Morton Street station

Morton Street is an MBTA Commuter Rail station on Fairmount Line located on Morton Street (MA 203) in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston. With two full-length high-level platforms and ramps to the street, the station is fully wheelchair accessible. The station was reconstructed in 2006, with the official reopening in 2007.[3]

Morton Street
Inbound train at Morton Street station in December 2017
Location865 Morton Street
Mattapan, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°16′50″N 71°05′09″W
Owned byMBTA
Line(s)Dorchester Branch
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Connections MBTA Bus: 21, 26
Construction
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Fare zone1A
History
Opened1855; November 3, 1979;[1]
October 5, 1987[1]
Closed1944, January 30, 1981[1]
Rebuilt2006
Previous namesForest Avenue
Traffic
Passengers (2018)264 (weekday average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Blue Hill Avenue
toward Readville
 Fairmount Line Talbot Avenue
toward South Station
Blue Hill Avenue
toward Forge Park/495 or Foxboro
 Franklin Line
limited service

History
Morton Street before and after the 2006 reconstruction

Service on the Fairmount Line (as the Dorchester Branch of the Norfolk County Railroad and later the New York and New England Railroad and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad) began in 1855 and lasted until 1944. The service included a stop at Morton Street, originally known as Forest Avenue.[4]

The Dorchester Branch (Midland Route) was reopened as a bypass in November 1979 during Southwest Corridor construction, including stops at Uphams Corner, Morton Street, and Fairmount.[1] Uphams Corner and Morton Street were dropped effective January 30, 1981 as part of systemwide cuts.[1][5] Morton Street was originally built at minimal cost, with small low-level platforms and staircases to Morton Street. The station was not accessible, since service over the route was intended to be temporary; however, it was popular with residents of the communities the line passed through. When the Southwest Corridor reopened on October 5, 1987, the Fairmount Line shuttle service was retained, with Uphams Corner and Morton Street reopened.[1]

In September 2005, the MBTA awarded a $6.5 million contract to rebuild the station as part of the Fairmount Line Improvements project. The upgrades included two full-length high-level platforms to make the station accessible, ramps to Morton Street and Flint Street, canopies, and improved lighting and signage.[6] The work was completed on July 17, 2007.[3] In 2014, MassDOT replaced the structurally deficient bridge carrying Morton Street over the Fairmount Line tracks. Alternate accessible entrances to the station from the street were used during the replacement.[7]

References
  1. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit.
  2. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  3. "State Implementation Plan – Transit Commitments Monthly Status Report" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. April 19, 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 1, 2017.
  4. Leo S. (December 26, 2009). "Railroad Stations in Dorchester". Dorchester Atheneum. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  5. "T changes start today". Boston Globe. February 1, 1981. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Morton Street Station To Be Rebuilt/Modernized" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. September 8, 2005.
  7. "Morton Street Bridge Replacement Project". Massachusetts Department of Transportation - Highway Division. Archived from the original on July 8, 2015.
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