West Roxbury
West Roxbury station platform looking outbound
General information
Location450 Lagrange Street
West Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°16′54″N 71°09′36″W / 42.2816°N 71.159932°W / 42.2816; -71.159932
Line(s)Needham Branch (West Roxbury Branch)
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
ConnectionsBus transport MBTA bus: 35, 36, 37
Construction
Parking175 spaces
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone1
History
OpenedJuly 14, 1849
Rebuilt1979–1987
Passengers
2018444 (weekday average boardings)[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Hersey
toward Needham Heights
 Needham Line Highland
toward South Station
Former services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Bird's Hill
toward Millis
 Millis Branch
Closed 1967
 Highland
toward South Station
Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station
Bird's Hill
toward Woonsocket
 Charles River Line Highland
toward Boston
Location

West Roxbury station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Boston, Massachusetts, served by the Needham Line. It is located on an embankment above Lagrange Street in the West Roxbury neighborhood. The station is accessible with a short mini-high platform on the outbound end of the main platform.

History

West Roxbury station shown on an early-20th-century postcard

The Boston and Providence Railroad (B&P) opened a branch line from Forest Hills to Dedham (where it connected with the B&P's preexisting branch to Dedham via Readville) via West Roxbury on July 14, 1849.[2] South Street (Roslindale), Central (Bellevue), West Roxbury, and Spring Street stations all opened with the branch.[3] The New Haven Railroad, successor to the B&P, opened the Needham cutoff on November 4, 1906 from West Roxbury to Needham Junction, allowing trains from the former New York and New England Railroad to reach Boston without needing to use the Boston and Albany Railroad's Highland branch.[3] Service to Dedham via West Roxbury ended in 1940, leaving West Roxbury an intermediate station on the commuter lines to Needham and West Medway.[3]

The entire Needham line was closed from 1979 to 1987 while the Southwest Corridor was reconstructed. During that time, most of the stations (including West Roxbury) were renovated for accessibility.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  2. ↑ "Dedham Branch Railroad". Boston Evening Transcript. July 16, 1849. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 21–24, 29, 43–46. ISBN 9780685412947.
  4. ↑ Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.

Media related to West Roxbury station at Wikimedia Commons

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