Mattapan station is an MBTA light rail station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the southern terminus of the

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 ...

, part of the Red Line, and is also an important MBTA bus transfer station, with ten routes terminating there. It is located at Mattapan Square in the

Mattapan Mattapan () is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. Historically a section of neighboring Dorchester, Mattapan became a part of Boston when Dorchester was annexed in 1870. Mattapan is the original Native American name for the Dorchester ar ...

neighborhood. At the station, streetcars use a

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 ...

to reverse direction back to Ashmont station. Mattapan station is fully accessible, with mini-high platforms.

History

The Ashmont–Mattapan Line follows the right-of-way of the Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad, which opened to Mattapan in December 1847. The line was converted to an

interurban The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 ...

-style trolley line in the 1920s, with the final section to Mattapan opening on December 21, 1929. The stone depot building, now a restaurant, stands adjacent in Mattapan Square. On May 5, 2006, the MBTA awarded a $6.2 million contract to replace the 1929-built station. The MBTA closed the line on June 24 to allow a new viaduct to be constructed at Ashmont station. During the closure, all stations on the line were modernized and (except for Valley Road) made handicapped accessible. The decrepit 1929-built shelter and old platforms were replaced by modern platforms with canopies; a new building for MBTA police and bus operations with a community room was built. Trolley service resumed on December 22, 2007. In 2014, the MBTA proposed to make $500,000 in additional renovations to the station. These included upgraded shelters and heating in passenger waiting areas, pedestrian improvements, improved signage, and bicycle storage.

Transit-oriented development

As part of the first round of modernization, the MBTA began planning for mixed-use

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 ...

(TOD) to be built on the underused station parking lot. The planned development was not built, even after a second request for proposals was issued in 2012. In July 2014, a local charter school announced plans to build a new building on the site, despite calls for a third RFP to be issued to attract TOD instead. In January 2015, after opposition from local officials about the school's $1.5 million offer, the MBTA announced it would instead issue a third RFP that March. The third RFP was issued in November 2015. In July 2016, the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board selected the winner from two proposals for the property. The winning bidder, POAH/Nuestra, will pay the MBTA $4.89 million over the first 20 years of a 99-year lease of the site, upon which they will build 135 rental units and of ground-floor retail. 50 parking spaces will be reserved for MBTA riders. The project was approved by the city in 2018. Financing was secured in November 2020, with construction starting shortly after for a planned 2022 completion.

Bus connections

Mattapan serves as a major transfer station for MBTA bus operations, with nine routes converging on Mattapan Square from six directions. Six routes use the busway located on the north side of the station, while routes 28, 29, and 31 use a bus loop on the south side. *: Wakefield Avenue & Truman Parkway–Mattapan station *: Mattapan station– *: Mattapan station– *: Mattapan station– *: Mattapan station– via Cummins Highway and

Roslindale Square Roslindale Village station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station on the Needham Line, located in the Roslindale Square business district of the Roslindale neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. The station has a single side platform serving the lin ...

*: Mattapan station–Forest Hills station via

Morton Street Morton Street is a street in southern Boston, Massachusetts. It extends from the southeastern end of the Arborway in Jamaica Plain to Washington Street in the Lower Mills Village of Dorchester. Most of the road is a connecting parkway, signed ...

*: River Street & Milton Street–Mattapan station *: –Mattapan station *: Cobbs Corner–Mattapan station Mattapan is also the origin point for the Mattapan– route. The 191 is a single daily early-morning round trip, intended for use by MBTA employees but open to the general public.

References

External links

MBTA - Mattapan
*Google Maps Street View
north buswayMattapan Square
{{MBTA Subway Stations Red Line (MBTA) stations Railway stations in Boston Railway stations in the United States opened in 1929 Stations along Old Colony Railroad lines Mattapan, Boston 1929 establishments in Massachusetts MBTA subway stations located above ground