Fenway (MBTA station)

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
FENWAY
File:MBTA 3870 at Fenway station, May 2015.jpg
A Type 8 trolley at Fenway station in May 2015
Location Park Drive across the intersection from Riverway
Boston, Massachusetts
Owned by MBTA
Line(s) Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 2
Construction
Bicycle facilities 18 spaces
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened July 4, 1959[1]
Previous names Fenway Park
Traffic
Passengers (2011 daily) 3,488[2]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA.svg MBTA   Following station
toward Riverside
Green Line

Fenway is a light rail stop on the MBTA Green Line "D" Branch. It is located under Park Drive near the Riverway in the Fenway–Kenmore neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It opened along with the rest of the D Branch on July 4, 1959, when trolleys replaced Highland Branch commuter rail service. The station is fully handicapped accessible from Park Drive via the Landmark Center parking lot as well as from Miner Street.

Named after the Fenway parkway rather than Fenway Park, it is not the nearest station to the stadium - Yawkey commuter rail and Kenmore Green Line station are closer. Nevertheless, it is heavily used during Red Sox home games and other Fenway Park events.

History

File:B&A Chapel station, unknown date.jpg
Chapel station was located 1,200 feet (370 m) to the southwest from the 1860s until 1893

The Boston and Worcester Railroad opened a 1.4-mile (2.3 km) branch from Brookline Junction to Brookline on April 10, 1848.[3] The Charles River Branch Railroad extended the Brookline Branch to Newton Upper Falls in November 1852 and to Needham in June 1853, keeping the original B&W station for its service.[3][4]

The Boston and Albany Railroad bought back the line, then part of the New York and New England Railroad, in February 1883. It was double-tracked and extended to the B&A main at Riverside; "Newton Circuit" service via the Highland Branch and the main line began on May 16, 1886.[3] No station was located at what is now Park Drive; the nearest stations were Chapel and later Longwood to the west, and Brookline Junction to the east.[4]

In June 1957, the Massachusetts Legislature approved the purchase of the branch by the M.T.A. from the nearly-bankrupt New York Central Railroad for conversion to a trolley line. Service ended on May 31, 1958.[3] The line was quickly converted for trolley service and reopened on July 4, 1959.[1] All pre-1958 station locations were kept (though many station buildings were demolished for parking lots) and a new Fenway Park station was added at Park Drive.

File:MBTA Green Line D.jpg
Fenway station in 2005

The station was renamed Fenway after the road of the same name at a later time, as it is significantly further from Fenway Park than Kenmore. Until the 2006 season, it remained well-trafficked by fans from Red Sox games because the MBTA did not collect fares at outbound Green Line surface stops, making the trip to Riverside free for those boarding at Fenway but not at Kenmore. At the beginning of 2007, the MBTA started collecting fares on outbound trips and the station's popularity declined.[5]

However, some fans still use the station either due to confusion or to avoid crowding at Kenmore. In June 2007, the MBTA constructed a new siding at Fenway station to handle crowds of Fenway Park passengers. During the off-season, the siding is often used to store maintenance cars.

Fenway station was a proposed stop on the MBTA's proposed Urban Ring Project.[6] The Urban Ring was to be a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Line designed to connect the current MBTA Lines to reduce strain on the downtown stations. Under the most recent plan, the line would have run under the "D" Branch near Fenway in a bored tunnel, with an underground station at Fenway.[7] The Urban Ring project is currently shelved due to the MBTA's financial difficulties.

Station layout

File:MBTA 3800 under Park Drive at Fenway station, May 2015.jpg
Much of the station is under the Park Drive overpass

The station is located under the Park Drive overpass, with platforms stretching under the bridge and slightly to the west. A set of stairs connects the inbound platform to the bridge. Accessible sidewalks connect the inbound platform to Park Drive via the Landmark Center parking lot and to Miner Street next to the tracks. The outbound platform has no entrances of its own and is accessed via pedestrian crossings from the inbound platform.

G
Street/
Platform level
Side platform, doors will open on the right
Outbound "D" Branch toward Riverside (Longwood)
Inbound "D" Branch toward Government Center (Kenmore)
Side platform, doors will open on the right

Bus connections

Two MBTA Bus routes run on Park Drive, with stops on the bridge above the station.[8] There are no crosswalks to access the southbound bus stop at the station; the nearest crosswalks are at Riverway.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.