Central Avenue station (MBTA)

Central Avenue station is a light rail station located off Central Avenue near Eliot Street in Milton, Massachusetts. It serves the Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line, a branch of the MBTA Red Line. Central Avenue consists of two side platforms which serve the Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line's two tracks.

Not to be confused with Central station (MBTA), also on the Red Line.
Central Avenue
An outbound streetcar at Central Avenue station in 2022
General information
Location23 Central Avenue
Milton, Massachusetts
Coordinates42.26997°N 71.07325°W / 42.26997; -71.07325
Line(s)Milton Branch
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport MBTA bus: 240
Bus transport BAT: 12
Construction
AccessibleYes
History
Opened1877
RebuiltJune 19, 1882
August 24–December 21, 1929
June 24, 2006–December 22, 2007
Passengers
2023557 daily boardings[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Valley Road
toward Mattapan
 Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line Milton
toward Ashmont
Former services
Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station
Mattapan
Terminus
 Boston–​Mattapan Milton
toward Boston
Location

History
Central Avenue station in January 1928

The Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad opened across northern Milton on December 1, 1847, and became part of the Old Colony Railroad system the next year.[2] In 1876–77, a bridge over the Neponset River was built to connect Central Avenue in Milton with River Street in Dorchester. The Old Colony added a flag stop with a waiting shelter at Central Avenue in 1877.[3][4] It became a regular station on June 19, 1882, with a wooden station building added.[2][5][6]

Passenger service on the Milton Branch ended on August 24, 1929, for conversion of the line to rapid transit. The first segment of the Mattapan Line, a "high-speed" streetcar line, opened between Ashmont and Milton two days later. The second segment, between Milton and Mattapan with an intermediate stop at Central Avenue, opened on December 21, 1929.[7] East of Shawmut Junction, the Milton Branch remained in use for freight service. Freight tracks flanked the streetcar tracks west of Shawmut Junction; the north track ran as far as Central Avenue to serve the nearby Baker Chocolate factory.[8][7]

The line was closed for renovations from June 24, 2006, to December 22, 2007. During the closure, all stations on the line were modernized and (except for Valley Road) made accessible. Central Avenue station received new platforms and canopies, with wooden ramps for accessibility.[9]

The MBTA plans to convert the line to modern light rail equipment. All stations would have raised platforms for level boarding on the new vehicles; the inbound platform at Central Avenue would be moved to the east side of the grade crossings. Construction cost for Central Avenue station was estimated as $9.5 million in 2023.[1]

References
  1. "Mattapan Line Transformation Public Information Meeting" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 20, 2023.
  2. Jacobs, Warren (October 1928). "Dates of Some of the Principal Events in the History of 100 Years of the Railroad in New England. 1826-1926". Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin. Railway and Locomotive Historical Society. 17: 15–28. JSTOR 43504499.
  3. "The City Chip Basket". Boston Daily Globe. August 12, 1876. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "City Chit-Chat". Boston Daily Globe. May 29, 1877. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Robinson, Elisha (1888). "Milton" (Map). Robinson's atlas of Norfolk County, Massachusetts. 1:4,800. Plate 13.
  6. Nineteenth Annual Report of the Old Colony Railroad Co. to the Stockholders. Old Colony Railroad Company. November 1882. p. 6.
  7. Cheney, Frank (2002). Boston's Red Line: Bridging the Charles from Alewife to Braintree. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 96, 97, 99. ISBN 9780738510477.
  8. "Part of Wards 17 & 18, City of Boston" (Map). Atlas of the city of Boston : Dorchester. 1:1,200. G.W. Bromley & Co. 1933. Plate 35.
  9. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.

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