Aquarium station (MBTA)

Aquarium
A westbound train at Aquarium station in July 2019
General information
Location	183 State Street Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°21′33″N 71°03′11″W / 42.3593°N 71.0531°W / 42.3593; -71.0531
Line(s)	East Boston Tunnel
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	MBTA bus: 4 MBTA Boat: F2H, F4, East Boston (at Long Wharf)
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	August 22, 1901 (Atlantic Avenue Elevated) April 5, 1906 (East Boston Tunnel)
Closed	September 30, 1938 (Atlantic Avenue Elevated)
Rebuilt	April 1924; 1948–1950; 1968; 1996–2004
Previous names	Atlantic Avenue (1906–1967) State Street (elevated station)
Passengers
FY2019	5,130 boardings (weekday average)[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station State toward Bowdoin Blue Line Maverick toward Wonderland
Former services Preceding station Boston Elevated Railway Following station Rowes Wharf toward South Station or Dudley Atlantic Avenue Elevated Closed 1938 Battery Street toward North Station
Location

Aquarium station is an underground rapid transit station on the MBTA Blue Line in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is located under State Street at Atlantic Avenue on the eastern edge of Boston's Financial District near Boston Harbor. The station is named for the nearby New England Aquarium. It is adjacent to Long Wharf, which is used by two MBTA Boat lines. The station has two side platforms serving the two tracks of the Blue Line; an arched ceiling runs the length of the platform level. With the platforms 50 feet (15 m) below street level, it is the second-deepest station on the MBTA system (after Porter station).

The Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) opened the Atlantic Avenue Elevated on August 22, 1901, with a station at State Street. The BERy opened the East Boston Tunnel under State Street and Long Wharf for streetcars on December 30, 1904. Construction of the intermediate station at Atlantic Avenue under the Elevated was delayed; it opened on April 5, 1906. Unlike other early stations in Boston, which were built with cut-and-cover tunneling, most of Atlantic Avenue station was built as a large barrel vault. The access shaft at the east end of the station was topped with a three-story headhouse, which included a footbridge to the elevated station. Four unusual angled elevators connected the headhouse to the platforms.

In 1924, the Boston Transit Department implemented a long-planned project to convert the tunnel from streetcars to high-floor metro trains, with high platforms added at the station. The Atlantic Avenue Elevated closed in 1938, while the subway station remained open. In 1948, the city began replacing the old headhouse and elevators with a smaller structure and escalators. On January 28, 1949, a welder ignited a grease fire that exploded down an elevator shaft, killing three people and burning numerous others. The station was closed until the completion of the renovations in January 1950. The station was renamed Aquarium in 1967 as part of rebranding by the 1964-formed Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

The MBTA began construction on a major renovation of the station in 1996. The platforms were lengthened for six-car trains, new entrances were added west of Atlantic Avenue, and the station was made fully accessible. The station was closed from October 14, 2000 to October 29, 2001; major construction was completed in 2003. Since the renovation, the station has had water leakage issues; it also occasionally floods during high tides and storm surges. The proposed North-South Rail Link includes a possible Central Station for MBTA Commuter Rail trains located under Aquarium station.