Morton Street station explained

Style:MBTA
Morton Street
Coordinates:42.2806°N -71.0857°W
Other: MBTA bus:
Platform:2 side platforms
Tracks:2
Passengers:264 (weekday average boardings)
Pass Year:2018
Opened:1855; November 3, 1979;
October 5, 1987
Closed:1944, January 30, 1981
Rebuilt:2006
Accessible:Yes
Zone:1A
Former:Forest Avenue (previous station)
Other Services Header:Former services
Other Services Collapsible:yes
Mapframe:yes

Morton Street station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station on Fairmount Line located on Morton Street (MA 203) in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston. With two full-length high-level platforms and ramps to the street, the station is accessible. The station was reconstructed in 2006, with the official reopening in 2007.[1]

History

Service on the Fairmount Line (as the Dorchester Branch of the Norfolk County Railroad and later the New York and New England Railroad and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad) began in 1855 and lasted until 1944. The service included a stop at Morton Street, originally known as Forest Avenue.[2]

The Dorchester Branch (Midland Route) was reopened as a bypass in November 1979 during Southwest Corridor construction, including stops at Uphams Corner, Morton Street, and Fairmount. Uphams Corner and Morton Street were dropped effective January 30, 1981 as part of systemwide cuts.[3] Morton Street was originally built at minimal cost, with small low-level platforms and staircases to Morton Street. The station was not accessible, since service over the route was intended to be temporary; however, it was popular with residents of the communities the line passed through. When the Southwest Corridor reopened on October 5, 1987, the Fairmount Line shuttle service was retained, with Uphams Corner and Morton Street renovated and reopened.[4]

In September 2005, the MBTA awarded a $6.5 million contract to rebuild the station as part of the Fairmount Line Improvements project. The upgrades included two full-length high-level platforms to make the station accessible, ramps to Morton Street and Flint Street, canopies, and improved lighting and signage.[5] The work was completed on July 17, 2007. In 2014, MassDOT replaced the structurally deficient bridge carrying Morton Street over the Fairmount Line tracks. Alternate accessible entrances to the station from the street were used during the replacement.[6]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20170801021623/http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Portals/17/docs/sip/April2012SIPStatusUpdate.pdf . August 1, 2017 . State Implementation Plan – Transit Commitments Monthly Status Report . April 19, 2012 . Massachusetts Department of Transportation . live.
  2. Web site: Railroad Stations in Dorchester . Dorchester Atheneum . December 26, 2009 . Leo S. . May 10, 2012 . January 8, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140108203459/http://www.dorchesteratheneum.org/page.php?id=1905 . dead .
  3. News: T changes start today . Boston Globe . February 1, 1981 . 24 . Newspapers.com.
  4. News: Midlands Branch commuter rail service scheduled to resume in fall . Alex . Rothenberg . Boston Globe . July 14, 1987 . 22 . Newspapers.com.
  5. Morton Street Station To Be Rebuilt/Modernized . Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority . September 8, 2005.
  6. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20150708234247/http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/highway/HighlightedProjects/MortonStreetBridge.aspx . July 8, 2015 . Morton Street Bridge Replacement Project . Massachusetts Department of Transportation - Highway Division.