Packards Corner station
| Company type | Light rail station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
Area served | Allston neighborhood, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Products | Light rail transit service (Green Line B branch) |
| Website | www |
Packards Corner station (also announced as Brighton Avenue/Packards Corner) serves as a light rail stop on the MBTA's Green Line B branch. It is situated at the junction of Commonwealth Avenue and Brighton Avenue in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The station is located within the median, positioned between the westbound travel lanes and the frontage road along Commonwealth Avenue.
History
Just north of Packards Corner's platforms, the former Green Line A branch split off, with streetcars halting at separate platforms along Brighton Avenue. Between July and October 1949, the streetcar reservation on Brighton Avenue was removed, and the Watertown Line's side platforms were replaced by a single island platform. The A branch ceased operations on June 21, 1969, with bus route taking over service; however, tracks remained for non-revenue movements until their final discontinuation in 1994. A short section of track was retained into the mid-2000s to store disabled trains, with the last track segments removed during 2014 maintenance work.
During the Green Line renovations from 2001 to 2003, Packards Corner did not receive accessibility improvements. In 2019, the MBTA identified it as a "Tier I" priority for accessibility enhancements. Track maintenance conducted in 2018–19 prompted upgrades to accessibility features at multiple stops, including Packards Corner. By December 2022, design work for upgrades at this station and four other B Branch locations had reached 30% completion. Construction was anticipated to commence in spring 2024, preceding work at other B Branch stations.
A design proposal released in March 2024 recommended reconstructing platforms in their existing positions while introducing a new track crossing and pedestrian crosswalk connecting to the west sidewalk near the station’s southern end. In May 2024, the Federal Transit Administration granted $67 million to the MBTA to fund accessible platform construction at fourteen stops across the B and C branches, including Packards Corner. Additional stops were incorporated into the B branch project later that year. As of February 2025, the MBTA plans to issue a $74 million design-build contract for bidding by May 2025, with construction projected from fall 2025 through mid-2027.