Forest Hills (MBTA station)

For other places with the same name, see Forest Hill station (disambiguation).

FOREST HILLS FOREST HILLS
Forest Hills Station, looking south from the Casey Overpass
Station statistics
Address	Washington Street and Hyde Park Avenue, Jamaica Plain
Coordinates	42°17′56″N 71°06′54″W
Lines	Needham Line   Orange Line
Platforms	2 island platforms (1 for each service)
Tracks	2 (Orange Line) 4 (Commuter Rail)
Parking	206 spaces, 5 accessbile, $6.00 fee
Bicycle facilities	31 spaces
Other information
Opened	1909 as original elevated station (closed 1987 when Elevated Line was demolished)
Rebuilt	May 4, 1987 as part of Orange Line realignment
Accessible
Owned by	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station Roslindale Village toward Needham Heights Needham Line Ruggles toward South Station Terminus Orange Line Green Street toward Oak Grove

Forest Hills Station is a station on the MBTA Orange Line, located in Forest Hills in the southern part of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts at the intersections of Washington Street, Hyde Park Avenue, South Street, The Arborway and Morton Street.

Forest Hills is the southern terminus of the MBTA Orange Line. It serves nearby residential neighborhoods and is also a major bus transfer station with connections to 14 routes. Commuter trains on the MBTA's Needham Line line also serve the station; trains on the Providence/Stoughton Line and the Franklin Line pass the platform but do not stop. Amtrak Acela Express and Northeast Regional trains also pass without stopping, generally on the two non-platform tracks.

The adjacent Arborway Station was the terminus of the Green Line "E" Branch until 1985, when service on the "E" branch was "temporarily" suspended at Heath Street. Restoration of Green Line trolley service to Arborway is part of remediation for the Big Dig, but the MBTA has been reluctant to restore the service. The original Forest Hills station on the Washington Street Elevated was located one block to the east.

Facilities

Several small retailers are located in the station, including a donut/coffee shop, newspaper stand and florist. During warmer months a farmer's stand is set up. In addition the station features an MBTA Police substation.

Park and ride parking spaces for 206 cars are available on the station grounds. Overnight parking is not allowed.

Attractions

The station is surrounded by large parks, to the west of the station is Harvard University's Arnold Arboretum, one end of Boston's Emerald Necklace of parks. To the east is the Forest Hills Cemetery and Franklin Park. The station also marks the southern end of the linear Southwest Corridor Park, built over and around the Southwest Corridor which carries Amtrak, commuter rail, and Orange Line trains into center Boston.

Architecture

The station was designed by Cambridge Seven Associates constructed of brick, steel and glass, the architecture is meant to reflect the greenhouses of the surrounding parks. The station's clock tower has become a local landmark.

MBTA Bus Connections

Station interior at night

Forest Hills serves as a major bus transfer station; 18 routes terminate at the station. The streetcar loops, formerly used for Green Line "E" Branch trolley service, now serve as a busway.

• 16 Forest Hills Station - UMass Boston or Andrew Station
• 21 Ashmont Station - Forest Hills Station via Morton Street
• 30 Mattapan Station - Forest Hills Station via Cummings Hwy
• 31 Mattapan Station - Forest Hills Station via Morton Street
• 32 Wolcott Square or Cleary Square - Forest Hills Station via Hyde Park Ave
• 34 Walpole Center or Dedham Line - Forest Hills Station via Washington Street
• 34E Walpole Center or Dedham Line - Forest Hills Station via Washington Street & Dedham Mall
• 35 Dedham Mall - Forest Hills Station via Centre Street
• 36 Charles River Loop or V.A. Hospital - Forest Hills Station via Centre Street
• 37 Baker & Vermont Streets - Forest Hills Station via Centre Street
• 38 Wren Street - Forest Hills Station via Centre & South Streets
• 39 Forest Hills Station - Back Bay Station via Huntington Ave
• 40 Georgetowne - Forest Hills Station via Washington Street
• 42 Forest Hills Station - Dudley Station or Ruggles Station via Washington Street
• 50 Forest Hills Station - Cleary Square via Roslindale Square
• 51 Cleveland Circle - Forest Hills Station via Hancock Village

Accessibility

The station is fully wheelchair accessible.

Gallery

• 

  Original elevated station

• 

  Needham Line train at the commuter rail platform

• 

  Buses load using the former Green Line streetcar loops

• 

  #50 Bus to Cleary Square leaving the busway

• 

  The former Green Line platforms have modern signs in anticipation of the (now-unlikely) return of service

• 

  Commuter rail platform from above

External links

• The MBTA's official page for this station.
• Photos of this station from world.nycsubway.org
• Cambridge Seven Associates project page
• Station from Google Maps Street View