The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Newtonville Commuter Rail Station is closed at least through Wednesday, Oct. 23. The closure is a safety precaution while repairs are being made to the stairs.
“An engineering team evaluated today the condition of its stairs and determined additional preventive measures are necessary to ensure passenger safety,” the MBTA said in a press release.
The Newtonville Station only has one active platform, which is low-level and accessed by lengthy stairs. Repairs to these stairs make it so that the entire station is unavailable. Trains will not stop in Newtonville. All passengers going to Newtonville must “detrain and board at West Newton for a shuttle bus connection to Newtonville.” The MBTA advises that passengers use the West Newton station for commercial rail service.
“We have personnel at Newtonville who will be directing passengers toward the boarding locations for the shuttle bus,” the MBTA said in a tweet. The MBTA will provide an update as soon as the “project timeline is established.” It hasn’t said when the station will reopen.
Newtonville Commuter Rail Station is located between the Massachusetts Turnpike and Washington Street at Newtonville Square in Newton, Mass. It is part of the Framingham/Worcester line, which runs west from Boston to Worcester.
The latest update was released on Oct. 22 at 7:05 p.m. Updates will be posted on the MBTA Commuter Rail Alerts page and the official city website of Newton, Mass.
The Newtonville Station closure may cause transit delays. A delay was reported on Oct. 22 at 7:57 p.m. on the Worcester train departing from South Station.
Funds were approved for accessibility upgrades for the Newtonville Commuter Rail Station at the Fiscal and Management Control Board meeting on Aug. 12. The Auburndale and West Newton stations are also included in this project.
These stations currently aren’t accessible to people with disabilities.
“The plan includes constructing fully accessible, high-level platforms on Track 1 at each station and accessible pathways to each platform,” according to the MBTA.
“We’ll also address the MBTA’s reliability and modernization needs at each station, including track and signal upgrades.”
The accessibility upgrades are expected to be completed in 2024.
Featured Image by Maggie DiPatri / Heights Editor
