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Quincy Center station

(Redirected from Quincy Center (MBTA))

Quincy Center station is an intermodal transit station in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is a transfer station between the MBTA Red Line subway, MBTA Commuter Rail's Old Colony Lines and Greenbush Line, and a number of MBTA bus routes. It is located between Hancock Street and Burgin Parkway in the Quincy Center district. Opened in 1971, the station was covered by a large parking garage which was closed in 2012 due to structural problems and removed several years later. The station is accessible on all modes.

Quincy Center
A southbound Red Line train at Quincy Center station in 2018
General information
Location175 Thomas E. Burgin Parkway
Quincy, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°15′07″N 71°00′20″W / 42.25194°N 71.00556°W / 42.25194; -71.00556
Line(s)Red Line Braintree Branch
Old Colony Mainline
Platforms1 side platform (Commuter Rail)
1 island platform (Red Line)
Tracks1 (Commuter Rail)
2 (Red Line)
ConnectionsBus transport MBTA bus: 210, 211, 215, 216, 217, 220, 222, 225, 230, 236, 238, 245
Construction
Bicycle facilities20 spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone1
History
OpenedSeptember 1, 1971[1]
ClosedJune 30, 1959 (former station)
Previous namesQuincy
Passengers
FY20197,120 daily boardings[2] (Red Line)
2018773 daily boardings[3] (Commuter Rail)
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Wollaston
toward Alewife
 Red Line
 Quincy Adams
toward Braintree
JFK/UMass
toward South Station
 Greenbush Line Weymouth Landing/East Braintree
toward Greenbush
Kingston Line Braintree
toward Kingston
Middleborough/​Lakeville Line Braintree
toward Middleborough/​Lakeville
Former services
Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station
Wollaston
toward Boston
 Boston–​Braintree Quincy Adams
toward Braintree
Boston
Terminus
 Boston–​Middleborough Braintree
toward Middleborough
Boston–​Plymouth Braintree
toward Plymouth
South Shore Line Braintree
toward Greenbush
Future services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
JFK/UMass
toward South Station
 South Coast Rail Braintree
toward Fall River or New Bedford
Location
Map

Station layout

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Quincy Center station has one island platform serving the two tracks of the Red Line, with a single side platform for the single commuter rail track on the west side of the station.

Quincy Center is the primary terminal for MBTA bus service in Quincy and nearby areas. It is served by twelve routes – 210, 211, 215, 216, 217, 220, 222, 225, 230, 236, 238, and 245 – which use a dedicated busway on the Hancock Street side of the station. (There is no bus service on the Burgin Parkway side).[4][5] Under plans for redeveloping the station site, the busway would be relocated to the Burgin Parkway side of the station.

History

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Old Colony Railroad

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Quincy station around 1910

The Old Colony Railroad opened its main line from South Boston to Plymouth on November 10, 1845.[6] Quincy station was located at Quincy Square behind the town hall. The original station was replaced in late 1868.[7][8] New station buildings – low brick structures very similar to the extant building at Norwood Central – were built at Quincy and Atlantic in 1900, with shelters serving the line's two tracks.[9][10][11] Service on the former Old Colony lines, operated by the New Haven Railroad since 1893, ended on June 30, 1959.[6] The Quincy depot was later demolished.

Red Line

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The 1926 Report on Improved Transportation Facilities and 1945–47 Coolidge Commission Report recommended the Cambridge–Dorchester line receive a branch to Braintree along the Old Colony right-of-way.[12][13] In May 1966, the MBTA began construction on the South Shore Line branch of the Cambridge–Dorchester line (which was renamed the Red Line in 1967).

 
The massive parking garage in 2010

The line was intended to be completed to Braintree by May 1969.[10][14] Although the South Shore Line was planned to extend to Braintree and possibly even to Holbrook or Brockton, it was temporarily terminated at Quincy Center due to disagreements about station locations and other issues.[15]

North Quincy, Wollaston, and Quincy Center stations opened on September 1, 1971.[1] The other two stations had large surface lots, but due to limited land availability, Quincy Center station included a 5-story parking garage located over the two tracks and single island platform, with 700 spots for Red Line riders and 200 spots for local shoppers. The $5.877 million station, located a block north of the Old Colony station site, was designed Samuel Glaser Associates and built by J.F. White.[1] The station signs included interpretive panels with historical images and information - a design soon copied at other MBTA stations.[16] The new stations required a double fare to be paid on entry and an exit fare upon leaving; this was also briefly put in place on the north end of the Haymarket North Extension.

Through the first half of the 20th century, Quincy was served by a number of Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway streetcar and bus lines, with both local routes and through service as far as Providence, Rhode Island. Some routes continued through Quincy to Fields Corner via Hancock Street and Neponset Avenue. After a legal battle, the MBTA acquired the remaining Eastern Mass lines on March 30, 1968. When Quincy Center opened in 1971, most of the Fields Corner routes were cut back to the new terminus.[14]

Further construction began in 1977, and the line was extended to Braintree on March 22, 1980.[14] The exit fare was abolished from Quincy Center north at this time, though Braintree and Quincy Adams had the double fare until 2007.[17]

Commuter Rail

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The entrance to the commuter rail platform

In November 1987, the MBTA indicated plans to repair the parking garage.[18] In 1991, the MBTA installed two elevators, making the station accessible for the first time.[18][19]

In 1990, the MBTA began construction on the restoration of parts of the former Old Colony system. A single commuter rail track was built through the west side of the station, with a full-length high-level side platform west of the track. Service began on the Middleborough/Lakeville Line and Kingston/Plymouth Line on September 29, 1997. The Greenbush Line opened on October 31, 2007, with some of its trains stopping at Quincy Center as well.[14]

Some seasonal CapeFLYER trains stopped at Quincy Center in 2013 and 2014, but did not starting with the 2015 season due to schedule changes.[20] In January 2018, Quincy Center was changed from Zone 1 to Zone 1A (with a subway-equivalent fare to South Station on commuter rail trains) as mitigation for the closure of Wollaston station for reconstruction.[21] This continued after Wollaston reopened in 2019, as parking was then limited at North Quincy station due to garage construction. With the North Quincy project near completion, Quincy Center reverted to Zone 1 on July 1, 2021.[22]

Garage closure and replacement

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The garage completely removed in May 2019

On July 4, 2012, the Quincy Center parking garage was closed indefinitely due to structural issues. Built in 1970-71, the garage was the oldest anywhere on the MBTA system prior to its demolition. Red Line, MBTA Commuter Rail, and MBTA bus service to the station continue as normal; however, the Burgin Parkway entrance is no longer handicapped accessible.[23]

In March 2016, the city released preliminary plans for a replacement structure, paid for by a $970,000 federal grant.[24] Three structures would be built: a new garage with the same number of spaces, a "justice center" with a new Quincy District Court, and an office building for the National Park Service and its bus shuttle to Adams National Historical Park. The garage would have street-level retail locations.[25] The busways would be relocated to the Burgin Parkway side and a roof added; the kiss-and-ride dropoff lane would remain on the Hancock Street side. The project is estimated to cost $52 million; the city proposes to use $10 million in state money approved in 2014, $20 million in federal grants, and $22 million from a private partner who would operate the facility for several decades.[26] No city money will be used to pay for the project.[24]

In July and August 2016, bracing was installed in the closed garage to stabilize it while the new structure was designed.[27][28] During September 2016, the USDOT granted $4.2 million for planning the new station.[29] In October 2016, Quincy mayor Thomas Koch announced that the courthouse part of the proposal would be withdrawn due to local opposition and a lack of available state funds, but planning for the station and office building would continue.[28] The MBTA will remove the former garage, replace the existing elevator, and add an accessible entrance to Burgin Parkway as a $25 million project lasting from July 2017 to December 2018, with future air rights development to come later.[30][31] A $67.867 million contract (which also included the full renovation of Wollaston station) was approved on June 19, 2017.[32]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Off Hancock Street". Historic and Architectural Survey Quincy, Massachusetts. Thomas Crane Public Library, Quincy, Mass. 1986. p. 77. Retrieved October 2, 2007.
  2. ^ "A Guide to Ridership Data". MassDOT/MBTA Office of Performance CenterBent and Innovation. June 22, 2020. p. 8.
  3. ^ Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  4. ^ "2023–24 System Map". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 17, 2023.
  5. ^ "Quincy Center Station Neighborhood Map" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. July 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Humphrey, Thomas J. & Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. ISBN 9780685412947.
  7. ^ Sixth Annual Report of the Old Colony Railroad Co. to the Stockholders. Old Colony Railroad Company. November 1869. p. 8.
  8. ^ "Quincy". The Weymouth Weekly Gazette. October 2, 1868. p. 2.
  9. ^ "Many Improvements". Boston Globe. June 15, 1900. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b Cheney, Frank (2002). Boston's Red Line: Bridging the Charles from Alewife to Braintree. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 111–112. ISBN 9780738510477.
  11. ^ Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. pp. 210–211. ISBN 9780942147087.
  12. ^ Central Transportation Planning Staff (November 15, 1993). "The Transportation Plan for the Boston Region - Volume 2". National Transportation Library. Archived from the original on May 5, 2001.
  13. ^ Boston Elevated Railway and Boston Department of Public Utilities (1945), Boston Rapid Transit System & Proposed Extensions 1945 - Metropolitan Transit Recess Commission Air View
  14. ^ a b c d Belcher, Jonathan (December 27, 2014). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  15. ^ Jordan, Robert (April 3, 1977). "What the MBTA may look like in 10 years". Boston Globe. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Durso, Holly Bellocchio (June 2011). Subway Spaces as Public Places: Politics and Perceptions of Boston's T (MCP). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. p. 57. hdl:1721.1/66801.
  17. ^ Waltz, Vicky (November 11, 2006). "End of the Line for Free T". BU Today. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  18. ^ a b Sanborn, George M. (1992). A Chronicle of the Boston Transit System. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on August 18, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2019 – via Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  19. ^ Tran Systems and Planners Collaborative (August 24, 2007). "Evaluation of MBTA Paratransit and Accessible Fixed Route Transit Services: Final Report" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  20. ^ "CapeFLYER Service Begins Memorial Day Weekend" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. May 13, 2015.
  21. ^ "MBTA: Wollaston Station Closure Begins January 8" (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. December 8, 2017.
  22. ^ Stuntz, Andy (April 12, 2021). "July Tariff Change Proposals and Fare Pilot Updates" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. p. 14.
  23. ^ Bartlett, Jessica (July 3, 2012). "Quincy Center T garage closed due to structural problems". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  24. ^ a b Ronan, Patrick (March 17, 2016). "Quincy official: City's taxpayers won't shoulder any cost of MBTA project". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  25. ^ Ronan, Patrick (February 17, 2016). "Three structures, new bus terminal in redesign for Quincy Center MBTA station". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  26. ^ Jackson, Scott (March 2, 2016). "Meeting On Quincy Center Station March 10". Quincy Sun. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  27. ^ Drue, Nancy (August 5, 2016). "Quincy Center MBTA garage bracing continues". Quincy Quarry. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  28. ^ a b Ronan, Patrick (October 4, 2016). "Courthouse no longer part of Quincy Center T plans". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  29. ^ Ronan, Patrick (September 9, 2016). "Feds grant $4.2 million to overhaul of Quincy Center MBTA station". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  30. ^ "MBTA Red Line Corridor Improvements: Public Meetings Set". MassDOT Blog (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. March 31, 2017.
  31. ^ "MBTA Quincy Center Garage Demolition Plan" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 6, 2017.
  32. ^ "Construction Contract A47CN01: Wollaston Station Improvements and Quincy Center Garage Demolition" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 19, 2017.
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