MBTA celebrates Winchester Center Commuter Rail Station groundbreaking
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) officials joined Massachusetts Transportation Secretary and CEO Jamey Tesler, local state and local elected leaders as well as community partners to celebrate a groundbreaking at Winchester Center Station on the Lowell Commuter Rail Line.
“Winchester Center station is an example of the MBTA collaborating with the communities it serves to make important safety upgrades while also improving the customer experience. These efforts continue to deliver on the Baker-Polito Administration’s commitment to providing reliable, accessible service for all riders,” said Tesler. “I thank the MBTA for its work on this project and for continuing to prioritize infrastructure investments like this renovated station, and we thank those who continue to support critical capital investments as we modernize the T.”
Winchester Center Station was closed for repairs in January 2021. The station, which had not had any major updates since the 1950s, needed repairs and did not meet current accessibility standards.
The upgraded Winchester Center Station will be completely renovated to include structural safety repairs and improvements to safety, accessibility and station capacity. With a construction cost of approximately $50 million, the improved Winchester Center Station will feature brand new high-level and accessible platforms to allow for easy boarding and to accommodate longer, nine-car trains that increase station capacity.
Additional updates include reconstructing access ramps and adding new elevators for better accessibility; upgrading canopies, signs, railings and lighting for safety and security; adding benches, bike racks, a public address system, and other amenities for comfort and convenience; and updating walkways, sidewalks and parking lot areas. The updated and improved Winchester Center Station is anticipated to open to Lowell Line riders in spring 2024.
“Allowing for important safety upgrades, increased station capacity and improved accessibility for people of all abilities, renovating Winchester Center Station is an important investment in our Commuter Rail infrastructure with many upgrades to come for riders,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “We’re pleased to celebrate this groundbreaking here today and look forward to celebrating the re-opening of Winchester Center station when complete. Thank you to our partners at MassDOT, local leaders, transportation advocates and our riders for their support as we work to complete this project.”
Work at Winchester Center Station this summer includes continued demolition work and the installation of micropiles. The neighboring community should expect increased noise from construction activity including heavy equipment and machinery. Work will primarily take place during the day, Monday through Friday, from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Waterfield Road will also be closed the weekends of July 9–10 and July 16–17 from approximately 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Waterfield Parking Lot will remain open on these weekends with police details on site to assist with traffic flow.
Construction advisories will be distributed ahead of any scheduled night or weekend work, if necessary.
Work to take place in the late summer and into early winter this year includes drilling shafts, installing micropiles, and constructing platforms, ramps, and a headhouse as well as elevator foundation and structure preparation work in the Aberjona and Waterfield areas. Work to take place this fall includes the installation of micropiles in the Quill Rotary area as well as drilling shafts and the beginning of construction of station entrances in the Laraway area.
