Blandford Street station
| Company type | Light rail stop |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1896 |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
Area served | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Products | Light rail transit services |
Blandford Street station is an at-grade light rail stop situated on the MBTA's Green Line B branch in Boston, Massachusetts. Positioned within the median of Commonwealth Avenue at the intersection of Silber Way and Blandford Mall, it lies approximately two blocks west of Kenmore Square, near the eastern edge of Boston University. The station consists of two low side platforms that serve the dual tracks of the B branch. It marks the first outbound stop following the divergence of the B branch from the C and D branches at .
Ranking as the seventh most frequented surface stop on the B branch, Blandford Street recorded an average of 1,540 weekday boardings in 2011. The MBTA has announced plans to close this station in the late 2020s due to difficulties in implementing accessibility improvements.
History
Surface streetcar operations on Commonwealth Avenue commenced in 1896, initially forming part of what was known as the Green Line A branch. The inauguration of the Boylston Street subway to Kenmore Portal on October 3, 1914, allowed streetcars to transition underground into the Tremont Street subway. In October 1932, Kenmore station along with the contemporary Blandford Street Portal were established just east of Blandford Street.
Although named after Blandford Street, this street was acquired by Boston University in June 2012 and subsequently transformed into a pedestrian area called Blandford Mall by July of that year. Nevertheless, the station has retained its original designation.
While track renovations during 2018–19 included accessibility enhancements at multiple stops, Blandford Street was not among them. By March 2024, the MBTA was evaluating a proposal to merge Blandford Street with into a single station. In June 2024, plans were unveiled to upgrade all remaining B Branch stops for accessibility; however, by December 2024, a decision was made to close Blandford Street by 2027 due to infeasibility in constructing accessible platforms long enough to accommodate future two-car Type 10 trains.
As of February 2025, MBTA plans to issue a $74 million design-build contract for bidding in May 2025, with construction anticipated to begin in fall 2025 and conclude by mid-2027.
Pocket track
Located just west of the station between Blandford Mall and Granby Street, a pocket track plays a vital operational role. Unlike those on the C and D branches, this pocket track at Blandford Street provides necessary train storage at the western terminus of the Central Subway without interrupting revenue service. It opened on June 30, 1931, replacing an earlier surface crossover near Kenmore Square.
This pocket track is frequently utilized for midday and overnight train layovers, temporary parking for disabled vehicles, and staging additional trains during major events at Fenway Park to handle passenger flow between Kenmore and Park Street stations. Notably, it was used for an experimental four-car post-game train operation in 2011.
Furthermore, it supports westbound short turn service originating from the central subway, particularly when maintenance work, accidents, or adverse weather conditions disrupt B branch operations. Run as Directed (RAD) trains—which boost subway capacity during peak times—often operate out of Blandford Street. RAD service began in 1977 and saw increased deployment during service interruptions throughout the 1980s and again from Blandford Street starting in 2008.