Wood Island station
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Wood Island 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 ...
and bus station on in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves the
MBTA 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 ...
Blue Line and 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. It is located off
Bennington Street Bennington Street is one of the main thoroughfares in the neighborhood of East Boston in Boston, Massachusetts. The street runs almost the length of the residential section of the community, as distinguished from Logan International Airport, whic ...
( Route 145) in the
Day Square Day Square is a section of the neighborhood of East Boston in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The square consists of the area surrounding the intersection of Bennington Street and Chelsea Street. It is one of the neighborhood's larger and m ...
section of
East Boston East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts annexed by the city of Boston in 1637. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Revere, and Chelsea. It is separated from the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown and do ...
. The station also serves as a bus transfer point for several local routes. The station is adjacent to the former Wood Island Park, a once heavily used recreational area for East Boston residents. Most of the park was destroyed in the mid 1960s to expand
Logan International Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partially ...
.


History


Predecessor stations

The
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad The Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad was a narrow-gauge passenger-carrying shortline railroad between East Boston and Lynn, Massachusetts, from 1875 to 1940. Part of the railroad's right of way now forms the outer section of the Massachus ...
(BRB&L) opened from
East Boston East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts annexed by the city of Boston in 1637. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Revere, and Chelsea. It is separated from the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown and do ...
to Lynn on July 29, 1875. Wood Island station was located at Prescott Street in what was then the Wood Island neighborhood, approximately at . It opened along with the rest of the line on July 29, 1875. The station was abandoned when the BRB&L ceased operations in 1940, and demolished several years later during expansion of
Logan Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partiall ...
. The station site is now occupied by aviation support businesses. Harbor View, the next station to the northeast, was located at Short Street at . Harbor View was a boxy station of identical design to Wood Island, though it was not an original station on the line and opened later than its twin. Located a short walk from Bennington Street, it lost much of its ridership to East Boston Tunnel trolleys, and was closed significantly sooner than the rest of the BRB&L. The building was sold, moved closer to Cowper Street, and converted to a private residence. By 1928 the line was electrified, with pre-pay stations - more a rapid transit line than a conventional railroad. However, due to the Great Depression, the BRB&L shut down on January 27, 1940.


Rapid transit

In 1941, 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 ...
bought the BRB&L
right of way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...
from Day Square to Revere Beach for use as a high-speed trolley line similar to the Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line; these plans were delayed by the onset of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. However, the 1926 ''Report on Improved Transportation Facilities'' and 1945–47 ''Coolidge Commission Report'' recommended that the
East Boston Tunnel The Blue Line is a rapid transit line in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, one of four rapid transit lines operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). It runs from Bowdoin station in downtown Boston under Boston Harbo ...
line, which had been converted to rapid transit from streetcars in 1924, be extended to Lynn via the BBRB&L route rather than using it for a trolley line. In 1947, the newly formed Metropolitan Transit Authority (M.T.A.) decided to build to Lynn as a rapid transit line, and construction began in October 1948. The first part of the Revere Extension opened to Orient Heights on January 5, 1952, with intermediate stations at
Airport Station An Airport station or Airport Station may refer to a train station named as such or similarly. For other train stations located at an airport and named otherwise, see list of airport stations. Airport station may refer to: * Aeroport (Moscow Metr ...
and Day Square. M.T.A. built Day Square station on a new section of right-of-way, which connected the former
Eastern Railroad The Eastern Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Portland, Maine. Throughout its history, it competed with the Boston and Maine Railroad for service between the two cities, until the Boston & Maine put an end to the compe ...
's East Boston Branch (used by the extension as far as
Airport Station An Airport station or Airport Station may refer to a train station named as such or similarly. For other train stations located at an airport and named otherwise, see list of airport stations. Airport station may refer to: * Aeroport (Moscow Metr ...
) with the BRB&L at Harbor View. The station was located between the former Wood Island and Harbor View stations, serving
Day Square Day Square is a section of the neighborhood of East Boston in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The square consists of the area surrounding the intersection of Bennington Street and Chelsea Street. It is one of the neighborhood's larger and m ...
and the
Neptune Road Neptune Road is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The road is fragmented, bisected by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Blue Line which surfaces from the subway southwest of the road. Much of the po ...
/ Wood Island Park development designed by
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- ...
. Day Square station had its platforms at ground level, with an elevated busway for buses and trackless trolleys located above the platforms. A loop for these vehicles extended over a parking lot south of the station. The extension to Airport, Day Square, and
Orient Heights Orient Heights is a historic section of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is commonly considered part of East Boston; it is Boston's northernmost and northeasternmost neighborhood. The neighborhood sits on a hill, which measures 152 fee ...
opened on January 5, 1952, with further completion to Wonderland in 1954. Day Square station was renamed Wood Island Park on October 21, 1954. In early 1967, as part of a series of station name changes, Wood Island Park was changed again to Wood Island, as Wood Island Park had been destroyed during the expansion of
Logan Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partiall ...
. The loop of the elevated busway was removed in the 1970s.


Modernization

In 1988, the MBTA began planning the Blue Line Modernization Project, which included
accessibility 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. ...
modifications as well as platform extensions to accommodate 6-car trains. The project was then expected to be complete in 1994. In 1989, the MBTA awarded design contracts for modernization and platform lengthening (to allow six-car trains) at nine Blue Line stations, including Wood Island. Wood Island entered the final design stage on January 3, 1991. The MBTA received federal funding in 1992 for the project, which was seen as the most critical of the first phase of station reconstructions. The rebuilt Wood Island would be needed as a bus terminal during the relocation of Airport station, which in turn was needed to accommodate construction of the Third Harbor Tunnel. Demolition of the elevated structure at Wood Island begin in November 1993 under a $10.4 million contract.
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On June 25, 1994, the line was cut back to Orient Heights at all times to permit reconstruction of the outer stations; Wood Island remained open during construction. and Wood Island were completely rebuilt, while , , and Wonderland were renovated. The outer stations reopened on June 26, 1995, with Wood Island completed several months later. Unlike the other stations, Wood Island was not fully accessible after the 1994-95 renovation; the elevators were not usable until 2000. The platforms installed during the 1994-95 construction did not age well, and were replaced during a series of short-term station closures in 2008. Wood Island was closed from July 7 to September 5, 2008, for a renovation of both platforms.


Bus connections

Three
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 stop at the Wood Island busway; routes 112 and 121 terminate there. *: –Wood Island station *: –Jeffries Point *: Wood Island station–


References


External links


MBTA - Wood Island
{{MBTA Subway Stations Blue Line (MBTA) stations Railway stations in Boston Railway stations in the United States opened in 1952 East Boston