Gilman Square station
| Company type | Light rail station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | December 12, 2022 |
| Headquarters | Somerville , United States |
Area served | Somerville, Massachusetts |
| Products | Green Line (MBTA) service (E branch) |
Gilman Square station is a light rail facility on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line, located at Gilman Square within Somerville, Massachusetts. This accessible stop features a single island platform that serves two tracks on the Medford Branch. It commenced operations on December 12, 2022, as a component of the Green Line Extension (GLX), which introduced two new northern branches to the Green Line, with service provided by the E branch.
Historically, the location was served by railroad stations. The Boston and Lowell Railroad inaugurated Winter Hill station in 1863, which was reconstructed between 1886 and 1888, and managed by the Boston and Maine Railroad until its closure in 1937. Throughout the 20th century, multiple Green Line expansion plans proposed Winter Hill as an intermediate stop. The GLX officially designated Gilman Square station for this site in 2008. Following budget overruns that led to a project reassessment in 2015, a more modest station design was unveiled in 2016. Subsequently, a design and construction contract was awarded in 2017. Construction kicked off in early 2020 and reached near completion by late 2021.
Station design
Situated between School Street and Medford Street in Somerville’s Gilman Square neighborhood, Gilman Square station lies adjacent to Somerville City Hall and Somerville High School. The Lowell Line traverses the area on a northwest–southeast axis, with the two-track Medford Branch of the Green Line positioned just south of it. The station consists of a single island platform measuring long and wide, positioned between the Green Line tracks and fully sheltered by a canopy.
The platform stands at a height suitable for accessible boarding on existing light rail vehicles (LRVs), with infrastructure designed to be elevated further to accommodate future level boarding for Type 9 and Type 10 LRVs. Provisions also exist for potential extension of the platform length. Both tracks and platform are located below street level.
The Somerville Community Path runs along street level beside the southern edge of the rail corridor. Access points include entrances from the School Street bridge at the platform’s western end and from the Community Path at the eastern end; both feature stairs and elevators to ensure accessibility. Adjacent to the Community Path entrance is a "Pedal and Park" bicycle cage offering 100 spaces, supplemented by 40 additional bike racks. The Pearl Street Traction Power Substation is positioned northeast of the station along Medford Street.
Railroad station
The Boston and Lowell Railroad began operations between Boston and Lowell in 1835, later adding local stops along its route. By 1852, Medford Street crossed over the railroad via a bridge, followed by construction of the School Street bridge in 1856. Winter Hill station opened at Gilman Square in Somerville on January 1, 1863; shortly thereafter, a dedicated station building was erected. (Previously, Winter Hill Steps had served as a flag stop on Woburn Branch trains since 1846.) The initial wooden station was situated north of the tracks just west of Medford Street.
In 1870, routing changes placed the Lexington Branch over the Boston and Lowell line east of Somerville Junction, increasing service frequency to Somerville Junction, Winter Hill, Milk Row, and East Cambridge. The Massachusetts Central Railroad began utilizing these tracks as its Boston access point starting in 1881. The name Gilman Square honors Charles E. Gilman, Somerville’s first town and city clerk, who formerly worked for the B&L and issued its first ticket between Boston and Lowell.
A new stone foundation for a station was established on the track’s south side in 1886. After acquiring B&L in 1887, the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) opened a new red marble ashlar station in 1888; meanwhile, the old wooden building was converted into residences near Magoun Square. The waiting room notably included a marble fireplace. On February 3, 1898, an accident at Winter Hill station injured approximately forty passengers.
Passenger numbers declined as streetcar usage grew—especially following completion of the Lechmere Viaduct in 1912 which shortened downtown travel times significantly. Winter Hill’s ticket office ceased operations in 1926. On April 25, 1927, after reconnecting the Lexington Branch with the Fitchburg Line, the previous line west of Somerville Junction became freight-only as part of the Fitchburg Cutoff; this change led to closure of nearby stations including Prospect Hill and East Cambridge.
Efforts to sell Winter Hill’s station building for alternative uses proved unsuccessful; due to vandalism concerns it was demolished during July–August 1934. A limited number of trains continued stopping there until February 19, 1937. The stone foundation subsequently housed electrical equipment until Green Line Extension construction commenced in 2018.
During the late 1960s and early ’70s, MBTA reopened several commuter rail stations within inner suburbs to provide faster bus alternatives. Although Winter Hill was considered for reopening in 1976, anticipated ridership was minimal because of nearby bus services , , , and 94.
Earlier Proposals
The Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) inaugurated Lechmere station in 1922, serving as the terminus for streetcar operations within the Tremont Street subway. That same year, BERy envisioned three additional radial subway lines: one running alongside the Midland Branch through Dorchester, another branching off from the Boylston Street subway beneath Huntington Avenue, and a third extending northwestward from Lechmere Square into Somerville. The 1926 Report on Improved Transportation Facilities recommended a stretch from Lechmere to North Cambridge and beyond, utilizing the Southern Division and the cutoff constructed in 1870, with Winter Hill designated as an intermediate stop.
In 1945, the Coolidge Commission at the state level proposed nine suburban rapid transit expansions largely reflecting the 1926 blueprint, including a Lechmere to Woburn line along the Southern Division with Winter Hill as a station. The 1962 North Terminal Area Study suggested removing the elevated segment between Lechmere and North Station and rerouting the Main Line (now known as the Orange Line) via the B&M Western Route, incorporating a branch that would follow the Southern Division toward Arlington or Woburn.
Established in 1964 to support suburban commuter rail funding and rapid transit growth, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rebranded the Tremont Street subway along with its connecting routes as the Green Line in 1965. The MBTA’s 1966 Program for Mass Transportation emphasized a brief extension from Lechmere to Washington Street, followed by a subsequent phase extending to either Mystic Valley Parkway (Route 16) or West Medford.
The 1972 final report from the Boston Transportation Planning Review categorized a Green Line extension from Lechmere as lower priority, a stance maintained in later plans. In 1980, the MBTA examined the "Green Line Northwest Corridor" stretching from to Medford, including potential extensions beyond Lechmere towards Tufts University or .
Station Development
A 1991 settlement between the state and the Conservation Law Foundation, resolving litigation over vehicle emissions linked to the Big Dig, committed to building a "Green Line Extension To Ball Square/Tufts University". However, no tangible progress was made until an updated agreement emerged in 2005. That year’s Beyond Lechmere Northwest Corridor Study, serving as a Major Investment Study/alternatives analysis, reviewed options including light rail, bus rapid transit, and commuter rail expansions—all featuring a Gilman Square station at the former Winter Hill location. The top-rated proposals extended to , incorporating Gilman Square as an intermediate stop.
In October 2006, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works submitted an Expanded Environmental Notification Form (EENF) endorsing a Green Line extension with branches to Medford and Union Square as preferred alternatives. By December, the Secretary of Environmental Affairs mandated that Lowell Line stations at and Gilman Square be assessed within the draft environmental impact report (DEIR). Early plans from 2008 depicted a Green Line platform situated between School Street and Medford Street without provisions for a commuter rail platform.
When planned station locations were announced in May 2008, only one site was considered for Gilman Square station—between School Street and Medford Street. The October 2009 DEIR did not endorse adding commuter rail platforms at Gilman Square or Tufts University due to right-of-way limitations affecting nearby properties. Initial DEIR designs placed the main entrance on Medford Street near Pearl Street, included an additional Community Path entrance on the south side, and featured an emergency exit leading to School Street.
Revised plans released in May 2011 eliminated the direct Community Path entrance but added a footbridge and a kiss and ride loop adjacent to the headhouse. By February 2012, designs incorporated a second headhouse level, reinstated direct access from the Community Path, relocated bike storage southwest of the tracks, and included a traction power substation near School Street. As of June 2013—when design was approximately 60% complete—the Medford Street headhouse was downsized, the Community Path entrance expanded, and the substation moved underground. Design work paused while Phase 2/2A stations (, , ) received priority but resumed in fall 2014, reaching about 90% completion by June 2015.
By 2012, construction completion for the Medford Branch segment between Gilman Square and College Avenue was anticipated by June 2019. Consideration was given that year to establishing a temporary Gilman Square commuter rail station as interim air quality mitigation due to Green Line Extension delays; however, MassDOT rejected this option citing excessive costs and missed deadlines.
Redesign
In August 2015, the MBTA disclosed significant budget overruns for the Green Line Extension (GLX), leading to a thorough reassessment of the project. By December of that year, the MBTA ended contracts with four companies and paused awarding new contracts, although ongoing construction work continued. To manage costs, options such as canceling the project or eliminating certain branches were explored.
In May 2016, both the MassDOT and MBTA boards approved a revised GLX plan that integrated value engineering strategies aimed at cost reduction. Station designs were simplified to mirror surface-level stations on the Green Line D branch, which involved removing elements like canopies, faregates, escalators, and some elevators—for example, Gilman Square station’s elevator count was decreased from two to one.
By December 2016, a new target opening year of 2021 was established by the MBTA. Subsequently, in November 2017, a design-build contract was awarded that included six additive options to reinstate features previously cut during value engineering—such as full-length canopies and an additional elevator at Gilman Square. Station design advanced from 30% completion in March 2018 to full completion by October 2019.
Construction
Prior to the GLX project, both road bridges near the station had been reconstructed: the Medford Street bridge originally built in 1910 was rebuilt in 1983, and the School Street bridge dating from around 1900 was replaced in 2001. Nonetheless, both bridges required further alterations for GLX integration. From February 2015 to September 2016, the Medford Street bridge was reduced to a single vehicle lane and one sidewalk to accommodate a temporary utility bridge; similar partial closures took place on the School Street bridge during 2015.
Subsequent modifications added an extra span behind each bridge’s south abutment to allow for the southbound Green Line track. The Medford Street bridge closed for renovation starting May 17, 2019—impacting MBTA bus route —followed by the School Street bridge closure in April 2020. Due to project delays, these closures overlapped rather than occurring consecutively. Steel installation for the new School Street span occurred on February 25, 2021, with Medford Street following on March 18. A temporary pedestrian bridge adjacent to School Street remained until May 8, 2021; the main bridge reopened for foot and bicycle traffic on August 24.
The structurally unsound Homans Building—a former food distribution center located north of the station—was demolished to make space for the traction power substation and construction access routes. A concrete lion's head carving—the Monarch Foods emblem from the building constructed in 1929—was preserved for display near the station. In September 2018, a silicone mold was created before removal and storage of the artifact. Demolition activities took place between March 18 and April 6, 2019.
By February 2020, construction had begun on both the substation and a retaining wall. Station construction commenced in June 2020; by August, work on the platform foundation and south headhouse was underway. The concrete platform was poured late in 2020. The east elevator shaft was erected on March 30, 2021, followed by platform canopy assembly; installation of the west elevator shaft occurred on June 19.
Initial plans envisioned extending the Green Line D Branch to Medford/Tufts. However, in April 2021, MBTA announced that service to the Medford Branch would be provided by the Green Line E Branch instead. As of March 2021, opening was anticipated for December but delays pushed this back first to May 2022 and then into late summer of that year. Train testing began in May 2022. The Medford Street bridge reopened on July 1, with School Street following on December 8. In August, another delay postponed opening until November. The Medford Branch including Gilman Square station officially commenced service on December 12, 2022.