East Somerville station

East Somerville station

Company type	Light rail station
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	December 12, 2022 (2022-12-12)
Headquarters	Somerville, Massachusetts , United States
Products	Green Line light rail service (E branch)

East Somerville station is a light rail facility on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line, positioned in the southeastern part of Somerville, Massachusetts. This accessible station includes a single island platform that serves two tracks along the Medford Branch. It commenced operations on December 12, 2022, as an element of the Green Line Extension (GLX), which introduced two northern branches to the Green Line network, with service provided by the E branch.

Historically, the location was served by earlier railroad stations. The Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L) initially established a station at Milk Row during the mid-1800s, which was subsequently replaced by Prospect Hill station in the 1880s. This facility continued under the operation of the Boston and Maine Railroad, B&L’s successor, until its closure in 1927. Throughout the 20th century, various proposals for extending the Green Line included Washington Street as a potential intermediate stop. However, a distinct station proposed for the Brickbottom neighborhood was dismissed in 2008. By 2011, plans renamed the Washington Street station to Brickbottom.

In 2012, the MBTA pledged to open this station by 2017 and awarded a construction contract in 2013. Nevertheless, rising costs led to a reassessment of the project in 2015. A more modest station design was unveiled in 2016, alongside renaming the station to East Somerville later that year. Subsequently, a combined design and construction contract was issued in 2017. Construction work started in early 2020 and was mostly finalized by late 2021.

Station design

Located in southeast Somerville, East Somerville station is bordered by East Somerville to its northeast, the Inner Belt District to the southeast, Brickbottom to the south, and Union Square to the west. The station sits on an embankment roughly south of Washington Street and east of the McGrath Highway. It services the Medford Branch running north–south with two tracks flanking a single island platform. Near this point, the Lowell Line converges from the east and proceeds parallel northbound. The Somerville Community Path runs alongside the west side of the Medford Branch through this vicinity.

The island platform is approximately long and wide, positioned between Green Line tracks and fully sheltered by a canopy. It features an height suitable for accessible boarding on current light rail vehicles (LRVs), with infrastructure allowing elevation to for future level boarding compatible with Type 9 and 10 LRVs. The platform’s design also accommodates a potential extension up to . Access is provided via a plaza at the southern end of the platform that includes a level crossing over the southbound track. Additionally, a ramp links the eastbound Washington Street sidewalk with the Community Path at track level.

At the entrance plaza, there is a "Pedal and Park" bike cage offering 52 secured spaces along with racks accommodating another 20 bicycles. A small utility structure is positioned between tracks just south of this entrance behind fare vending machines. An emergency exit connects to the Community Path at the platform’s northern end. The station’s entryway is adorned with Domino Frame, In Tension, an artwork crafted from aluminum foam by artist Nader Tehrani.

Railroad station

The Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L) commenced operations between Boston and Lowell in 1835. Initially, passenger trains ran express services, but soon local stops such as Milk Row, located near Washington Street, were introduced. While some accounts suggest that Milk Row began service in 1835 as Somerville's inaugural railroad station, evidence indicates it more likely opened during the late 1840s. By 1846, trains on the Woburn Branch made flag stops close to Charles Tufts' property north of Milk Row. By 1852, all grade crossings within Somerville had been removed, with the railroad crossing Washington Street via a bridge. In 1862, this bridge was elevated and the embankments extended to allow for a widened street below.

In 1870, the Lexington Branch was redirected over the B&L tracks east of Somerville Junction, resulting in increased train service to Somerville Junction, Winter Hill, Milk Row, and East Cambridge. The Massachusetts Central Railroad began operating in 1881, utilizing the Lexington Branch and B&L lines to access Boston. Starting in June 1886, the B&L constructed a new station near Alston Street. The Prospect Hill station officially opened on May 16, 1887. Later that year, the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) acquired the B&L. The original Milk Row station building remained standing but unused until at least 1895.

By 1924, Prospect Hill station had fallen into disuse due to reduced passenger numbers, though trains continued to stop there. In 1926, B&M undertook construction work at North Station and expanded freight facilities, proposing to close East Cambridge and Prospect Hill stations as part of realigning the former B&L line into North Station. While opposition arose against East Cambridge’s closure, Prospect Hill’s shutdown faced little resistance because nearby Lechmere was served by streetcars as an alternative. The Public Utilities Commission approved these closures in March 1927; both stations ceased operations by May when trains were rerouted along the new alignment. As part of these changes, the Washington Street bridge was reconstructed. The Prospect Hill station building remained unused until at least 1933 before it was eventually demolished.

Previous plans

In 1922, the Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) inaugurated Lechmere station as a streetcar terminal within the Tremont Street subway. That same year, BERy proposed three new radial subway lines: one running alongside the Midland Branch through Dorchester, another branching from the Boylston Street subway beneath Huntington Avenue, and a third extending northwest from Lechmere Square through Somerville. The 1926 Report on Improved Transportation Facilities recommended extending service from Lechmere to North Cambridge and beyond by utilizing existing rail corridors, with Washington Street identified as an intermediate stop.

The state Coolidge Commission's 1945 report suggested nine suburban rapid transit extensions similar to those proposed in 1926. Among these was an extension from Lechmere to Woburn via the Southern Division line including a stop at Washington Street. The 1962 North Terminal Area Study proposed abandoning the elevated section between Lechmere and North Station and relocating what is now known as the Orange Line along the Boston and Maine Western Route while adding a branch line toward Arlington or Woburn via the Southern Division.

Established in 1964 to enhance suburban commuter rail and rapid transit services, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rebranded the Tremont Street subway and its associated lines as the Green Line in 1965. The following year’s Program for Mass Transportation prioritized extending the Green Line approximately from Lechmere to Washington Street, proposing to truncate New Hampshire Division commuter rail service at Washington Street. A subsequent phase envisioned further extension reaching either Mystic Valley Parkway or West Medford.

The 1972 Boston Transportation Planning Review assigned a lower priority status to a Green Line extension from Lechmere further northwest. In 1980, MBTA conducted studies on a "Green Line Northwest Corridor" stretching from Lechmere toward Medford, exploring potential extensions beyond Lechmere to locations such as Tufts University or .

Station planning

An agreement reached in 1991 between the state and the Conservation Law Foundation, which resolved litigation concerning vehicle emissions from the Big Dig, included a commitment to build a "Green Line Extension To Ball Square/Tufts University". However, no advancements were made until a revised agreement emerged in 2005. That year, the Beyond Lechmere Northwest Corridor Study, a Major Investment Study and alternatives analysis, examined several light rail and bus rapid transit extension options; the three leading proposals featured an extension terminating at , with Washington Street as an intermediate stop.

In October 2006, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works filed an Expanded Environmental Notification Form (EENF) that identified a Green Line extension branching to Medford and Union Square as the preferred plan. By December, environmental regulators requested that a Brickbottom/Twin Cities Plaza station be included in the draft environmental impact report (DEIR). Initial 2008 designs incorporated both a Washington Street station located north of its namesake street and a Brickbottom station positioned north of Fitchburg Street.

In May 2008, the MBTA updated its proposal to consolidate into one Brickbottom station situated south of Washington Street, aiming to lower costs and reduce travel time. This placement also allowed for potential future entrances aligned with redevelopment plans. The DEIR published in October 2009 confirmed that ridership projections for this single station closely matched those estimated for two separate stations. Early DEIR layouts placed the entrance off Joy Street, with part of the lobby extending beneath the southbound track. Plans also included the Somerville Community Path extension crossing over the station headhouse.

By May 2011, revised designs shifted the platform northward with access from Washington Street, prompting a renaming of the station to Washington Street. In February 2012, plans moved the platform back south and featured an elongated headhouse connecting directly to Washington Street; additionally, the Community Path was designed to run at track level through a tunnel beneath the tracks. A June 2013 update eliminated a mechanical penthouse and adjusted lobby configurations.

In September 2013, MassDOT awarded a $393 million contract covering Phase 2/2A construction—encompassing Lechmere station, Union Square Branch and station, and the initial segment of the Medford Branch up to Washington Street—with station openings anticipated in early 2017. Station design was finalized by late 2014.

Redesign

In August 2015, project costs for Phase 2A were revealed by the MBTA to have escalated from $387 million to $898 million, triggering a thorough reassessment of the Green Line Extension (GLX). By December 2015, contracts with four firms were terminated and no new contracts were awarded while existing construction continued. Considerations included canceling the project or implementing cost reductions such as potentially removing the Union Square Branch.

In May 2016, boards of MassDOT and MBTA approved a scaled-back, value-engineered version of the project aimed at cutting expenses. Station designs were simplified to resemble surface stops on the Green Line D branch by eliminating canopies, faregates, escalators, and some elevators. The headhouse at Washington Street station was removed in favor of a ramp entrance. The Community Path extension was truncated to terminate at Washington Street. These cost-saving measures faced criticism from community members and local officials who expressed concerns about reduced accessibility—particularly due to lengthy ramps replacing elevators at Union Square and East Somerville stations.

By December 2016, MBTA set a new target opening date for 2021 and renamed Washington Street station as East Somerville. In November 2017, a design-build contract was awarded including six additive options intended to restore features cut during value engineering, such as full-length canopies at all stations. Design progress advanced from zero percent completion in March 2018 to ninety-five percent by October 2019.

Construction and inauguration

As a component of the Green Line Extension project, the historic rail bridge spanning Washington Street, nearly 100 years old, was reconstructed to support multiple uses: the Community Path, two tracks for the Green Line, two Lowell Line tracks, and a freight bypass track. This reconstruction necessitated the closure of Washington Street between Joy Street and Tufts Street, resulting in the rerouting of MBTA bus routes 86, 91, and CT2. The street closure commenced on April 8, 2019. The initial steel beams were installed on August 24, 2019. While the original schedule anticipated two separate closures in 2019 and 2020 to address each half of the bridge independently, these were consolidated into a single continuous closure. Washington Street reopened to traffic on May 31, 2020; however, construction activities on the bridge and sidewalks persisted throughout that year. Enhancements to drainage included the addition of a new pump station at Washington Street designed to alleviate flooding issues associated with the former Millers River.

Work on the station itself began by April 2020, with the concrete platform completed in August. During excavation efforts, an old flatcar was uncovered near the construction area. Canopy steelwork commenced in November 2020 and was finalized by March 2021. Initial proposals envisioned extending the D Branch to reach Medford/Tufts, but by April 2021, the MBTA revised this plan, assigning service on the Medford Branch to the E Branch.

By March 2021, the anticipated opening date was set for December 2021, though subsequent delays postponed it first to May 2022, then further into "late summer" of that year. Testing of trains began in May 2022, with an additional postponement announced in August pushing the opening to November 2022. Ultimately, the Medford Branch—including East Somerville station—officially commenced service on December 12, 2022.

In 2023, MBTA outlined plans to establish connections from East Somerville station eastward into the Inner Belt neighborhood. Initially, this involved an at-grade crossing at the station itself, followed by plans for a pedestrian footbridge near Poplar Street. Progress toward these improvements was aided by a preliminary agreement with a neighboring landowner to allow expansion of adjacent rail yard facilities. The Inner Belt road access featuring an at-grade crossing opened on May 2, 2025. Moreover, floating bus platforms were introduced at New Washington Street in November 2024.