Four Corners/Geneva station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves the Fairmount Line. It is located in the Mount Bowdoin section of the Dorchester neighborhood. The new station was being built as part of the Fairmount Line Improvement Project, which included four new stations as well as infrastructure upgrades. It has two full-length high-level platforms with walkways connecting them to Washington Street and Geneva Avenue.[3] Four Corners/Geneva Ave opened on July 1, 2013, along with Newmarket.[1]
Four Corners/Geneva | |||||||||||||||
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 Four Corners/Geneva station in July 2013 | |||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||
| Location | 171 Geneva Avenue Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°18′18″N 71°04′37″W / 42.3050°N 71.0770°W | ||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | Dorchester Branch | ||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Connections |  MBTA bus: 19, 23 | ||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||
| Fare zone | 1A | ||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||
| Opened | July 1, 2013[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Previous names | Mount Bowdoin (closed 1944) | ||||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||||
| 2018 | 245 (weekday average boardings)[2] | ||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||
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History
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Mt. Bowdoin
editService on the Fairmount Line (as the Dorchester Branch of the Norfolk County Railroad and later the New York and New England Railroad and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad) began in 1855 and lasted until 1944. A station named Mt. Bowdoin was located near the Washington Street overpass.[4] The area around the station was largely developed between 1895 and 1916.[5] Originally one story, the small inbound station building was awkwardly modified with a second story below street level when the tracks were lowered to eliminate problematic grade crossings.[6] There was a small shelter on the outbound side; a set of wooden steps leading to the outbound side are still extant.
Restoration and planning
editTemporary shuttle service resumed on the Fairmount Line in 1979 during Southwest Corridor construction, with stops at Uphams Corner, Morton Street, and Fairmount. The MBTA planned to drop the shuttle after service resumed on the Southwest Corridor in 1987, but the service was locally popular and the Fairmount Line became a permanent part of the system. A plan called the Indigo Line was later advanced by community activists in which the line would add stations and more frequent service to closely resemble a conventional rapid transit line. The Indigo Line plan was not adopted, but elements of it were included when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts agreed in 2005 to make improvements on the Fairmount Line part of its legally binding commitment to mitigate increased air pollution from the Big Dig. Among the selected improvements in the Fairmount Line Improvements project were four new commuter rail stations on the line, including one at Geneva Avenue. The stations were originally to be completed by the end of 2011.[7]
Construction
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After several years of planning, the $19.6 million contract to build the station went out to bid on September 4, 2009; the low bid was $17.7 million.[8] Notice to proceed was given on January 28, 2010.[8] A groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 16, 2010.[3][9]
The inbound platform and ramp were mostly complete by the end of 2011. By April 2012, the station was 75% complete, with the inbound platform and the Geneva Avenue ramp structures in place. Construction delays were caused by the need to redesign the outbound ramp to Washington Street due to a rock vein that was missed by test borings.[7]
On September 13, 2012, the MBTA announced that the station was planned to open in April 2013.[10] By mid-October, the station was at 82% completion.[11] However, the opening was delayed to July 1, 2013, to match Newmarket for publicity purposes. Ribbon-cutting ceremonies were held at Newmarket, Four Corners/Geneva, and Talbot Avenue on July 17, 2013.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b Rocheleau, Matt (June 25, 2013). "Commuter rail gives Fairmount a boost". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
- ^ Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
- ^ a b Anderson, Travis (July 17, 2010). "Officials mark groundbreaking of Four Corners train station". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ Leo S. (December 26, 2009). "Railroad Stations in Dorchester". Dorchester Atheneum. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
- ^ Stilgoe, John R. (1983). Metropolitan Corridor. Yale University Press. p. 274. ISBN 0300030428.
- ^ Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1986). Boston's Commuter Rail: Second Section. Boston Street Railway Association. p. 39. ISBN 9780938315025.
- ^ a b "State Implementation Plan – Transit Commitments Monthly Status Report" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. April 19, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 1, 2017.
- ^ a b Staff. "Awarded Contract: H74CN05". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
- ^ "Patrick-Murray Administration Announces New Four Corners/Geneva Commuter Rail Station" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. July 16, 2010.
- ^ Rosso, Patrick (September 13, 2012). "Fairmount Indigo Planning Initiative looks for economic jolt along rail line". Boston Globe. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
- ^ "State Implementation Plan – Transit Commitments Monthly Status Report" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. October 18, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 25, 2018.
- ^ "Patrick Administration Opens Three New Commuter Rail Stations" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. July 17, 2013.
External links
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- MBTA – Four Corners/Geneva
- Four Corners/Geneva project page Archived November 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine