Mystic Valley Parkway station
| Company type | Proposed light rail station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | Proposed (date not specified) |
| Headquarters | Somerville , United States |
| Products | Light rail transit service (Green Line E branch) |
Mystic Valley Parkway station, also referred to as Route 16 station, is a proposed light rail stop on the MBTA Green Line located in Somerville, Massachusetts. It is intended to be part of a subsequent third phase of the Green Line Extension (GLX). The design plans call for a single island platform serving the two tracks of the E branch.
Railroad station
The Boston and Lowell Railroad began operations through Somerville and Medford in 1835, crossing the Middlesex Canal just south of West Medford—a canal that was later filled following its failure. In 1852, the original wooden bridge spanning the Mystic River at West Medford was replaced by a stone arch bridge, which was subsequently encased in concrete. During 1907–08, a reinforced concrete arch bridge was constructed as part of the Mystic Valley Parkway project at a cost of $30,000; this structure now carries the railroad tracks approximately 30 feet above the parkway.
Passenger stops in the area emerged over time. By 1846, Medford Steps station at South Street (currently Winthrop Street) served local trains on the Woburn Branch. Initially located within a room of an existing house and named after the stairway leading to the tracks, a dedicated station building was erected around 1875. Although originally intended to be called Walnut Hill, community preference led to adopting the name Medford Hillside around August 27, 1876.
Frederick Stark Pearson took on the role of station agent in 1877 at age 16 and remained until approximately 1880 while studying at Tufts College. The initial station building was moved twice due to infrastructure modifications related to constructing Mystic Valley Parkway.
The Winthrop Street bridge adjacent to the station was reconstructed in 1920 during street widening efforts. In 1946, fire damaged both the station building and nearby wooden sidewalks. Positioned within a cut at the base of College Hill, the tracks were occasionally obstructed by debris during storms; notably, heavy rainfall from Hurricane Diane in 1955 caused a derailment at this location.
In April 1958, the Public Utilities Commission authorized significant reductions to Boston and Maine Railroad commuter services, resulting in the closure of North Somerville, Tufts College, and Medford Hillside stations. These stations ceased operations on May 18, 1958. The original Medford Hillside station building no longer exists.
Green Line station
The initially planned Green Line stop was excluded from the list of stations opening in 2022; instead, service on the E branch will terminate at Medford/Tufts station near College Avenue. The state maintained that this extension fulfilled its legal obligation to address Big Dig-related air pollution by extending service to Medford Hillside.
In 2011, funding was allocated by the Boston MPO for extending the Green Line from College Avenue to Route 16 during the period from 2016 to 2020. However, due to substantial cost overruns triggering a budget shortfall, these funds were reallocated. Despite this, plans for a Route 16 station remain active with environmental reviews ongoing as of 2017.
That year, the MBTA submitted a Notice of Project Change proposing a revised ground-level station design at Mystic Valley Parkway (Route 16) aimed at reducing costs. The original concept featured an elevated two-story platform aligned with commuter rail tracks crossing over the Mystic River. The updated plan includes enclosed bicycle storage facilities but omits automobile parking provisions.