Talbot Ave (MBTA station)

TALBOT AVE
A train passing the newly opened station in December 2012
Location	Talbot Avenue, Dorchester, Massachusetts
Owned by	MBTA
Line(s)	Fairmount Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	MBTA Bus: 22
Construction
Parking	Small drop-off area
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	1A
History
Opened	November 12, 2012[1]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station Morton Street toward Readville Fairmount Line Four Corners/ Geneva Ave toward South Station Morton Street toward Forge Park/495 Franklin Line limited service

Talbot Ave is an passenger rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail's Fairmount Line, located near Codman Square in Dorchester, Massachusetts. The station includes two full-length high-level platforms located north of Talbot Avenue, which are also accessible from Park Street and West Park Street. The station opened on November 12, 2012 as the first of four new stations on the Fairmount Line.^[1] Talbot Avenue was the first completely new rail station to open in the City of Boston since Yawkey opened in 1988.^[2]

History

The bridge over Talbot Avenue was replaced in a single weekend in December 2011

Previous service

Outbound platform under construction in May 2012

Service 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. Stations were located at Harvard Street and Dorcester (Woodrow Avenue), which are one quarter-mile to the north and south, of the new station site.^[3] The new station is the first station on the line located at Talbot Avenue.

Restoration and plans

Temporary 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 Talbot Avenue as well as Newmarket, Four Corners/Geneva Ave, and Blue Hill Avenue. The stations were originally to be completed by the end of 2011.^[4]

Talbot Ave station

Construction on the $15.9 million station and the replacement of the adjacent Talbot Avenue overpass began in November 2010, with a footbridge connecting Park Street to West Park Street removed in December.^[5] An official groundbreaking was held in June 2011.^[6] The bridge over Talbot Avenue was replaced during the third weekend of December 2011, using techniques developed in MassDOT's Fast 14 highway bridge replacement program.^[4]

The station was 80% complete by April 2012.^[4] By September, the station was 92% finished, with only minor cosmetic work remaining.^[7] On September 13, the MBTA announced that the station was planned to open in October 2012.^[8] The station did not open in October; on November 7, the MBTA announced the opening date. The station opened on schedule on November 12, 2012.^[1] In April 2013, a 6-foot fence on both platforms was erected in response to privacy concerns from residents of abutting properties.^[9][10] Ribbon-cutting ceremonies were held at Newmarket, Four Corners/Geneva Ave, and Talbot Ave on July 17, 2013.^[11]

Bus connections

The station is served by the MBTA Bus 22 - Ashmont Station - Ruggles Station via Talbot Avenue & Jackson Square route.

References

1. Rocheleau, Matt (12 November 2012). "MBTA opens new commuter rail station at Talbot Avenue in Dorchester on Fairmount Line". Boston Globe. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
2. Belcher, Jonathan (12 November 2012). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
3. Leo S. (26 December 2009). "Railroad Stations in Dorchester". Dorchester Atheneum. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
4. "State Implementation Plan – Transit Commitments Monthly Status Report" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
5. Dumcius, Gintautas (2 December 2010). "Construction gets under way at Talbot Ave. commuter rail stop". Dorchester Reporter. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
6. "Governor Patrick Celebrates Groundbreaking for Talbot Avenue Commuter Rail Station". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 7 June 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
7. "State Implementation Plan – Transit Commitments Monthly Status Report" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. 20 September 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
8. Rosso, Patrick (13 September 2012). "Fairmount Indigo Planning Initiative looks for economic jolt along rail line". Boston Globe. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
9. "State Implementation Plan – Transit Commitments Monthly Status Report" (PDF). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
10. Irons, Meghan E. (17 May 2013). "MBTA to open two new stations on Fairmount Line". Boston Globe. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
11. "Patrick Administration Opens Three New Commuter Rail Stations". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.

External links

• MBTA - Talbot Ave
• MBTA project page
• Fairmount Line schedule

Coordinates: 42°17′36″N 71°04′42″W / 42.2932°N 71.0784°W