Kendall/MIT station

Kendall/MIT station

Company type	Rapid transit station
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	March 1912 (1912-03)
Headquarters	Cambridge, Massachusetts , United States
Products	MBTA Red Line service
Website	www.mbta.com/stops/place-kend

Kendall/MIT station (displayed simply as Kendall) is a subterranean rapid transit facility situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts, served by the MBTA Red Line. Positioned at the intersection of Main Street and Broadway, it caters to the Kendall Square commercial area and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The station commenced operations in March 1912 as a segment of the original Cambridge subway line. It consists of two side platforms flanking two tracks. The Kendall Band, an interactive public art piece comprising hand-operated musical sculptures, is installed between the tracks with controls accessible from each platform. Fully accessible, Kendall/MIT recorded an average of 17,018 weekday boardings in fiscal year 2019, ranking it fourth in ridership among MBTA subway stations.

Station design

Kendall/MIT station includes two underground side platforms that serve the Red Line’s east–west running tracks beneath Main Street. The principal entrances are located midblock between Broadway and Ames Street, supplemented by smaller access points near Broadway. Elevators at the main entryways provide full accessibility. The inbound entrance features two slanted glass entryways and glass elevator shafts beneath a sharply angled canopy upheld by slender columns.

Several MBTA bus lines serve this station. The CT2 route stops on Ames Street near Main Street just northwest of Kendall/MIT; additional bus lines have stops along Main Street adjacent to the primary station entrances. The EZRide shuttle, which connects Cambridge with CambridgeSide mall, Lechmere station, and North Station, also picks up passengers on Ames Street.

Kendall Band

Between 1986 and 1988, artist Paul Matisse created and installed Kendall Band, an interactive musical sculpture located within Kendall/MIT station. Situated between the Red Line tracks, this artwork was funded with $90,000 through the Arts on the Line initiative. The piece comprises three musical instruments—Pythagoras, Kepler, and Galileo—which are operated by levers positioned on both subway platforms. Although Paul Matisse maintained the installation for many years, it eventually deteriorated. Restoration efforts began in 2010, led by MIT students, with partial functionality of Pythagoras restored by May 2011.

History

The Cambridge subway began service on March 23, 1912, running from Park Street Under to , including stops at Central and Kendall. From the early 1900s through the 1970s, the MBTA operated a powerhouse above ground in Kendall Square that housed rotary converters responsible for converting AC power into 600 volts DC to supply the third rail system. Despite being superseded by semiconductor rectifiers technologically, these electromechanical converters occupied valuable real estate in Kendall Square. Eventually, the powerhouse was demolished and replaced with an office building located at Broadway and Main Street.

Station renaming and renovations

Within a span of seven years, the MBTA altered the station's name three separate times. On August 7, 1978, it was designated Kendall/MIT to highlight its closeness to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Later, on December 2, 1982, Columbia station received a new name, and Kendall/MIT was renamed Cambridge Center/MIT after the adjacent Cambridge Center development; however, many signs remained unchanged. This abrupt renaming drew public criticism due to limited community involvement and concerns about confusion with the nearby Red Line stop at Central Square. Subsequently, on June 26, 1985, the station's name was restored to Kendall/MIT as part of a wider initiative to rename stations.

During the 1980s, the MBTA undertook reconstruction at Kendall/MIT and other Red Line stops to support six-car train operations and enhance accessibility by installing elevators. The upgraded station was officially reopened in October 1987, with six-car trains commencing service on January 21, 1988. Throughout the renovation period, temporary artworks were displayed under the Arts on the Line initiative, including a staged cafe setting.

The reconstruction of the primary southbound headhouse is integrated into the Kendall Square Initiative development. Utility installations began in mid-2020, followed by excavation work in October. Partial closure of the existing headhouse occurred in November 2020 to facilitate interim construction activities. A temporary southbound headhouse opened its doors on January 22, 2022, with the permanent facility becoming operational on February 11, 2023.

The northbound headhouse is undergoing redevelopment in conjunction with the adjacent project at 325 Main Street. This new glass-encased structure will feature redundant elevator systems and a roof that forms part of an elevated public plaza. Construction started in July 2022. By June 2024, a temporary outbound headhouse within 325 Main Street was completed; demolition of the old headhouse and steel framework erection were finished by July 2024. This provisional facility includes an art installation by Mount Holyoke professor Ligia Bouton celebrating Henrietta Swan Leavitt’s discovery of the period-luminosity relation for Cepheid variable stars.

As of , completion of the new permanent northbound headhouse is anticipated by August 2025.

Circumferential transit service

Kendall/MIT was identified as a potential stop on the Urban Ring, which was a proposed circumferential bus rapid transit (BRT) route intended to link existing radial MBTA rail lines and alleviate congestion at downtown stations. Initial plans from 2008 proposed surface-level BRT platforms along Main Street at Kendall/MIT. However, this project was discontinued in 2010.

In 2012, state authorities explored rerouting some Framingham/Worcester Line commuter rail trains to North Station via the Grand Junction Railroad, including consideration for a new commuter rail stop at Kendall. The projected $7.5 million station would have included a single platform situated between Main Street and Massachusetts Avenue. Due to concerns raised by Cambridge regarding traffic disruptions caused by grade crossings, this proposal was not advanced by the MBTA. The concept resurfaced in 2014 within plans for an Indigo Line system featuring frequent DMU service; however, this plan was abandoned in 2015 due to budget constraints.

A report published in 2019 forecasted that daily ridership at Kendall Square would increase to approximately 30,000 by 2040, thereby heightening demand for supplemental service along the Grand Junction corridor and other routes.

As of 2024, two prospective sites for a Broadway station along the Grand Junction Branch are being evaluated—one located north and another south of Broadway. This station would provide connectivity with Kendall/MIT, particularly if the southern location is selected.

External links

• MBTA - Kendall Station
• Google Maps Street View: outbound headhouse, inbound headhouse, additional entrances