Downtown Crossing station
| Company type | MBTA rapid transit station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1908 |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
Area served | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Products | Subway and bus transit services |
Downtown Crossing station—commonly referred to as DTX—is an underground Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rapid transit facility situated in Boston's bustling Downtown Crossing shopping area. It serves both the Orange Line and Red Line, ranking among the MBTA subway system's four principal "hub stations." Additionally, Downtown Crossing functions as a significant bus interchange for 13 MBTA bus routes, including a route on the Silver Line. In fiscal year 2019, it was the second most frequented MBTA subway station, with an average weekday ridership of 24,074 entries.
The station's history dates back to 1908 with the inauguration of the Washington Street Tunnel for the Main Line (which later became the Orange Line), featuring two platforms originally named Summer and Winter. The 1915 launch of the Dorchester Tunnel introduced the Cambridge–Dorchester Line (now known as the Red Line) station called Washington. The entire station complex adopted the name Washington in 1967 before being renamed Downtown Crossing in 1987. Major refurbishment projects took place during the 1970s and 1980s, and Silver Line service was incorporated in 2002.
Station layout
Downtown Crossing consists of two subterranean platform levels, each equipped with a pair of side platforms. The upper tier caters to Orange Line trains and stretches from Temple Place to Franklin Street beneath Washington Street. A concourse running under Summer Street connects Washington Street to Chauncey Street, providing access to retail outlets and formerly housing the Charliecard Store. Below this concourse are the Red Line platforms. The Winter Street Concourse, linking to the southbound Orange Line platform, offers passage to the Green Line at within the fare-controlled area.
Several MBTA bus routes terminate at Downtown Crossing. Upper-level bus stops are located on Otis Street near Summer Street adjacent to the subway entrance. Route halts on Bedford Street at Kingston Street, just one block south. The Silver Line route has a midblock stop on Temple Place, approximately half a block from the nearest subway access point.
Accessibility
Downtown Crossing is fully accessible, consistent with all Orange and Red Line stations. Elevators are available at entrances on Winter Street, Franklin Street, and Hawley Street. An additional elevator—operational during business hours—connects the Roche Brothers store with the Summer Street concourse. Because of its phased construction within a dense urban environment, transferring between lines involves some complexity; there are no direct elevator connections between Red Line platforms and the southbound Orange Line platform. Passengers must use the Winter Street Concourse along with elevators at Park Street for transfers.
Elevators at both ends of the Summer Street concourse connect the northbound Red Line platform to the northbound Orange Line platform and street level. The southbound Red Line platform has a single elevator located at its far eastern end; riders transferring to or from the northbound Orange Line need to exit and reenter through fare control.
A project costing $13.57 million installed two elevators linking the northbound Orange and northbound Red Line platforms. Construction commenced in February 2016 and concluded on June 14, 2019.
Phase II, with an estimated budget of $50 million, will introduce an elevator connecting the northbound Orange Line with the southbound Red Line platforms, expand and extend the Winter Street elevator to serve both southbound lines, and relocate the Park Street Red Line elevator. A design contract valued at $6.9 million was awarded in March 2020. These improvements will finalize elevator connections for all line transfers as part of fulfilling requirements from the 2006 settlement of Joanne Daniels-Finegold, et al. v. MBTA. Initial plans for an elevator between northbound Red and southbound Orange Lines were replaced by relocating Park Street’s elevator following a 2018 amendment. By June 2024, designs for three elevators had been completed. In April 2025, bidding began for a $95 million construction manager-at-risk contract encompassing Downtown Crossing and Park Street elevators along with similar upgrades at , with construction anticipated between April 2026 and January 2031.
History
The Washington Street Tunnel, which carried the Main Line Elevated (later known as the Orange Line), commenced operation on November 30, 1908. Stations were designed in pairs with distinct entrances to optimize pedestrian flow: Summer serving northbound trains with access points at Summer and Franklin Streets, and Winter serving southbound trains with entrances at Winter Street and Temple Place. Beneath this, the Dorchester extension of the Cambridge Tunnel (currently the Red Line) was constructed one level below. Washington station was inaugurated on April 4, 1915, featuring additional entrances on Summer Street at Hawley and Chauncey Streets.
Following the MBTA’s system-wide rebranding on January 23, 1967, the Orange Line platforms were renamed Washington. Subsequently, on May 3, 1987, the station was renamed Downtown Crossing after the adjacent commercial district, while Washington became a secondary designation. This change coincided with the opening of the Southwest Corridor.
Extensive renovation efforts began in the 1970s. A federal grant awarded in 1972 financed two-thirds of a $14.3 million upgrade for downtown stations, allocating $2 million specifically for Washington station improvements. The MBTA investigated linking Essex, Park Street, Washington, and State stations through pedestrian tunnels. Additionally, stairways connecting the Summer Street Concourse to the Orange Line platforms were restructured.
Originally, the Franklin Street entrance was housed within a building that was demolished during construction of 350 Washington Street in 1965; a rebuilt entrance was integrated into the new structure and later replaced by a standalone headhouse located in Shopper's Park. During budget reductions in 1981, the MBTA proposed converting this exit to exit-only use. It temporarily closed on August 10, 2015, due to Millennium Tower construction and reopened on September 12, 2016, featuring a newly added sloped seating area above.
The Orange Line level initially included an underground concourse providing direct connections to retail basements such as Jordan Marsh (now Macy's) and Filene's. This concourse underwent modernization in 1978 with a revamped fare control area. In 1979, the Winter Street Concourse opened within fare control boundaries, linking Downtown Crossing’s upper level to Park Street station two blocks away by utilizing a previously unopened section of concourse. Both levels of the station experienced significant renovations during the mid-1980s that enhanced accessibility features. The completion of the 101 Arch Street building in 1989 introduced basement-level access to the Summer Street concourse via an elevator. By 1991, a wooden escalator installed in 1914 was recognized as the oldest functioning escalator globally.
During modernization efforts in the 1980s, Situations, an installation consisting of 31 skewed marble seats created by Buster Simpson, was added to the Red Line platform. Temporary artworks from the Arts on the Line initiative included a prominent Orange Line piece inspired by Invasion of the Body Snatchers. In August 1987, MBTA approved funding of $950,000 for a Transit Police substation located within the Summer Street Concourse; this facility opened on July 26, 1988.
Silver Line service departing from Downtown Crossing to began on July 24, 2002. The Temple Place exit from the southbound Orange Line platform was reopened to facilitate easier transfers and was converted into an entrance around 2007 following installation of automated fare collection systems.
On June 24, 2019, MBTA awarded a contract worth $29.7 million for cleaning operations, replacement of wayfinding signage, and various enhancements at North Station, Haymarket, State, and Downtown Crossing stations; these projects reached completion by June 2021. The entire Orange Line—including Downtown Crossing platforms—was closed from August 19 to September 18, 2022 to allow for maintenance work.
CharlieCard Store
Monthly passes were first introduced by the MBTA in late 1978, with a dedicated sales office established on December 26 of that year. On August 13, 2012, the MBTA centralized its reduced-fare ticketing and pass sales into a newly created "CharlieCard Store" situated at Downtown Crossing. This air-conditioned space within the concourse provided services including special passes for seniors, individuals with disabilities, and the visually impaired; options for transferring value between different fare media; as well as standard pass purchases. Early operations experienced significant delays caused by technical difficulties and high customer volume. The store ceased operations on July 17, 2023, due to an air conditioning malfunction. Subsequently, a temporary facility was set up on July 27 at the State Transportation Building. The permanent "Charlie Service Center," located near State station, officially opened on July 29, 2024.