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Packards Corner station
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Packards Corner station is a light rail stop on the MBTA's Green Line B branch located at Packard's Corner—the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Brighton Avenue—in Allston, Boston, Massachusetts. The station is located in a median between the westbound travel lanes and frontage road of Commonwealth Avenue. It is planned to be rebuilt in 2026–2027 for accessibility.
Key Information
History
[edit]The Green Line A branch formerly diverged just north of the platforms; its streetcars stopped at separate platforms on Brighton Avenue. The Brighton Avenue streetcar reservation was removed from July 1 to October 5, 1949, and the side platforms for the Watertown Line were replaced with an island platform.[2] The A branch was closed on June 21, 1969, and replaced with the route 57 bus, though the trackage was retained for non-revenue moves to Watertown Yard.[3] The line was finally abandoned in 1994; a several-hundred-foot stub track was left until the mid-2000s to temporarily store disabled trains. The switch and the last few feet of track were not disconnected until track work in 2014.
Packards Corner was not made accessible during the initial 2001–03 round of Green Line station renovations. In 2019, the MBTA listed Packards Corner as a "Tier I" accessibility priority.[4] Track work in 2018–19, which included replacement of platform edges at several stops, triggered requirements for accessibility modifications at those stops.[5] Design for Packards Corner and four other B Branch stops was 30% complete by December 2022.[6] By November, construction was expected to begin at Packards Corner in spring 2024, ahead of other B Branch stations.[7]
A design shown in March 2024 called for the platforms to be rebuilt at their current locations, with a new track crossing and crosswalk to the west sidewalk at the south end of the station.[8] In May 2024, the Federal Transit Administration awarded the MBTA $67 million to construct accessible platforms at 14 B and C branch stops including Packards Corner.[9] Additional stops were added to the B branch project in 2024.[10][11] As of December 2025[update], the MBTA expects to issue the $74 million design-build contract in early 2026, with construction lasting from spring 2026 to late 2027.[12][13]
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Watertown Line (future A Branch) platforms in 1948 -
A Boston College-bound (future B Branch) train at Packards Corner in 1965 -
Former A branch turnout switch in 2011
References
[edit]- ^ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
- ^ Clarke, Bradley H. (2003). Streetcar Lines of the Hub - The 1940s. Boston Street Railway Association. p. 110. ISBN 0938315056.
- ^ Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
- ^ "Preview of 2019 Recommendations: Presentation to the FMCB" (PDF). Plan for Accessible Transit Infrastructure (PATI). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 1, 2019. p. 12.
- ^ Brelsford, Laura (May 24, 2021). "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—May 2021" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. pp. 4–5.
- ^ "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—December 2022" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. December 6, 2022. pp. 4–5.
- ^ "System-Wide Accessibility Initiatives—November 2023" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. November 27, 2023. pp. 4–5.
- ^ "Green Line B Branch Improvements and Accessibility Upgrades" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. March 22, 2024.
- ^
- "All Stations Accessibility Program FY24 Projects". Federal Transit Administration. May 28, 2024.
- "Biden-Harris Administration Announces $343 Million to Modernize Transit Stations, Improve Accessibility Across the Country" (Press release). Federal Transit Administration. May 28, 2024.
- "MBTA Wins $67 Million Federal Grant to Improve Green Line Accessibility for People with Disabilities" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. May 30, 2024.
- ^ "Accessibility Initiatives—December 2024" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 6, 2024. pp. 4–5.
- ^ "Outreach Meeting for A26CN05 – Design Build Green Line B Branch Short Term Accessibility Improvements" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 12, 2024.
- ^ "Accessibility Initiatives—December 2025" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Department of System-Wide Accessibility. December 2, 2025. p. 4.
- ^ "Upcoming Design Build and Construction Manager At Risk Solicitations". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 2025. Archived from the original on June 7, 2025.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Packards Corner station at Wikimedia Commons
