Newton Centre (MBTA station)

NEWTON CENTRE

Newton Centre station in March 2016
Location 70 Union Street
Newton Centre, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°19′46″N 71°11′33″W / 42.32944°N 71.19250°W / 42.32944; -71.19250Coordinates: 42°19′46″N 71°11′33″W / 42.32944°N 71.19250°W / 42.32944; -71.19250
Owned by Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Line(s)
  Green Line "D" branch
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 2
Construction
Bicycle facilities 15 spaces
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened 1852; July 4, 1959[1]
Traffic
Passengers (2013) 1,891 (weekday average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station
toward Riverside
Green Line

Newton Centre is a light rail station on the MBTA Green Line "D" Branch, located in the Newton Centre village of Newton, Massachusetts. A former regional rail station, it was converted for light rail use and reopened on July 4, 1959, along with the rest of the line. The 1891-built station and express office are part of the Newton Railroad Stations Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

History

Newton Centre station shortly after the 1907 track lowering

The first station at this site opened in 1852 on Langley Road as a part of the Charles River Railroad.[3] The Boston and Albany Railroad commissioned Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge to design a new station in 1890. The new station, built by the Norcross Brothers firm of Worcester, opened in 1891.[4] The station was heavily modified in 1907 when the line was sunk below grade to eliminate street crossings.[4]

The Highland Branch was closed in 1958 and quickly converted for light rail use. The station building was rented out as commercial space. Until 2008, it housed a Starbucks coffee shop containing a sign that indicated when a Boston-bound train arrived. However, the shop was closed in October 2008 as part of Starbucks' restructuring campaign due to the Great Recession.[5] The Deluxe Station Diner, a satellite restaurant of the Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown, opened in the newly renovated building in December 2010.[6][7]

The City of Newton spells the name of the village as "Newton Centre", with English spelling, while the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority spelled its station "Newton Center", with American spelling. In 2012, the station's signs were covered with new labels reading "Newton Centre".

Station layout

G
Street/
Platform level		 Side platform, doors will open on the right
Outbound ← "D" Branch toward Riverside (Newton Highlands)
Inbound → "D" Branch toward Government Center (Chestnut Hill) →
Side platform, doors will open on the right

Bus connections

Newton Centre is served by one MBTA Bus route, the 52 Dedham Mall or Charles River Loop - Watertown Yard via Oak Hill & Newton Center. It runs on Parker Street, one block to the west of the station.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Belcher, Jonathan (26 December 2015). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district 1964-2015" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14 ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  3. ↑ Discover Historic Newton Centre
  4. 1 2 Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 198. ISBN 9780942147087.
  5. ↑ "Newton Centre Starbucks is shuttered". Boston Globe. 26 October 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Thomas, Sarah (25 May 2010). "Deluxe Town Diner takes another step toward opening in Newton". Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  7. ↑ Reibman, Greg (8 December 2010). "Deluxe Station Diner set to open in Newton Centre". Wicked Local Newton. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "Newton Center Station Neighborhood Map" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
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