North Station (subway)
| Company type | Subway station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1898 |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts , United States |
| Products | Subway services (Green Line, Orange Line) |
North Station is a subterranean MBTA subway facility located in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line and Orange Line, and offers a connection to the adjacent surface-level terminal utilized by MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak. The station provides full accessible features.
The original street-level streetcar terminal at Causeway Street began operations in 1898 to accommodate the Tremont Street subway, which later evolved into the Green Line. In 1901, an elevated station was constructed for the Main Line (now known as the Orange Line) as part of the Charlestown Elevated. A second elevated station was added in 1912 through the Causeway Street elevated, extending the reach of the Tremont Street subway. The Orange Line was moved underground in 1975 during the Haymarket North Extension initiative. The addition of Green Line platforms in 2004 transformed North Station into a significant transit "superstation."
Station layout
Positioned beneath Haverhill Street between Causeway Street and Valenti Way, North Station comprises two subterranean levels. The upper level contains fare control facilities and a side platform designated for northbound Green Line trains. The lower level features an island platform serving southbound Green Line and Orange Line trains, facilitating convenient cross-platform transfer, along with a separate side platform for northbound Orange Line trains. An underground passageway links the upper level directly to the surface terminal.
Elevated stations
In the 1890s, during planning for the Tremont Street subway, proposals included a ramp ascending to street level with a terminal equipped with loops or crossovers to reverse streetcars. The Boston Transit Commission constructed a four-track incline: the inner pair of tracks rose to street level, while the outer pair led to an underground loop station. This arrangement allowed streetcars from Charlestown and Cambridge to terminate at Scollay Square station and Adams Square station, while others completed loops at North Station.
The Boston Elevated Railway intended to link the subway with its developing Charlestown Elevated, resulting in abandonment of the underground station concept. All four tracks utilized the Canal Street incline, culminating in a surface terminal at Causeway Street. The Main Line Elevated debuted in 1901 with an elevated station at North Union Station, running south through Tremont Street subway, north along Charlestown Elevated, and east via Atlantic Avenue Elevated. By 1908, this elevated line was routed into its own tunnel. Just south of North Station lay the Canal Street incline, connecting Tremont Street subway (now part of the Green Line) with Charlestown Elevated (later incorporated into the Orange Line).
The Causeway Street Elevated commenced service in 1912, featuring an elevated streetcar station over Causeway Street that included a single-track platform dedicated to Atlantic Avenue Elevated shuttle trains. Following a Beach Street accident in 1928, Atlantic Avenue Elevated service was curtailed to a shuttle running between North and South Stations; it ceased operations entirely in 1938 and was dismantled by 1942, although the shuttle platform remained intact.
On June 11, 1959, an explosive device detonated inside a locker at the Main Line Elevated station, resulting in one fatality among M.T.A. personnel and causing suspension of service for that day. Despite initial concerns, tracks reopened the following day. Several additional bomb threats were reported afterward; however, no further explosives were discovered. Approximately one month prior, an explosion involving a gas line near North Station injured around 50 individuals.
Subway station
In April 1975, the Orange Line was relocated underground as part of the Haymarket North Extension initiative. The Charlestown Elevated structure was dismantled that same year, while the disused elevated North Station remained standing until its demolition in 1976. The Canal Street loop ceased operations on June 18, 1977, and reopened on December 15 as a three-track terminal designed for new light rail vehicles. Due to budget reductions, the west entrance of the elevated Green Line station was closed on January 3, 1981.
A state agreement with a developer in February 1993, connected to the Boston Garden replacement project, granted the MBTA rights for constructing a Green Line tunnel beneath the arena and an integrated underground "superstation" serving both Green and Orange lines. The surface terminal of the Green Line C branch at Canal Street was permanently closed on March 28, 1997, to facilitate tunnel construction. Accessibility features such as elevators were added to the Orange Line station in 2001. During the building of the new underground station, temporary measures improved accessibility at the elevated Green Line stop.
On June 25, 2004, Green Line trains ceased using the Causeway Street Elevated; by June 28, service shifted to the newly built underground "superstation" shared with the Orange Line. Southbound trains from both lines utilize an island platform, while northbound Green Line trains stop at a mezzanine level. North Station functioned as the Green Line terminus until November 12, 2005, when service resumed through a newly constructed tunnel. The construction of this station cost $262 million. Early in 2005, a pedestrian tunnel beneath Causeway Street featuring a new entrance building opened. An installation titled Currents by Gary Duehr—consisting of a sequence of 120 sepia photographs—was placed behind the southbound Green Line track.
The MBTA subway entrance on the north side of Causeway Street closed permanently on January 2, 2016; it was replaced by an underground connection that opened on January 6, 2019. On June 24, 2019, the MBTA awarded a $29.7 million contract covering cleaning, wayfinding signage updates, and various enhancements at North Station and adjacent stations. The replacement of approximately of flooring with terrazzo was completed by April 2021, with all related work finalized by June that year. Future plans include installing elevators linking both Orange Line platforms to the fare mezzanine to provide redundant access points. In April 2020, a $10.5 million design contract was awarded for Arlington, North Station, and Sullivan Square; design efforts for North Station concluded in late 2023.
On May 24, 2020, bus substitutions replaced service to and , due to ongoing Green Line Extension construction, making North Station the northern terminus for Green Line routes. The D branch extended its service to North Station on October 24, 2021; concurrently, the C branch was shortened back to Government Center in preparation for this extension’s launch. Service on the E branch north of North Station resumed on March 21, 2022, extending to . The station underwent closure during August and September of 2022 amid simultaneous Orange and Green Line shutdowns. Following these events, the D branch extended further to Union Square; meanwhile, E branch trains primarily operated between Union Square or Lechmere until December 12, 2022, when service expanded onto a second branch reaching .