004. The renovations changed the layout of the station, with a new fare lobby under the tracks. 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. The new entrance lobby opened on December 22, 2006, making it the final fare-controlled station on the MBTA to be converted to use the

CharlieCard The CharlieCard is a contactless smart card used for fare payment for transportation in the Boston area. It is the primary payment method for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and several regional public transport systems in ...

-based automated fare collection system. The station renovation was completed on September 23, 2008.

Bus connections

Fields Corner is a major

transfer point serviced by seven local routes and limited service route 191: *: Fields Corner station or Kane Square– *: Fields Corner station– *: Ashmont station–Andrew station *: Fields Corner station– or Ruggles station * – *: Fields Corner Loop via Neponset Avenue *: Fields Corner Loop via Adams Street *: –Fields Corner station

References

External links

MBTA - Fields Corner

Charles Street entrance 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 1927 Stations along Old Colony Railroad lines MBTA subway stations located above ground