Wollaston station
| Company type | Rapid transit station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | September 1971 |
| Headquarters | Quincy, Massachusetts , United States |
| Products | MBTA Red Line service |
Wollaston station serves as a rapid transit station in Quincy, Massachusetts, operating on the MBTA's Red Line. Situated within the Wollaston area, it commenced service in September 1971 during the initial South Shore Extension, taking the place of a former mainline rail station that was active from 1845 until 1959. From January 8, 2018, through August 16, 2019, the station underwent upgrades including flood prevention measures and improvements to accessibility.
Old Colony Railroad
The Old Colony Railroad began running through Quincy in November 1845.[1] Multiple local stops were established, among them Wollaston (also called Wollaston Heights) located at Beale Street. In 1877, a substantial station featuring a clock tower was constructed on the west side (inbound) of the tracks.[2]Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name After being acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1893, the Old Colony Railroad transitioned from left-hand to right-hand track operation in 1895; that same year, the depot was relocated to the east side.[1][2]Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Following World War II, passenger ridership decreased significantly, prompting New Haven to consider abandoning the line by the late 1950s. Temporary subsidies during Southeast Expressway construction allowed service to continue briefly, but all passenger trains serving Wollaston and the Old Colony network ceased operations on June 30, 1959.[1]
Red Line
Proposals for extending rapid transit along the Old Colony corridor existed prior to 1959, with recommendations in the 1926 Report on Improved Transportation Facilities and the 1945–47 Coolidge Commission Report advocating for a Red Line branch paralleling the Old Colony mainline to Braintree. The MBTA acquired ownership of the Old Colony right-of-way between South Boston and South Braintree in 1965. Construction began following the 1966 Program for Mass Transportation, leading to Wollaston station’s opening alongside and stations on September 1, 1971.
The principal access to Wollaston is through a sizable parking area off Beale Avenue, with an additional entrance located on Newport Avenue. As one of the few elevated rapid transit stations remaining within the MBTA network, Wollaston features an elevated platform paired with a below-grade lobby that historically has been susceptible to flooding during intense rainfall; a significant flood event in July 1988 left about 100 passengers stranded.
At first, reinstating commuter rail service seemed improbable, so only one non-rapid-transit track intended for freight use was retained along the narrow elevated structure. Nevertheless, commuter rail service resumed on the Old Colony Lines in 1997 and later on the Greenbush Line in 2007. Due to limited space within densely built Quincy neighborhoods near Wollaston, adding a second commuter rail track poses substantial challenges, resulting in a major bottleneck affecting South Shore commuter rail traffic.
Renovated station
Because the Red Line’s Braintree extension was constructed before the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, some stations initially lacked accessibility features. By the early 2010s, all other Red Line stations had been upgraded for accessibility compliance. The MBTA initiated plans to renovate Wollaston station to improve accessibility and resolve flooding issues; design development advanced from 15% completion in July 2014 to full design by July 2016.
Early proposals featured accessible headhouses at both ends connected by pedestrian bridges; however, the finalized design consolidated these into one larger headhouse. The former lobby area was converted into an accessible passageway linking parking areas with Newport Avenue and included a separate fare control zone along with elevator access to the platform.
The primary contract valued at $71.6 million—also encompassing demolition of a closed parking garage at Quincy Center station—was open for bidding between April and June 2017. A $67.867 million contract award was finalized on June 19.
Construction was planned from July 2017 through June 2020 and required closing Wollaston station for approximately twenty months starting January 8, 2018; bus shuttles operated connecting riders to North Quincy station during this period. Although initially delayed to coordinate with Quincy Center demolition activities, the closure commenced as scheduled on January 8, 2018. The station officially reopened on August 16, 2019.
External links
- Pages with reference errors
- Articles with short description
- Red Line (MBTA) stations
- Railway stations in Norfolk County, Massachusetts
- Railway stations in the United States opened in 1971
- Railway stations in the United States closed in 2018
- Railway stations in the United States opened in 2019
- Former Old Colony Railroad stations
- Buildings and structures in Quincy, Massachusetts
- Brutalist architecture in Massachusetts
- Railway stations in the United States closed in 1959