West Natick station

West Natick station is a commuter rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line, located off West Central Street (MA-135) in Natick, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1982 as a park and ride station.

West Natick
An outbound train leaving West Natick station in 2017
General information
Location249 West Central Street
Natick, Massachusetts
Coordinates42.2831°N 71.3918°W / 42.2831; -71.3918
Line(s)Worcester Line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport MWRTA: 11
Construction
Parking178 spaces ($4.00 fee)
Bicycle facilities5 spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone4
History
OpenedAugust 23, 1982[1]
Passengers
2018944 (weekday average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Framingham
toward Worcester
 Framingham/​Worcester Line Natick Center
toward South Station
Location

History
The demolished inbound mini-high platform in May 2017

The Boston and Albany Railroad opened through Natick in September 1834.[3] In the late 1800s, Walkerville station was briefly open at Speen Street, midway between Natick Center and the modern station site.[4][5]

On August 23, 1982, the MBTA opened West Natick station to ease demand at Natick and Framingham stations.[1] The $500,000 station included a 200-space park and ride lot. [3][6] The station should have been built accessible (state accessibility laws date from the 1970s, long before the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act), but it was not due to a budget shortfall. Accessible mini-high sections were installed around 1993.[7]

In early 2016, the mini-high accessible platforms were closed because the folding platform edges were deteriorated, risking a dangerous collapse like one that happened at North Billerica station in 2015.[8] The MBTA earmarked $4 million to replace them and brought a portable lift to the station to maintain accessibility.[9] The mini-high platforms were demolished in March 2017; new composite platforms opened that November.[8]

The adjacent Boden Lane bridge was closed on October 31, 2019, after it was damaged by brush-clearing equipment.[10] On November 5, MassDOT announced that the bridge would be permanently closed and replaced.[11] The bridge was removed in December 2019; a temporary pedestrian span opened on January 27, 2020.[12][13] Solar panels over the parking lots were added in 2021.[14]

In June 2021, the MBTA issued a $28 million design contract for a project to add a third track from Weston to Framingham, including reconstruction of the three Wellesley stations and West Natick station. The project was expected to cost around $400 million, of which rebuilding West Natick station would be $37 million, with completion in 2030.[15]

References
  1. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
  2. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  3. Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 21, 28. ISBN 9780685412947.
  4. "Natick, Sherborn". Atlas of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. George H. Walker & Co. 1875 – via WardMaps.
  5. "Natick". County Atlas of Middlesex Massachusetts. F.W. Beers. 1875 – via WardMaps.
  6. 1982 Annual Report. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 1965. p. 68 – via Internet Archive.
  7. Iudica, Doreen E. (August 2, 1992). "Advocates push for train access". Boston Globe – via Newspapers.com.(second page) open access
  8. Black, Sara (December 11, 2017). "Composites enable handicap-accessible train platforms". Composites World.
  9. Coueignoux, Stephanie (March 21, 2016). "FOX25 Investigates wheelchair ramps boarded at Commuter Rail stations". FOX25. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  10. Schwan, Henry (November 1, 2019). "No time frame for reopening of Boden Lane Bridge in Natick". Metrowest Daily News.
  11. "Natick: Boden Lane Bridge to Remain Closed" (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. November 5, 2019.
  12. McNamara, Neal (January 8, 2020). "New Boden Lane Pedestrian Bridge Arrives In Natick". Natick Patch.
  13. Linsky, David (January 27, 2020). "Boden Lane Bridge Update". Natick Patch.
  14. "2021 Annual Town Meeting: Fourth Session". Town of Natick. April 29, 2021. pp. 4, 5.
  15. Kelly, Maribel (June 21, 2021). "MBTA Contract No. C72PS01: Worcester Line Track and Stations Accessibility Improvements (P0261) Design and Engineering Services" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Media related to West Natick station at Wikimedia Commons

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