Mattapan (MBTA station)

MATTAPAN

A PCC streetcar at Mattapan station in 2016
Location 500 River Street
at 1670 Blue Hill Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°16′03″N 71°05′35″W / 42.26750°N 71.09306°W / 42.26750; -71.09306Coordinates: 42°16′03″N 71°05′35″W / 42.26750°N 71.09306°W / 42.26750; -71.09306
Owned by Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Line(s)
  Red Line– Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line
Platforms 1 side platform (deboarding)
1 island platform (boarding)
Tracks 1 track on balloon loop; splits to 2 tracks for inbound boarding platform
Construction
Parking 100 spaces ($4.00 daily)
4 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilities 8 spaces
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened December 21, 1929
Rebuilt December 22, 2007
Traffic
Passengers (2010) 1,504 (daily boardings)[1]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station
toward Ashmont
Red LineTerminus

Mattapan is the southern terminus of the Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line, located at Mattapan Square in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. At the station, trolleys use a balloon loop to reverse direction back to Ashmont. Mattapan is also an important bus transfer station, with ten routes terminating there.

Mattapan station is fully handicapped accessible, with mini-high platforms for boarding trolleys.

History

Mattapan station before the 2006-2007 renovation

The Ashmont–Mattapan Line follows the right-of-way of the Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad which opened to Mattapan in December 1847. The line was converted to an interurban-style trolley line in the 1920s, with the final section to Mattapan opening on December 21, 1929.[2] The stone depot building, now a restaurant, stands adjacent in Mattapan Square.

The MBTA closed the line on June 24, 2006 to allow a new viaduct to be constructed at Ashmont station.[2] During the closure, all stations on the line were modernized and (except for Valley Road) made handicapped accessible. The decrepit 1929-built shelter and old platforms were replaced by modern platforms with canopies; a new building for MBTA police and bus operations with a community room was built.[3] Trolley service resumed on December 22, 2007.[2]

In 2014, the MBTA proposed to make $500,000 in additional renovations to the station. These included upgraded shelters and heating in passenger waiting areas, pedestrian improvements, improved signage, and bicycle storage.[4]

Transit-Oriented Development

Mattapan parking lot in March 2016

As part of the first round of modernization, the MBTA began planning for mixed-use transit oriented development (TOD) to be built on the underused station parking lot.[5] The planned development was not built, even after a second request for proposals was issued in 2012.[6]

In July 2014, a local charter school announced plans to build a new building on the site, despite calls for a third RFP to be issued to attract TOD instead.[6] In January 2015, after opposition from local officials about the school's $1.5 million offer, the MBTA announced it would instead issue a third RFP that March.[7] The third RFP was issued in November 2015.[8]

Bus connections

North busway at Mattapan station

Mattapan serves as a major transfer station for MBTA Bus operations, with nine routes converging on Mattapan Square from six directions. Most routes use the busway located on the north side of the station, but some use the bus loop on the south side.

Mattapan is also the origin point for the 191 Mattapan - Haymarket via Ashmont, Fields Corner and Dudley Station route. The 191 is a single daily early-morning round trip, intended for use by MBTA employees but open to the general public.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14 ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Belcher, Jonathan (22 March 2014). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "T projects: Mattapan Station". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on 2 April 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "Mattapan Station Improvements". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. February 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  5. ↑ Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. "Mattapan Square Station TOD - Mattapan, Boston, MA" (PDF). Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  6. 1 2 Dezenski, Lauren (10 July 2014). "Charter school wants to buy T lot in Mattapan Square and move there". Dorchester Reporter. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  7. ↑ Dezenski, Lauren (8 January 2015). "MBTA backs off on Boston Prep school’s $1.5m offer, puts Mattapan Square parking lot back on market". Dorchester Reporter. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  8. ↑ Massachusetts Realty Group (18 November 2015). "Invitation to Bid: Sale of Land". Boston Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved 12 February 2016.

External links

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