Valley Road station
Valley Road station is a light rail stop situated in Milton, Massachusetts, serving the MBTA's Mattapan Line, which operates as a branch of the Red Line. Positioned near Valley Road off Eliot Street, the station comprises two side platforms accommodating the line’s dual tracks. Notably, Valley Road stands as the sole station on this route lacking accessibility features.
History
The station commenced operations on December 21, 1929, alongside and during the Mattapan Line's second expansion phase. Unlike adjacent stations such as Capen Street (opened in 1930) and (opened in 1931), Valley Road was established at a new location rather than repurposing an existing railroad site. In 1932, there was a proposal by local authorities to construct a pedestrian bridge over the Neponset River to link the station with Boston Consumptives Hospital; however, this plan was never realized. Until 2016, pedestrians had to use the Harvest River Bridge, located approximately west, as the nearest river crossing.
From June 24, 2006, to December 22, 2007, the entire line was closed for extensive upgrades. Unlike other stops on the line, Valley Road did not receive accessibility improvements due to its hillside setting, which would have necessitated expensive ramp construction. By 2010, it recorded only 44 daily boardings, ranking as the second-least utilized station within MBTA rapid transit. Following a 2018 amendment to the settlement in Joanne Daniels-Finegold, et al. v. MBTA, the MBTA committed to evaluating potential accessibility enhancements at Valley Road.
Plans are underway by the MBTA to upgrade the Mattapan Line with modern light rail vehicles and elevated platforms designed for level boarding. As part of this initiative, Valley Road along with three other stations will be transformed to feature island platforms. The projected cost for renovating Valley Road station is $20.8 million as of 2023—approximately twice that of other intermediate stops along the line.