Newton Highlands Station on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Newton Highlands station is a surface-level light rail station located in
The Brookline Branch of the
Newton Highlands station has three entrances – ramps from Walnut Street and Station Avenue, and stairs from Hyde Street – all to the outbound platform. Passengers must cross the tracks to reach the inbound platform. The station had low platforms and the ramps were too steep, making the station not fully
MBTA – Newton HighlandsMBTA – Newton Highlands Station Accessibility ImprovementsStation Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
Green Line (MBTA) stations Railway stations in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Former Boston and Albany Railroad stations Railway stations in the United States opened in 1959 Railway stations in the United States opened in 1852 {{Massachusetts-railstation-stub
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...
on the Green Line D branch
The Green Line D branch (also referred to as the Highland branch or Riverside Line) is a light rail line in Newton, Brookline, and Boston, Massachusetts, operating as part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line. ...
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 ...
.
History
The Brookline Branch of the Boston and Worcester Railroad
The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail, and CSX Transportation. The line is currently used by CSX for freight. P ...
was extended west to Newton Upper Falls by the Charles River Branch Railroad
The Charles River Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts. It ran from a connection with the end of the Charles River Branch Railroad in Dover to Bellingham through the current-day towns of Medfield, Millis, and Medway.
Charles River Branch ...
in November 1852. A flag stop
In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a stop or station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, s ...
was located at Oak Hill (later Newton Highlands). The 1880s Boston and Albany Railroad
The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail, and CSX Transportation. The line is currently used by CSX for freight. Pa ...
depot building, designed by H. H. Richardson in collaboration with landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co ...
, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
on June 3, 1976, and is part of the Newton Railroad Stations Historic District
The Newton Railroad Stations Historic District in Newton, Massachusetts is composed of three geographically separate historic railroad stations and one baggage/express building on the former Boston and Albany Railroad Highland branch, which was ...
. Commuter rail service on the line ended in 1958; it reopened as a light rail station on July 4, 1959.
The station's interior, occupied by an auto parts store for years, is being renovated and is partially occupied by a periodontist's office. It is not used as a passenger waiting area, although the building's eaves provide some shelter for outbound passengers.
Renovations
Newton Highlands station has three entrances – ramps from Walnut Street and Station Avenue, and stairs from Hyde Street – all to the outbound platform. Passengers must cross the tracks to reach the inbound platform. The station had low platforms and the ramps were too steep, making the station not 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. ...
; however, portable lifts were present to provide partial accessibility.
Design for a fully accessible renovation reached 30% in October 2015. The project will make the two existing ramps accessible, add an accessible ramp from Hyde Street to the inbound platform, and raise the platforms. In 2019–20, a temporary accessible ramp and platform sections were built to make the station accessible while it was used as a terminal during track work on the line. Design was completed in late 2022; the project was expected to be advertised for bidding in early 2023, with construction beginning after midyear.
References
External links
MBTA – Newton Highlands
Green Line (MBTA) stations Railway stations in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Former Boston and Albany Railroad stations Railway stations in the United States opened in 1959 Railway stations in the United States opened in 1852 {{Massachusetts-railstation-stub