Quincy Center station

Quincy station around 1910

The Old Colony Railroad opened its main line from South Boston to Plymouth on November 10, 1845.[6] Quincy station was located at Quincy Square behind the town hall. The original station was replaced in late 1868.[7][8] New station buildings – low brick structures very similar to the extant building at Norwood Central – were built at Quincy and Atlantic in 1900, with shelters serving the line's two tracks.[9][10][11] Service on the former Old Colony lines, operated by the New Haven Railroad since 1893, ended on June 30, 1959.[6] The Quincy depot was later demolished.

The 1926 Report on Improved Transportation Facilities and 1945–47 Coolidge Commission Report recommended the Cambridge–Dorchester line receive a branch to Braintree along the Old Colony right-of-way.[12][13] In May 1966, the MBTA began construction on the South Shore Line branch of the Cambridge–Dorchester line (which was renamed the Red Line in 1967).

The massive parking garage in 2010

The line was intended to be completed to Braintree by May 1969.[10][14] Although the South Shore Line was planned to extend to Braintree and possibly even to Holbrook or Brockton, it was temporarily terminated at Quincy Center due to disagreements about station locations and other issues.[15]

North Quincy, Wollaston, and Quincy Center stations opened on September 1, 1971.[1] The other two stations had large surface lots, but due to limited land availability, Quincy Center station included a 5-story parking garage located over the two tracks and single island platform, with 700 spots for Red Line riders and 200 spots for local shoppers. The $5.877 million station, located a block north of the Old Colony station site, was designed Samuel Glaser Associates and built by J.F. White.[1] The station signs included interpretive panels with historical images and information - a design soon copied at other MBTA stations.[16] The new stations required a double fare to be paid on entry and an exit fare upon leaving; this was also briefly put in place on the north end of the Haymarket North Extension.

Through the first half of the 20th century, Quincy was served by a number of Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway streetcar and bus lines, with both local routes and through service as far as Providence, Rhode Island. Some routes continued through Quincy to Fields Corner via Hancock Street and Neponset Avenue. After a legal battle, the MBTA acquired the remaining Eastern Mass lines on March 30, 1968. When Quincy Center opened in 1971, most of the Fields Corner routes were cut back to the new terminus.[14]

Further construction began in 1977, and the line was extended to Braintree on March 22, 1980.[14] The exit fare was abolished from Quincy Center north at this time, though Braintree and Quincy Adams had the double fare until 2007.[17]

An outbound commuter rail train leaving Quincy Center in 2015

In November 1987, the MBTA indicated plans to repair the parking garage.[18] In 1991, the MBTA installed two elevators, making the station accessible for the first time.[18][19]

In 1990, the MBTA began construction on the restoration of parts of the former Old Colony system. A single commuter rail track was built through the west side of the station, with a full-length high-level side platform west of the track. Service began on the Middleborough/Lakeville Line and Kingston/Plymouth Line on September 29, 1997. The Greenbush Line opened on October 31, 2007, with some of its trains stopping at Quincy Center as well.[14]

Some seasonal CapeFLYER trains stopped at Quincy Center in 2013 and 2014, but did not starting with the 2015 season due to schedule changes.[20] In January 2018, Quincy Center was changed from Zone 1 to Zone 1A (with a subway-equivalent fare to South Station on commuter rail trains) as mitigation for the closure of Wollaston station for reconstruction.[21] This continued after Wollaston reopened in 2019, as parking was then limited at North Quincy station due to garage construction. With the North Quincy project near completion, Quincy Center reverted to Zone 1 on July 1, 2021.[22]

The garage completely removed in May 2019

On July 4, 2012, the Quincy Center parking garage was closed indefinitely due to structural issues. Built in 1970-71, the garage is the oldest anywhere on the MBTA system. Red Line, MBTA Commuter Rail, and MBTA bus service to the station continue as normal; however, the Burgin Parkway entrance is no longer handicapped accessible.[23]

In March 2016, the city released preliminary plans for a replacement structure, paid for by a $970,000 federal grant.[24] Three structures would be built: a new garage with the same number of spaces, a "justice center" with a new Quincy District Court, and an office building for the National Park Service and its bus shuttle to Adams National Historical Park. The garage would have street-level retail locations.[25] The busways would be relocated to the Burgin Parkway side and a roof added; the kiss-and-ride dropoff lane would remain on the Hancock Street side. The project is estimated to cost $52 million; the city proposes to use $10 million in state money approved in 2014, $20 million in federal grants, and $22 million from a private partner who would operate the facility for several decades.[26] No city money will be used to pay for the project.[24]

In July and August 2016, bracing was installed in the closed garage to stabilize it while the new structure was designed.[27][28] During September 2016, the USDOT granted $4.2 million for planning the new station.[29] In October 2016, Quincy mayor Thomas Koch announced that the courthouse part of the proposal would be withdrawn due to local opposition and a lack of available state funds, but planning for the station and office building would continue.[28] The MBTA will remove the former garage, replace the existing elevator, and add an accessible entrance to Burgin Parkway as a $25 million project lasting from July 2017 to December 2018, with future air rights development to come later.[30][31] A $67.867 million contract (which also included the full renovation of Wollaston station) was approved on June 19, 2017.[32]