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Ruggles station
Ruggles station
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Ruggles station is an intermodal transfer station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rapid transit, bus, and commuter rail services and is located at the intersection of Ruggles and Tremont streets, where the Roxbury, Fenway–Kenmore, and Mission Hill neighborhoods meet. It is surrounded by the campus of Northeastern University. Ruggles is a station stop for the Orange Line subway, as well as the Providence/Stoughton Line, Franklin/Foxboro Line, and Needham Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system. Thirteen MBTA bus routes stop at Ruggles.

Key Information

Ruggles station opened in 1987 as part of the Southwest Corridor, replacing Dudley Street Terminal as the main bus transfer station for much of Roxbury and Dorchester. The station originally had a single island platform serving the Northeast Corridor tracks, which meant not all commuter rail trains could stop at the station. Construction of an additional side platform, replacements of four elevators, and reconstruction of the busway took place from 2017 to 2021. A second phase is planned to add additional entrances to the Orange Line and commuter rail platforms.

Station layout

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The station seen from the southwest

The sprawling station is elevated above the Southwest Corridor north of Ruggles Street and west of Columbus Avenue - the former location of the South End Grounds. The main station structure, designed by Stull and Lee, is covered by a rectangular "tubular-framed, high-tech" canopy.[3] The arched concourse crosses at an angle aligned with Forsyth Street, with entrances at both ends. Its open ends were intended to symbolize reconnection between Jamaica Plain and Roxbury, historically divided by the railroad alignment.[4]

A clockwise busway wraps around the station, with separate entrances and exits on Ruggles Street, plus an entrance from Melnea Cass Boulevard at Columbus Avenue. The north (upper) part of the busway is level with the concourse and used for drop-offs; the south (lower) part has multiple lanes and bus berths for boarding. A Northeastern University architecture studio is located in the station structure under the upper busway, next to the Forsyth Street entrance.[5] Ruggles is served by MBTA bus routes 8, 15, 19, 22, 23, 28, 43, 44, 45, 47, CT2, and CT3.[6]

A total of five tracks run through the station: two for the Orange Line and three for commuter rail (and Amtrak, which does not stop). The Orange Line tracks serve a single island platform on the north side of the railroad cut. The northern two of the mainline tracks serve a second island platform, while the southernmost track has a side platform.[7][8] The entrances to the two island platforms are located on the west side of the concourse, under the canopy; entrances to the side platform are from the busway and from a walkway from Columbus Avenue. Five elevators connect the concourse level to the two platforms, the busway, and the Forsyth Street entrance.

Artwork

[edit]
Stony Brook Dance in 2021

Two "very different" pieces of public art were installed in the station as part of the Arts on the Line program:[9][10]

  • Stony Brook Dance, by John T. Scott, is an aluminum abstract kinetic sculpture suspended inside the west end of the concourse. Thirty colorful geometric tubes are attached to three stainless steel cables, allowing them to sway in the wind. The work, commissioned in 1986 and completed in 1989, combines imagery of diddley bows and wave physics.[11][12]
  • Geom-a-tree, by Paul Goodnight, Elaine Sayoko Yoneoka, Stephanie Jackson St. Germain, and Emmanuel Genovese, is a ceramic tile and stained glass mural located above the eastern exit from the concourse. Twenty-six feet (7.9 m) wide and 5 feet (1.5 m) tall, it forms a colorful collage of Asian and African-American faces and symbols. The work was installed in 1990–91. Painter Goodnight and ceramics artist Yoneoka met in court while the two were separately pursuing lawsuits regarding illegal destruction of their previous works.[13][14][15]

Each Southwest Corridor station has two works by local artists engraved on granite pillars. Those at Ruggles are "Harriet Tubman a.k.a. Moses" by Samuel Allen and "Four Letters Home" by Will Holton.[10][16] "Four Letters Home" consists of fictional letters written as if by immigrants to Roxbury in the 1830s, 1880s, 1920s, and 1960s.[17][18]

The western wall of the station was covered with a mural by Silvia López Chavez in 2019. The work – part of a Northeastern University art program – depicts a woman blowing bubbles on a brightly colored backdrop.[19]

History

[edit]

Ruggles station opened on May 4, 1987, and was built as part of an Orange Line realignment project which relocated the former Washington Street Elevated Orange Line service into the Southwest Corridor. Commuter rail service to the station began on October 5, 1987.[20] Located where there had not previously been a station, Ruggles was built to serve Northeastern University and the Longwood Medical Area, and to replace Dudley Square station as a major bus terminal for the Orange Line.[8]

The busway was originally paved with asphalt, which soon eroded from the stopping and starting of buses. In 1988, the MBTA paid $430,000 to repave it with more-durable concrete.[21] The upper busway was closed for one year ending on February 6, 2006, for a $3.2 million rehabilitation.[22]

The entire Orange Line, including the Orange Line platform at Ruggles station, was closed from August 19 to September 18, 2022, during maintenance work. Commuter Rail and bus service to the station was not affected.[23]

Urban Ring proposal

[edit]

Ruggles was a proposed stop on the Urban Ring – a circumferential bus rapid transit (BRT) line designed to connect the existing radial MBTA rail lines to reduce overcrowding in the downtown stations.[24] Under draft plans released in 2008, the Urban Ring would have approached Ruggles from the west on a reserved surface right-of-way on the north side of Ruggles Street. Buses would have used the existing bus loop; the existing side access from Tremont Street would have connected to dedicated bus lanes on Melnea Cass Boulevard.[25] The project was cancelled in 2010.[26]

Renovations

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First phase

[edit]
The deteriorated and closed northern half of the existing commuter rail platform (left) and the under-construction second commuter rail platform in 2019

A number of smaller projects in the Urban Ring corridor have been approved; among them was adding a second commuter rail platform to serve Track 2 at Ruggles, thus allowing all commuter rail trains to stop there. Until 2021, about 30% of inbound commuter rail trains bypassed the station, as reaching the platform required crossing over to Track 1 or Track 3. The MBTA began consideration of a second platform in 1993, just six years after Ruggles opened.[8][27] A preliminary study in 2008 recommended a full-length 800-foot platform located entirely east of the busway bridge.[28]

The MBTA began holding public meetings in 2012. By this time, plans called for the new platform to be located next to the existing platform. It was to be split in two sections connected by a short pedestrian tunnel under the busway bridge; the gap would be short enough to allow all doors on a train to still open onto the platform.[29] In September 2014, the MBTA received a $20 million TIGER grant for the project, which is estimated to cost $30 million in total. Besides the new platform, work would include lighting and security upgrades, elevator improvements, and rehabilitation of the deteriorated northern half of the existing platform, which was blocked off from use.[30]

By March 2016, the project was at 90% design and expected to reach 100% design by mid-2016, when it would be advertised for bidding. Construction was set to begin in late 2016 and last through 2018.[29] In December 2016, the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board approved a $1.6 million expansion of the project scope to include reconstruction of the lower busway, elevator replacements, additional station entrances, an additional busway elevator, and other accessibility improvements.[31] Bidding took place in May and June 2017; on June 26, the Board approved a $19.7 million construction contract (lower than the $22 million projected cost).[32]

A groundbreaking ceremony for the project, which was expected to cost $38.5 million in total, was held on August 22, 2017.[33][34] Construction was then planned to last from 2017 to 2019.[31] Reconstruction of the lower busway began in April 2018.[35] Replacement of the first two of four station elevators (the Orange Line platform elevator and the Forsyth Street elevator) began on November 12, 2019.[36][37] The Orange Line elevator was completed on March 1, 2021, with the commuter rail platform elevator then closing for replacement.[38] The new commuter rail platform opened on April 5, 2021 – in connection with new schedules that had all trains stopping at Ruggles – with the new busway elevator opening the same week.[39][40] The Forsyth Street elevator reopened on May 11, 2021.[41] The Commuter Rail elevator ultimately reopened on December 6, 2021, with the remainder of the project including the rebuilt busway elevator completed later that month.[42][43]

Second phase

[edit]
Reconstruction of the Orange Line exit in 2025

A second phase of the project is under construction. The Columbus Avenue entrance will be made accessible, with a covered ramp to the concourse and an improved pathway to the lower busway. A new footbridge will be constructed between the lower busway and the commuter rail island platform; the northeast portion of that platform will be restored (as had been planned in the first phase). A new ramp will connect the Orange Line platform to the northeast side of the concourse, with a new set of faregates added there, and the exit-only stairs from the platform will be rebuilt.[44] Design reached 100% in August 2022; due to inflation and other factors, projected construction costs were $25 million higher than planned.[45] Revised designs were completed in 2023.[46] An additional Orange Line elevator will be designed but not constructed during this phase.[47][48]

Phase II was put out to bid in September 2024 with an estimated cost of $80 million.[49][50] The MBTA awarded a $92 million construction contract in February 2025.[51] Notice to proceed was given on March 20, 2025, with completion expected in 2028.[52] As of August 2025, the MBTA plans to add fare gates to the commuter rail platforms in late 2025 and early 2026 as part of a separate project.[53]

References

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from Grokipedia
Ruggles station is a major intermodal transit hub in Boston, Massachusetts, operated by the (MBTA), serving the Orange Line subway, Providence/Stoughton, Franklin, and Needham commuter rail lines (Zone 1A), and over a dozen bus routes including the 8, 19, 22, 23, 28, 42, 43, 45, 47, 66, and Silver Line SL 5. Located at 1150 in the Roxbury neighborhood at the intersection of Ruggles and Tremont Streets, it functions as a key transfer point for commuters and connects to nearby institutions such as , Roxbury , and the . The station was constructed as one of eight new stops along the 4.7-mile Southwest Corridor, a project that relocated the elevated Orange Line to an at-grade alignment through Roxbury, the South End, and , replacing a planned inner belt highway amid community activism in the 1970s. Designed by the Black-led architecture firm Stull and Lee, Inc. (formerly Stull Associates), it opened on May 4, 1987, featuring a vaulted , monumental arches, and a strong diagonal axis to integrate subway, rail, and bus facilities into an accessible urban node. The site previously housed the , a historic used by Boston's professional teams from 1871 to 1914. Recent renovations under the MBTA's $9.8 billion capital plan have enhanced accessibility and capacity, with Phase I (completed December 2021, $38 million) adding an 800-foot platform, regrading the busway, installing a new elevator, replacing four others, and widening sidewalks to better serve the station's high ridership of over 10,000 daily passengers. Phase II ($90 million), with design completed and construction underway since spring 2025 and expected completion in 2028, will introduce a new entrance on Columbus Avenue, modernized escalators, energy-efficient lighting, improved , rehabilitated restrooms, and additional structural repairs. These upgrades address longstanding issues from the station's original construction and position Ruggles as a vital link in Boston's regional transit network, supporting equitable access in underserved communities.

Description

Location and surroundings

Ruggles station is situated in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, at the intersection of Ruggles Street and Tremont Street, with the address 1150 Tremont Street. The station is elevated above the Southwest Corridor, a linear urban park that runs north of Ruggles Street and west of Columbus Avenue. Directly adjacent to the station lies the campus of Northeastern University and Roxbury Community College, allowing for immediate pedestrian access via a short walk from the station exit to key campus areas like Centennial Common. Approximately half a mile away is the New England Conservatory of Music at 33 Gainsborough Street, further enhancing the station's role as a transit hub for the surrounding educational institutions in the Roxbury Crossing area. The station's urban surroundings include the multi-use trails of the Southwest Corridor Park, which feature paved pathways for walking and biking, playgrounds, and sports courts, linking Roxbury to adjacent neighborhoods such as the South End and . Nearby residential buildings and additional educational facilities contribute to a dense, community-oriented environment, with seamless connections to local streets including Columbus Avenue, which parallels the park and supports pedestrian and vehicular access.

Services and ridership

Ruggles station provides rapid transit service on the MBTA Orange Line, with trains running southbound toward Forest Hills station and northbound toward Oak Grove station. The station also accommodates three lines: the , the , and the Needham Line, offering inbound service to and outbound service to the lines' respective endpoints such as Providence, Forge Park/495, Foxboro, Franklin, and Needham Center. In addition, over a dozen routes connect at the station, including routes 8, 15, 19, 22, 23, 28, 42, 43, 45, 47, 66, CT2, CT3, and Silver Line SL 5, enhancing local and regional connectivity. Ridership data indicates significant usage, with an average of 9,199 daily boardings on the Orange Line in 2019 (pre-pandemic figure). saw an average of 2,640 daily boardings as of 2024. Serving as a key interchange hub in the MBTA network, Ruggles station supports efficient regional travel by integrating subway, rail, and bus options for commuters and visitors accessing the Longwood Medical and Academic Area and .

Accessibility features

Ruggles station has been fully accessible since its 1987 opening as part of the Southwest Corridor project, with five elevators providing vertical circulation from street level to the Orange Line and platforms as well as the lower busway. Elevators serve key access points including the main entrance on Ruggles Street, the Tremont Street side, and a new fully accessible entrance on Columbus Avenue under ongoing Phase II improvements to enhance pedestrian connectivity. The station meets Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards through features such as on platforms and pathways, braille-integrated signage for , and automated audible announcements indicating train arrivals, destinations, and platform assignments. As part of Phase I renovations spanning 2017 to 2021, four elevators were replaced—serving the lower busway, platform, Orange Line platform, and street level—to improve reliability, capacity, and overall usability for passengers with disabilities.

Station layout

Platforms and tracks

Ruggles station is constructed as an elevated structure along the Southwest Corridor in , , encompassing five tracks in total: two dedicated to the MBTA Orange Line and three for services along the . The Orange Line tracks utilize a dedicated right-of-way within the corridor, while the commuter rail tracks form part of the shared infrastructure, accommodating both MBTA trains and services. The two Orange Line tracks are served by a single positioned between them, facilitating access to northbound and southbound trains from the same level. This platform is designed to accommodate six-car train consists, the standard configuration for Orange Line service. The commuter rail's three tracks—numbered 1, 2, and 3—are configured with an located between Tracks 1 and 3 to serve the outer tracks, and a dedicated adjacent to the middle Track 2. The side platform for Track 2, completed in 2021 as part of station improvements, measures 800 feet in length to support up to eight-car train consists and enable additional trains to platform at the station. Overhead shelter is provided by a tubular-framed canopy spanning the platforms, designed by the architecture firm Stull and Lee as part of the original station structure to offer weather protection for waiting passengers. This canopy integrates with the elevated rail infrastructure, ensuring operational efficiency while enhancing passenger comfort along the corridor alignment.

Busway

The Ruggles station includes a dedicated busway at street level, configured as a clockwise loop that provides dedicated drop-off and boarding bays for 13 routes, enhancing intermodal connectivity in this urban hub. The busway's design allows for simultaneous operation of multiple buses, offering an efficient alternative to traditional park-and-ride facilities in the dense Roxbury neighborhood by minimizing street congestion and supporting seamless transfers to rail services. Integration with the station's rail platforms is achieved through and that connect directly to the busway levels, including a dedicated to the lower busway to facilitate accessible transfers between modes. The busway has undergone significant maintenance over the years. A more extensive rehabilitation of the upper busway occurred from 2005 to 2006, involving the removal of deteriorated and replacement with new expansion-joint materials to address leakage and structural issues; this $2.67 million , part of the MBTA Bridge Program, rerouted buses to the lower level during and improved overall signage and pavement quality.

Artwork

Ruggles station features several installations as part of the MBTA's Arts on the Line program, a initiative launched in the late to integrate artwork into subway stations along the Orange Line, enhancing the transit experience with cultural elements. The artworks at Ruggles, installed during the late and early , include kinetic sculptures and murals that draw on abstract and geometric themes, visible to passengers on platforms, in the concourse, and near the busway. One prominent piece is Stony Brook Dance, a kinetic aluminum created by John T. Scott and installed in 1989. Suspended at the west end of the concourse, the abstract multipart work features moving geometric elements that evoke dynamic motion, hanging above pedestrian pathways to engage commuters as they pass through. This installation, commissioned through the Arts on the Line program, adds a sense of vitality to the station's interior architecture. Another key artwork is Geom-a-tree, a collaborative mural completed between 1990 and 1991 by Paul Goodnight, Elaine Sayoko Yoneoka, Stephanie Jackson St. Germain, and Emmanuel Genovese. This ceramic tile and piece, measuring 5 feet high by 26 feet long and 6 inches deep, adorns platform pillars with geometric tree motifs that blend sculpted tiles fitting like a , incorporating iridescent elements for depth and light play. The design's abstract forms celebrate natural and urban harmony, contributing to the station's cultural ambiance while remaining visible to waiting passengers. In addition to these featured works, Ruggles includes other murals and pillar artworks from the Arts on the Line program, such as mosaic-like ceramic pieces that further enrich the visual environment and reflect diverse artistic influences. These installations are strategically placed along the platforms and adjacent to the busway, ensuring broad visibility and integration into daily commuter flows without obstructing functionality.

History

Construction and opening

Ruggles station was constructed during the Southwest Corridor project, a major urban redevelopment initiative spanning the 1970s and 1980s that relocated the MBTA Orange Line from its elevated Washington Street alignment into a below-grade rail cut to improve service and integrate public open space. The station replaced the Dudley Street Terminal, which had served as the southern terminus for the Orange Line and a key bus transfer point in Roxbury, by providing enhanced intermodal connections for subway, commuter rail, and buses in the growing Longwood Medical and Academic Area. This development was part of a broader effort to redirect canceled highway funds toward mass transit infrastructure, transforming a proposed Southwest Expressway route into a and transit corridor. The station's design, led by the architecture firm Stull and Lee, featured an elevated structure spanning the rail cut to facilitate seamless transfers between modes while blending with the surrounding urban fabric of Roxbury. This innovative layout included multi-level platforms and a busway, emphasizing and integration from the outset. Construction occurred amid extensive involvement, with the project originating from planning and land acquisition that cleared the path for the 4.7-mile corridor. Orange Line service at Ruggles commenced on May 4, 1987, marking the completion of the relocated southern segment of the line with new stations including Ruggles, Roxbury Crossing, and Jackson Square. operations began shortly thereafter on October 5, 1987, serving lines such as the Providence/Stoughton, Franklin, and Needham routes. The overall Southwest Corridor project, encompassing Ruggles, had an estimated total cost of $900 million by the early 1980s, with significant funding provided through federal grants from the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA), totaling about $354 million between 1978 and 1980 to support and related .

Urban Ring proposal

The Urban Ring was a proposed (BRT) project developed by the (MBTA) and the , outlined in a plan to create a roughly 15-mile circumferential loop serving Greater 's urban core. The initiative aimed to connect underserved neighborhoods, employment centers, and residential areas across six municipalities—, Brookline, , Somerville, Everett, and Chelsea—by linking radial transit spokes with dedicated bus lanes, signal priority, and improved stations. Phase 2 of the project focused on BRT implementation, building on earlier phases of transportation systems management, to foster economic development and reduce reliance on automobile travel in congested corridors. Ruggles station was identified as a key transfer point in the Urban Ring alignment, leveraging its central location near the Longwood Medical Area and to integrate BRT services with the existing Orange Line and . Plans included potential platform expansions to accommodate additional BRT stops and enable more trains to serve the station, addressing capacity limitations and improving multimodal connectivity along the Southwest Corridor. A 40-foot easement along Ruggles Street was proposed to facilitate access, with input from local stakeholders like emphasizing the need for enhanced rail capacity to support the ring's operations. The proposal advanced through environmental review, reaching approximately 30% design by late 2009, including a Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report that detailed ridership projections and infrastructure needs. However, Phase 2 was suspended in January 2010 when the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs halted further MEPA review, citing insufficient funding from the MBTA and the amid broader fiscal constraints and shifting transportation priorities. The Urban Ring's intended benefits centered on providing efficient circumferential transit options, such as direct links between the Orange Line at Ruggles and lines, to serve an estimated 184,000 daily riders by 2030 while alleviating pressure on radial routes. By connecting key hubs like Logan Airport, Kendall Square, and the Longwood Medical Area, the project sought to boost access to jobs, education, and healthcare for communities, promoting regional equity and .

Renovations and maintenance

The upper busway underwent a rehabilitation project budgeted at $2.67 million, resulting in a one-year closure starting in spring 2005 to repair deterioration and improve service reliability. The station's major renovations began with Phase I of the Ruggles Station Improvements project in 2017, funded at $38 million through a combination of federal TIGER grants and state resources. This phase focused on enhancing accessibility and intermodal transfers, including the construction of a new 800-foot side commuter rail platform along Track 2, which opened on April 5, 2021, allowing more trains to stop without conflicting with Orange Line operations. Additional work involved regrading the lower busway for better pedestrian flow, widening sidewalks, and replacing or upgrading four elevators—specifically Elevators 728 and 848 serving the lower busway, Elevator 849 for commuter rail Tracks 1 and 3, and Elevator 850 for the Orange Line platform—with modern, reliable units to meet ADA standards. Phase I was fully completed in December 2021, significantly reducing transfer times and increasing capacity for the station's daily ridership. As part of broader system maintenance, the entire Orange Line, including Ruggles station, was closed from to , 2022, to perform critical safety upgrades such as signal improvements, track repairs, and station-specific work like brick repairs and tactile edge concrete replacements at platforms to enhance and prevent hazards. Free shuttle buses and service were provided as alternatives during the shutdown, minimizing disruptions for local riders. Phase II of the renovations, budgeted at $92 million under a awarded in February 2025 and integrated into the MBTA's $9.6 billion five-year capital , with notice to proceed issued on March 20, 2025, is projected to conclude by 2028. As of November 2025, construction is ongoing, addressing ongoing structural issues and further accessibility needs with a new fully accessible entrance on Columbus Avenue featuring a covered , modernization of escalators, installation of new lighting and signage, rehabilitation of restrooms, and repairs to platforms, stairs, and flooring to fix slips, trips, and falls. It also incorporates fare control gates as part of a separate but concurrent station initiative, improving security and revenue protection while supporting the station's role as a key transfer hub.

References

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