Boston University Central station

Boston University Central station

Company type	Light rail station
Industry	Public transportation
Headquarters	Boston , United States

Boston University Central station is an at-grade light rail stop on the MBTA Green Line B branch. Positioned within the median of Commonwealth Avenue just west of St. Marys Street in Boston, Massachusetts, it sits amidst the Boston University campus. The station features a pair of side platforms serving the two tracks of the B branch. Accessibility is ensured through raised platforms that allow level boarding for low-floor vehicles, alongside a high platform on the inbound side designed for high-floor light rail cars.

History

In terms of ridership, this station is the third busiest on the B branch, trailing behind Harvard Avenue and . During the early 2000s, the MBTA undertook improvements at important surface stops to enhance accessibility by constructing raised platforms. Around 2000, portable lifts were temporarily installed at Boston University Central as part of these efforts. This initiative was included in a $32 million project aimed at upgrading thirteen stations across the B, C, and E branches. While construction was underway, a temporary stop operated between Boston University Central and Boston University East to serve passengers. Work commenced on March 18, 2002, after slight delays caused by preceding projects at Harvard Avenue and Washington Street, with an expected duration of six months.

However, adverse weather conditions and restricted nighttime work periods pushed back completion first to December 2002 and then to March 2003. The initial contractor ceased operations early in 2003, with a new contractor taking over in September. The renovated stations officially reopened on November 18, 2003.

Approximately in 2006, the MBTA installed a wooden mini-high platform on the inbound side to facilitate level boarding for older Type 7 LRVs. This type of platform was added at eight Green Line stations between 2006 and 2007 as part of the resolution of Joanne Daniels-Finegold, et al. v. MBTA.

Stops near this location were considered for inclusion in the Urban Ring, a proposed circumferential bus rapid transit (BRT) route designed to link radial MBTA rail lines and reduce congestion in downtown Boston. Draft designs from 2008 indicated that the Urban Ring would traverse the Grand Junction Railroad Bridge, pass beneath the Boston University Bridge, and continue along University Road and Mountfort Street, with BRT stations positioned close to Boston University Central. The project was ultimately discontinued in 2010.

External links

• MBTA – Boston University Central
• Saint Mary's Street entrance from Google Maps Street View