Boston University East station

BOSTON UNIV. EAST
Boston University East station facing outbound with BU's College of Arts and Sciences in the right background
Location Commonwealth Avenue at Granby Street
Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°20′58″N 71°06′14″W / 42.349569°N 71.103866°W / 42.349569; -71.103866Coordinates: 42°20′58″N 71°06′14″W / 42.349569°N 71.103866°W / 42.349569; -71.103866
Owned by MBTA
Line(s)
  Green Line – "B" Branch
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 2
Connections MBTA Bus:
Construction
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened 1894[1]
Rebuilt March 18, 2002 - November 18, 2003[2]
Traffic
Passengers (2011) 1,747 (weekday average boardings)[3]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station
Green Line
toward Park Street
  Former services  
toward Watertown
Green Line
toward Park Street

Boston University East is a surface-level light rail station on the MBTA Green Line "B" Branch located in Boston, Massachusetts. The station is located in the center median of Commonwealth Avenue, between Granby Street and the east end of Cummington Street, surrounded by the Boston University campus. It consists of two side platforms, which serve the "B" Branch's two tracks.

Boston University East is one of only five surface stations on the branch that is handicapped-accessible (the others being BU Central, Harvard Avenue, Washington Street, and the "B" Branch's terminus at Boston College).[3]

History

An inbound tram at the station in the 1940s

Owing to its location in front of Warren Towers dormitory and Boston University's College of Arts and Sciences, Boston University East has the sixth-highest ridership of any station on the "B" Branch.[3] 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.[4] 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.[4]

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.[2]

Station layout

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

Bus connections

Two MBTA Bus routes run on Commonwealth Avenue parallel to the "B" Branch, with stops adjacent to the station:[7]

References

  1. ↑ Engineering and Maintenance Department (1981). "History of subways, tunnels and elevated lines". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  2. 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.
  3. 1 2 3 "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  4. 1 2 "BU East, Central T Stop Construction Begins Monday". Daily Free Press. March 15, 2002. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  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 East Neighborhood Map" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. October 2012.
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