West Station (MBTA)

West Station
The station will be located in the former Beacon Park Yard
General information
LocationAshford Street, Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°21′17.21″N 71°7′17.62″W / 42.3547806°N 71.1215611°W / 42.3547806; -71.1215611
Line(s)Worcester Line
Platforms3 [1]
Tracks4
Construction
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone1A
History
Opening2040 (planned)[2]
Planned services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Boston Landing
toward Worcester
 Framingham/​Worcester Line
(planned)
 Lansdowne
toward South Station
Framingham/​Worcester Line
(proposed)
 Kendall/MIT
toward North Station
Location
Map

West Station is a planned station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line, to be located in the former Beacon Park Yard in Allston, Massachusetts. It was initially proposed as part of a project to straighten the Massachusetts Turnpike through the yard, allowing much of the land to be redeveloped. As of 2024, plans for the station have not proceeded beyond conceptual studies.

West Station has been proposed for over a decade. By July 2016, the state planned to file a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the project in 2017 and hoped to break ground in 2019. It was then estimated to cost $25 million, to be split between Harvard University (which owns the surrounding land), the state, and a third party (intended to be Boston University pending negotiations). In December 2017, the state announced that the station cost had increased to $95 million, and that it would not open until 2040. In January 2018, Harvard increased its pledge to $50 million, with an additional $8 million incentive to build an interim station.[3]

In August 2023, the City of Boston, Harvard University, Boston University and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) collectively committed $300 million to the $1.9 billion I-90 Allston Multimodal Project. This initiative includes the development of a new neighborhood and the construction of West Station on land predominantly owned by Harvard.[4]

  1. ^ I-90 Allston Interchange, A Multimodal Transportation Project (MassDOT/FMCB Joint Meeting), June 22, 2020, retrieved June 29, 2020
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference now2040 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Ramos, Dante (January 24, 2018). "So, this is promising news: In letter today to @MassDOT @Steph_Pollack, Harvard ups commitment to West Station to $50m, plus $8M for "early action" commuter station.pic.twitter.com/cnOgzAKu0G". @danteramos. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  4. ^ "An Updated Guide To Boston's Allston/I-90 Megaproject - Streetsblog Massachusetts". mass.streetsblog.org. April 24, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2024.