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Amory Street station

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Coordinates: 42°21′04″N 71°06′53″W / 42.3509886735°N 71.1147251215°W / 42.3509886735; -71.1147251215
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Amory Street
Amory Street station in November 2021
General information
LocationCommonwealth Avenue at Amory Street
Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°21′04″N 71°06′53″W / 42.3509886735°N 71.1147251215°W / 42.3509886735; -71.1147251215
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport MBTA bus: 57, 57A, 193
Construction
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedMay 18, 1896
RebuiltNovember 15th, 2021
Previous namesSt. Paul Street, Boston University West
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Babcock Street
toward Boston College
 Green Line Boston University Central
toward Government Center
Former services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
St. Paul Street
toward Watertown
 Green Line University Road
toward Park Street

Amory Street station is a light rail stop on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line B branch, located in the median of Commonwealth Avenue in the west part of the Boston University campus. The accessible station has two side platforms serving the line's two tracks, with access at Amory Street and St. Paul Street. It opened on November 15, 2021, replacing the former Boston University West and St. Paul Street stations as part of a station consolidation project.

History

Streetcars at St. Paul Street in 1965

The West End Street Railway built a new streetcar line in the median of Commonwealth Avenue in the mid-1890s. Service began between on the new tracks Governors Square to Union Square on May 18, 1896.[1][2][3]: 48  The route was extended to Nonantum Square on existing tracks later that year; it began using the Tremont Street subway on November 8, 1897.[3]: 48 [4] The Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) leased the West End Street Railway on October 1, 1897, and continued its system expansion.[3]: 35  The BERy opened new tracks on Commonwealth Avenue from Chestnut Hill Avenue to Brighton Avenue on May 26, 1900, allowing direct service from Lake Street to downtown via Commonwealth Avenue.[3]: 58  The Nonantum Square line was extended to Watertown Yard in 1912, forming the service pattern for the next half-century.[5]

The BERy was succeeded by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) in 1947; the MTA in turn was succeeded by the MBTA in 1964. The MBTA designed the remaining streetcar lines as the Green Line in 1965; in 1967, the Watertown line became the Green Line A branch, with the Lake Street (Boston College) line becoming the B branch. A branch service ended on June 21, 1969, leaving only the B branch on Commonwealth Avenue.[6] By 1972, stops with small platforms were located at Amory Street (later called Boston University West) and St. Paul Street, about 550 feet (170 m) apart.[7]

As part of the MBTA's Arts on the Line program, six new station signs at Boston University West were installed in 2010 featuring illustrations by BU College of Fine Arts graduate Andy Bell.[8] Previously, in 2006, the signs had featured "Open Space", an exhibition of cloudscapes by undergraduate Seth Gadsden.[9] Both installations were collaborations between the MBTA and the College of Fine Arts, which was located adjacent to the station.

Stop consolidation

Boston University West station in 2018

In 2014, the MBTA began planning to consolidate four stops - Boston University West, St. Paul Street, Pleasant Street, and Babcock Street - located near Boston University's West Campus. The four stops, which were not accessible, were to be turned into two fully accessible stops as part of a reconfiguration of Commonwealth Avenue between the Boston University Bridge and Packard's Corner.[10] Boston University West and St. Paul Street were to be consolidated into one station in the block between Amory Street and St. Paul Street.[11]

Work was delayed by the need to complete other roadwork on Commonwealth Avenue.[12] The MBTA awarded a $17.8 million construction contract on March 23, 2020.[13] Construction was to last from February 2021 to early 2022, with night and weekend bustitution for much of 2021.[14] In February 2021, the MBTA announced that the new stop replacing Boston University West and St. Paul Street would be named Amory Street.[15] Buses replaced rail service between Washington Street and Kenmore from April 17–May 9 and May 17–June 13, 2021, allowing for construction of the new platforms and canopy steelwork.[16][17]

Boston University West and St. Paul Street stations were closed at the end of service on Friday, November 12, 2021. After a weekend closure, Amory Street station opened on November 15.[18]

References

  1. ^ Ninth Annual Report of the West End Street Railway Company for the Year Ending September 30, 1896. Walker, Young & Co. 1896. p. 5 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ "New Electric Line". Boston Globe. April 9, 1895. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ a b c d Clarke, Bradley H.; Cummings, O.R. (1997). Tremont Street Subway: A Century of Public Service. Boston Street Railway Association. ISBN 0938315048.
  4. ^ "Subway Notice". Boston Globe. November 6, 1897. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ "To Watertown Car Barn". Boston Globe. December 7, 1912. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ^ Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  7. ^ Thomas K. Dyer Inc. (1972). "Green Line Station Mileage from Lechmere". Plan for Acquisition and Use of Railroad Rights-of-Way. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  8. ^ Vernon Doucette (February 1, 2010). "Closeup: Rhett Check". BU Today. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019.
  9. ^ "Designed to a "T"": Art installation comes to BU West". BU Today. 24 April 2006. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  10. ^ "Comm. Ave. Green Line Improvements Public Meeting" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. October 16, 2014.
  11. ^ O'Rourke, John (October 23, 2014). "T May Eliminate Two Green Line B Stops". BU Today. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  12. ^ Brelsford, Laura (December 5, 2016). "MBTA System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives: December 2016 Update" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. p. 22.
  13. ^ "FMCB Awards $17.8 Million for B Branch Station Consolidation Work" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. March 23, 2020.
  14. ^ "B Branch Station Consolidation Project: Virtual Public Meeting" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. January 28, 2021.
  15. ^ "MBTA Announces Names of New Stations as Part of Green Line B Branch Station Consolidation Project" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. February 11, 2021.
  16. ^ "Building a Better T: Green Line B Branch Station Consolidation Project Work Taking Place for Seven Weeks, Washington Street – Kenmore Work Begins April 17" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. March 31, 2021.
  17. ^ "B Branch Accelerated Work 100% Complete" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 14, 2021.
  18. ^ "New Babcock Street and Amory Street Stations Open November 15" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 12, 2021.
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