Ashmont station

Ashmont (signed as Ashmont/Peabody Sq.) is an intermodal transit station in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at Peabody Square in the Dorchester neighborhood, serves the MBTA's Red Line rapid transit line, the Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line, and the MBTA Bus system. It is the southern terminus of the Red Line's Dorchester Branch (Ashmont Branch), and the northern terminus of the Ashmont–Mattapan Line. Ashmont station is fully accessible for all modes.

Ashmont
Ashmont in September 2012 after the completion of renovations
LocationDorchester Avenue at Ashmont Street
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°17′03″N 71°03′50″W
Owned byMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Line(s)Ashmont Branch (Shawmut Branch)
Platforms2 side platforms (Red Line)
1 side platform (Ashmont-Mattapan Line)
Tracks2 (Red Line)
1 (Ashmont-Mattapan Line)
Connections MBTA Bus: 18, 21, 22, 23, 27, 191, 215, 217, 240
BAT: 12
Construction
Bicycle facilities"Pedal and Park" bicycle cage
Disabled accessYes
History
OpenedSeptember 1, 1928 (Red Line)[1]
August 26, 1929 (Ashmont-Mattapan High-Speed Line)[1]
RebuiltOctober 21, 2011[2]
Traffic
Passengers (2013)Weekday average boardings:
2,036 (Ashmont-Mattapan Line)[3]
9,293 (Red Line)[3]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Shawmut
toward Alewife
 Red Line Terminus
Terminus Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line Cedar Grove
toward Mattapan

History
The New Haven Railroad's Ashmont station in 1923
Trolley loading platforms at the BERy's Ashmont station in 1929

The first Ashmont station was a simple building along the original Shawmut Branch of the Old Colony Railroad, which opened in 1872. That was when steam locomotives powered the passenger trains that continued into Boston with a stop at Fields Corner. The current intermediate Shawmut station was not created as a train stop until the Shawmut Branch of the steam railroad (by then under the New Haven Railroad) was adapted to electrified subway service in the late 1920s and placed underground as it approached Ashmont.

When first built in 1928, no buses served the station; all lines ran streetcars. Specifically, the following Boston Elevated Railway streetcar lines operated to Ashmont (using post-1942 numbers), unloading on the east side and loading on the two west tracks on the west side:

  • 22 Ruggles via Talbot Avenue
  • 23 Ruggles via Washington Street, Dorchester
  • 27 Mattapan Station via River St.

Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway cars to Brockton also used the station.

Two streetcar lines serving the area west of Ashmont were bustituted soon after opening, later becoming the 25 and 26 buses. They were rerouted to Ashmont for faster access to downtown. A new busway was built on the west side of the station in 1929; this has since been connected to the old streetcar ramps. The first section of the Mattapan High Speed Line (originally 28) also opened in 1929, serving the easternmost track on the west side.

The Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway line converted to bus in 1932, using the busway. The 27 was bustituted in 1933, and a new route (24, renumbered 12 ca. 1967) serving the area east of the station was also added. Additionally the Eastern Mass started running buses over what are now the 215 and 217 routes.

The ramps were paved, and in 1949 the trolleybus replaced the 22 and 23 lines.

The station was modernized in 1976.[4][5] The station was made nominally accessible, though the 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act created stricter standards.[6] In 1981, the platforms were extended for six-car trains, which were introduced in 1988.[1]

Reconstruction
An Ashmont-Mattapan Line streetcar on the new loop at Ashmont in 2016

The MBTA issued a $4.3 million design contract for renovations of Ashmont, Shawmut, and Fields Corner stations on May 3, 2001; the Ashmont portion was $1.3 million.[7]:33 The agency issued a request for proposals for transit-oriented development on an adjacent MBTA-owned 0.69-acre (2,800 m2) parcel on January 22, 2002, and began negotiations with a developer that June. The developer signed an 85-year lease and paid $1.4 million up front to the MBTA.[7]:25 The Ashmont station renovation was originally to be smaller in scope than the major projects planned at the other Ashmont Branch stations. The developer and the local community expressed their desires for a larger renovation, but the MBTA proceeded with design work.[7]:25

On January 10, 2003, with design work at 90% and $2.2 million spent, the MBTA stopped work. A $3.3 million design for a full reconstruction was authorized on February 12, 2004.[7]:33 The Shawmut and Fields Corner projects were constructed separate from the delayed Ashmont work.[7]:33 The MBTA removed the membrane canopy from the design in September 2004 due to lack of funds. However, it was necessary to re-add (at a cost of $2.9 million) because many of the interior elements were not weatherproofed.[7]:11-12

In September 2004, the MBTA began reconstruction of the 75-year-old station, then expected to cost $44 million.[8] The MBTA awarded the $35.2 million main construction contract on June 9 2005.[9] The reconstruction included demolition of the existing station, the addition of two fare lobbies over the ends of the station, and a new busway at the fare lobby level. Elevators were added to make station fully accessible, and direct access from Peabody Square (removed in the 1970s renovation) was added. The Ashmont-Mattapan Line loop was moved to a new viaduct at the south end of the station, with a platform near the south fare lobby; the former cross-platform transfer was eliminated.[9][10]

Red Line service to Ashmont was maintained through the whole construction process.[7]:34 However, the Ashmont-Mattapan Line was closed from June 24, 2006 to December 22, 2007 for construction of the new viaduct. During that time, Mattapan station and the intermediate stations were also renovated for accessibility.[11][1] The main reconstruction contract was completed in 2009 at a cost of $53.2 million - an increase of $18 million over the original price due to change orders.[7]:8 The $10.3 million architectural work lasted until June 14, 2011, at which point the station was declared accessible.[7]:34 In September 2011, a "HOLD" sign was installed on the trolley platform to allow an easier connection for those transferring from the Red Line.[12] The total cost of the entire reconstruction was $83 million.[7]:32

Bus connections
A BAT route 12 bus in the Ashmont busway in 2016

Ashmont is a major terminal for the MBTA Bus system, with nine local routes serving the station busway:

The Brockton Area Transit Authority operates its route 12 to Ashmont - one of the only non-MBTA routes running to an MBTA rapid transit station.

References
  1. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit.
  2. Rosso, Patrick (21 October 2011). "Dorchester's Ashmont T station officially dedicated". Boston Globe. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  3. "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  4. "Governor Patrick Celebrates Completion of Ashmont Station" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. October 21, 2011.
  5. A Chronicle of the Boston Transit System. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 1981. p. 11 – via Internet Archive.
  6. MBTA : ACCESS; The Guide to Accessible Services and Facilities. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 1992. p. 12 – via Internet Archive.
  7. Official Audit Report – Issued June 16, 2014: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, For the period January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2012 (PDF) (Report). Auditor of the Commonwealth. June 16, 2014.
  8. "Romney Launches $44M Facelift At Ashmont Station" (Press release). September 22, 2004. Archived from the original on October 11, 2004.
  9. "MBTA Board Awards Contract To Rebuild Ashmont Station; Sells Land For Cable TV Studio In Roxbury" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 9, 2005.
  10. "Ashmont Station Renovation". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011.
  11. "Mattapan Station To Get Upgrade" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. May 5, 2006.
  12. Rosso, Patrick (16 September 2011). "Mattapan commuters get a little extra time to catch the train". Boston Globe. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
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