West Newton station
West Newton is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Newton, Massachusetts. It serves the Framingham/Worcester Line, and is located inside the Massachusetts Turnpike Exit 16 rotary in the village of West Newton. Except for a brief period in 1981, West Newton has had rail service since 1834. The station consists of a single low side platform serving one of the line's two tracks, with small crossings to access trains on the far track. West Newton is not handicapped accessible.
West Newton | |||||||||||||
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![]() West Newton station in May 2011 | |||||||||||||
Location | 1395 Washington Street, Newton, Massachusetts | ||||||||||||
Coordinates | 42°20′52″N 71°13′51″W | ||||||||||||
Owned by | MBTA | ||||||||||||
Line(s) | Worcester Line | ||||||||||||
Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||||||||||
Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||
Connections | ![]() | ||||||||||||
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Parking | 45 spaces ($4.00 fee) | ||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||
Fare zone | 2 | ||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||
Opened | 1834 | ||||||||||||
Traffic | |||||||||||||
Passengers (2018) | 256 (weekday average boardings)[1] | ||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||
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History
![](../I/m/Train_and_stagecoach_at_West_Newton%2C_circa_1834.jpg)
West Newton was the first terminus of the Boston and Worcester Railroad in April 1834, and one of the first locations in the world from which workers could commute to a city by rail for regular working hours. The Railroad Hotel originally served as the train station.[2]
By the late 1840s, a dedicated station building was located on the north side of the tracks just west of Chestnut Street.[3] By the 1870s, West Newton was a flag stop, with a larger station building on the south side of the tracks.[4]
The station was either temporarily closed or reduced to one daily round trip along with Auburndale on January 30, 1981, as part of a series of service cuts due to a budget crisis.[5][6] Normal service resumed to Auburndale and West Newton on March 16, 1981.[5]
A 2011 village plan prepared for the city by MIT proposed a four-story development integrated with a rebuilt commuter rail station, with two high-level side platforms providing handicapped accessible boarding on both tracks.[7]
Bus connections
West Newton is served by one local MBTA Bus route and two express routes with a stop on Washington Street at Elm Street:
- 170: Waltham Center - Nubian Station
- 553: Roberts - Federal Street & Franklin Street
- 554: Waverly Square - Federal Street & Franklin Street
An additional express bus route stops on Washington Street at Prospect Street:
- 505: Waltham Center - Federal Street & Franklin Street
Accessibility plans
References
- Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
- Harwood, Herbert H. (Spring 1992). "History Where You Don't Expect It: Some Surprising Survivors". Railroad History (166): 103–125. JSTOR 43523701.
- Woodward, E.F.; Ward, W.F. (April 1848). "Map of the Town of Newton".
- "South East Part of West Newton". Atlas of Newton. J.B. Beers & Co. 1874 – via Ward Maps.
- Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit.
- "T changes start today". Boston Globe. February 1, 1981. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
- 2011 Community Growth and Land Use Planning Practicum (December 2011). "WEST NEWTON VILLAGE AREA PLAN" (PDF). MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning. pp. 146–148.