Boston University Central station

BOSTON UNIV. CENTRAL
An inbound train and route 57 bus at BU Central in April 2013
Location Commonwealth Avenue at St. Marys Street
Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°21′00″N 71°06′24″W / 42.34989°N 71.106804°W / 42.34989; -71.106804Coordinates: 42°21′00″N 71°06′24″W / 42.34989°N 71.106804°W / 42.34989; -71.106804
Owned by MBTA
Line(s)
  Green Line – "B" Branch
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 2
Connections MBTA Bus: CT2, 47, 57, 57A
Construction
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened 1894[1]
Rebuilt March 18, 2002 - November 18, 2003[2][3]
Traffic
Passengers (2011) 2,194 (weekday average boardings)[4]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station
Green Line
toward Park Street
  Former services  
toward Watertown
Green Line
toward Park Street

Boston University Central is a surface-level light rail station on the MBTA Green Line "B" Branch, located the center median of Commonwealth Avenue west of St. Marys Street in Boston, Massachusetts, surrounded by the Boston University campus. It consists of two side platforms, which serve the "B" Branch's two tracks.

The station is fully handicapped-accessible, with raised platforms to allow level boarding onto low-floor trams and a high platform on the inbound side to serve high-floor trams. Boston University Central is one of only five surface stations on the "B" branch that is handicapped-accessible (the others are Boston University East, Harvard Avenue, Washington Street, and the branch's terminus at Boston College).[4]

History

A streetcar at the station in 1977

The station has the third-highest ridership on the "B" Branch (after only Harvard Avenue and Packards Corner).[4] Because of their high ridership, Boston University East and Boston University Central were rebuilt with slightly raised platforms in 2002-03 to allow level boarding onto the new Type 8 trams. Service was provided to an interim station with temporary platforms between the two stops during construction.[2] Construction began on March 18, 2002, a week behind schedule due to delays in finishing up similar work at Harvard Avenue and Washington Street. The project was then expected to be completed within six months.[2]

However, poor weather and limited work periods (as most work could only be done during the four hours at night that no trains used the line) delayed the completion date first to December 2002, then March 2003.[5] The contractor informed the MBTA in early 2003 that they would be unable to complete the work; a new contractor was chosen in mid-2003, but work did not resume until September.[6] The stations were completed and reopened on November 18, 2003.[3]

Station layout

G
Street/Platform level		 Side platform, doors will open on the right
Outbound ← "B" Branch toward Boston College (Boston University West)
Inbound → "B" Branch toward Park Street (Boston University East) →
Side platform, doors will open on the right

Bus connections

Four MBTA Bus routes have connections near the station:

The CT2 and 47 stop at Commonwealth Avenue at University Road (northbound) and Mountfort Street at Lenox Street (southbound) to the west of the station, and Park Drive at Beacon Street to the south. The 57 and 57A stop on Commonwealth Avenue at Saint Mary's Street directly across from the station.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Engineering and Maintenance Department (1981). "History of subways, tunnels and elevated lines". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "BU East, Central T Stop Construction Begins Monday". Daily Free Press. March 15, 2002. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "MBTA Accessibility Program Update On Green Line" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 7, 2003. Archived from the original on December 5, 2003.
  4. 1 2 3 "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  5. ↑ "T construction continues". Daily Free Press. February 7, 2003. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  6. ↑ "T stops set for Nov. finish". Daily Free Press. September 22, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Boston University Central Station Neighborhood Map" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. October 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
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