Route 128 station

Route 128 station
Company type	Rail passenger station
Industry	Transportation
Founded	1953
Headquarters	Dedham and Westwood, United States
Area served	Massachusetts, New England, Northeast Corridor
Products	Rail transportation services (Amtrak and MBTA Commuter Rail)

Route 128 station—also referred to as Route 128/University Park—is a rail passenger facility positioned at the junction of the Northeast Corridor and Interstate 95/US Route 1/Route 128, near the eastern boundary of Dedham, Massachusetts and Westwood, Massachusetts. This station is jointly utilized by Amtrak and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), accommodating the majority of MBTA Commuter Rail Providence/Stoughton Line services as well as all Amtrak Northeast Regional and Acela intercity trains. It offers fully accessible platforms, station facilities, and a multi-level parking structure. In terms of passenger volume, it ranks as the 23rd busiest Amtrak station across the United States and holds the position of fifth busiest within New England.

The site’s rail history dates back to the 1850s when the Boston and Providence Railroad and its successors operated Green Lodge station there until the 1920s. The New Haven Railroad inaugurated Route 128 station in 1953 as a park-and-ride facility adjacent to the Route 128 expressway. The original station buildings were replaced in 1965. Amtrak took over intercity operations in 1971, while commuter rail service began receiving MBTA subsidies in 1973. From 1998 to 2000, Amtrak and MBTA collaborated on a comprehensive station reconstruction that introduced high-level platforms, a postmodern-style station building, and a four-story parking garage. The station has encouraged transit-oriented development in its vicinity but has faced challenges with escalator and elevator maintenance.

Station design

Located just south of the Route 128/I-95 beltway near the point where Canton, Dedham, and Westwood meet, Route 128 station lies roughly south of downtown Boston. It consists of two -long side platforms serving the dual tracks of the Northeast Corridor. These platforms are linked by a glass-enclosed pedestrian bridge that connects to the three-story postmodern station building on the west side. The ground floor contains an Amtrak waiting area; ticketing services are provided on the third floor; maintenance operations occupy the second floor.

Next to the station stands a four-level parking garage with a total capacity of 2,578 spaces. About 550 spots are designated for Amtrak passengers who may park overnight via an entrance on Blue Hill Drive; the remaining spaces cater to daily MBTA commuters with access from University Avenue. Amtrak parking is situated on the garage’s first level for convenient access to both the waiting room and southbound platform, whereas MBTA parking occupies upper levels that connect directly to the footbridge and northbound platform. Distinctively among MBTA stations, this facility accepts credit cards and E-ZPass transponders for parking payments. Ownership of the platforms and surrounding area belongs to Amtrak, while MBTA holds title to the parking garage and tracks.

Green Lodge station

The Boston and Providence Railroad (B&P) extended its line southward from Dedham Lodge to Canton on September 12, 1834. By 1857, B&P had established Green Lodge station near where Route 128 station now stands. The B&P was leased by the Old Colony Railroad in 1888 before coming under control of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1893. Green Lodge station ceased operations in the mid-1920s. Around 1932, during construction of what was then known as the Circumferential Highway (Route 128), a grade crossing was replaced by a road bridge at this location.

Route 128 station

The Route 128 station was inaugurated by the New Haven Railroad on April 26, 1953, occupying the site formerly known as Green Lodge. It was specifically designed to serve intercity travelers commuting from suburban areas via the newly constructed Route 128 expressway. The station included platforms and a parking facility accommodating 1,200 vehicles. Two prefabricated shelters functioned as waiting areas for passengers. Completed within a week and costing $300,000 (), it was one of the earliest park and ride facilities in the country and rapidly became favored by suburban commuters, who constituted the majority of its users by the 1980s.

In 1965, the initial structures were replaced with larger brick buildings located on the track's west side, resembling earlier stations such as Sharon station. A pedestrian overpass connecting to was added in 1971. Following the New Haven Railroad's merger into Penn Central in late 1968, Amtrak assumed control of intercity services on May 1, 1971, integrating this station into its Northeast Corridor mainline. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) progressively took over local commuter operations by acquiring Penn Central's southern lines and stations in January 1973 and began subsidizing services by June.

Around 1977, the Green Lodge Street bridge spanning the tracks was closed and eventually dismantled, though its abutments remain adjacent to the platforms. Efforts to reconstruct the bridge were postponed during the early 1990s due to budget constraints and local resistance; by 1998, no plans for a new bridge were in place. Between 1989 and 1994, Boston– trains serving stadium events made stops at this station before shifting to the Franklin Line in 1995.

Rebuilt station

Proposals from the late 1980s for constructing a parking garage and hotel at this location were abandoned following community opposition. By 1990, plans under the Northend Electrification Project incorporated accessible high-level platforms. Preliminary designs for a new station were finalized in June 1991. By 1995, parking demand frequently exceeded capacity, compelling commuters to utilize nearby street parking. In November 1997, the MBTA Board authorized replacing the outdated station with a four-level parking garage offering 2,750 spaces, superseding the existing surface lot that held 850 vehicles. Amtrak contributed $22.6 million toward the $43.2 million total cost, with the MBTA financing the remaining $20.6 million.

Work on new platforms commenced in August 1998. However, construction of the garage was delayed until 1999 due to concerns raised by Dedham and Westwood about potential wetland pollution from runoff; these towns requested a roof over the garage, which MBTA estimated would increase expenses by $1 million. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection gave approval for the project in December 1998. Despite ongoing disagreements, construction of the garage began in May 1999.

The initial portion of the garage providing 550 parking spaces opened on November 1, 1999; most remaining sections became operational on January 18, 2000. The updated station building, platforms, and pedestrian bridge were unveiled in 2000; older facilities were demolished that November. In December 2000, Amtrak's Acela Express started utilizing the high-level platforms.

Since the 1980s, the MBTA had envisioned transit-oriented development near this station. In 2006, two developers introduced a plan named Westwood Station comprising thirty buildings. The initiative encountered local opposition due to concerns about traffic and proximity to residential areas and was put on hold during the economic downturn. Construction recommenced in 2013 under a new name—University Station—and was largely completed by 2019. That same year, Citizens Bank committed to establishing an office building as a key commercial component of this development.

Parking challenges

The garage’s financial strategy depended significantly on revenue from users, which initially fell short of expectations. Consequently, parking charges were set higher than at other MBTA Commuter Rail stations, with the daily fee increasing from $1 to $3 at the time of opening. By October 2003, only around 1,000 parking spots were occupied, a situation partially attributed to these elevated costs. In July 2004, the MBTA attempted to monetize the garage’s visibility from Route 128/I-95 by offering sponsorship rights. The top level of the garage, whose opening had been postponed due to an environmental agreement involving Dedham and Westwood, finally became accessible around 2005 after completion of a ramp expansion project linking Route 128/I-95 eastbound to I-95 southbound.

Some drivers avoided paying by leaving their vehicles on the station’s eastern side along Green Lodge Street. The MBTA considered curbing this practice by blocking pedestrian access but abandoned the plan following opposition from local residents. Additionally, in November 2001, the Metropolitan District Commission shut down an unauthorized free dirt lot nearby over environmental pollution concerns; however, street parking in the vicinity continued. Starting in 2003, Canton implemented daily parking fees along Green Lodge Street.

In mid-2021, the MBTA awarded a contract valued at $11.1 million for repairs to the garage. The renovation work began in July of that year and was projected to conclude by the end of 2022.

Elevator and escalator difficulties

The elevators and escalators installed in 2000, which are critical for accessing platforms, quickly demonstrated reliability problems. By early 2013, the escalator on the southbound platform had failed and remained unrepaired due to insufficient funding. In early 2015, both the northbound escalator and one elevator also malfunctioned, leading Amtrak to initiate replacement efforts. On July 20, 2015, both elevators were taken out of service; during this period, Amtrak provided accessible shuttle transportation between the platforms and station building. Elevator service resumed on September 1, 2015, while escalators remained non-operational for several additional months. Similar reliability issues with elevators and escalators inside the station persisted over subsequent years. Amtrak’s exemption from state and local building codes allowed it to bypass standard elevator inspection protocols, contributing to ongoing maintenance difficulties.

Proposed modifications

Multiple proposals have been made to extend the Orange Line from to Route 128. The 1966 Program for Mass Transportation recommended splitting the Orange Line into branches serving either or , as well as another extending to or Route 128 via . Over the following twenty years, various studies continued suggesting extensions; however, high costs resulted in the 1987 Orange Line relocation along the Southwest Corridor terminating at Forest Hills. The 2004 Program for Mass Transportation included an extension to Route 128 with stops at , Hyde Park, and Readville, estimated at $342.8 million. This project was assigned low priority due to environmental challenges involving wetlands south of Readville and existing commuter rail services along that corridor.

Planning related to the Northend Electrification Project identified a requirement for a third track between Readville and Route 128 by 2008 to enable Amtrak trains to overtake MBTA trains. The 2010 Northeast Corridor Master Plan detailed medium-term Amtrak plans to install this third track west of the southbound platform, converting it into an island platform.

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