Riverside (MBTA station)
| RIVERSIDE | |||||||||||
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 A Green Line train arrives at Riverside. |
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| Station statistics | |||||||||||
| Address | 333 Grove Street off Route 128/I-95, Newton | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°20′14″N 71°15′08″W / 42.3372°N 71.2521°WCoordinates: 42°20′14″N 71°15′08″W / 42.3372°N 71.2521°W | ||||||||||
| Lines |
Green Line "D" branch
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| Platforms | 1 side platform, 1 island platform | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
| Parking | 925 spaces | ||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | 48 spaces | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Opened | 4 July 1959 | ||||||||||
| Accessible |  |
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| Owned by | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Riverside is the western terminus of the MBTA Green Line "D" Branch (Highland Branch) light rail line. It is located at 333 Grove Street, off Exit 22 on Interstate 95 (Route 128), in Auburndale, a village of Newton, Massachusetts. Scheduled travel time to Park Street is 46 minutes. Riverside includes a parking lot with spaces for 925 automobiles and bicycle parking. A loop allows trams to reverse direction for the trip back to Boston, and storage tracks and the Riverside Carhouse are connected to the loop.
Riverside station is home to a scale model of the dwarf planetoid Pluto in the Boston Museum of Science's community-wide solar system model.[1]
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[edit] History
When the Highland Branch was run by the Boston and Albany Railroad, Riverside station was a bit to the north of its current location, at the place where the tracks turned back towards Boston to merge with the B&A's main line. The MTA built a new station with better local access, and opened the branch to streetcar service on July 4, 1959. The old connection tracks still exist (now connecting to the Framingham/Worcester Line) and have been used for emergency Commuter Rail service due to Green Line flooding; catenary lines still go to the junction for offloading of new trolleys onto the rail network from the mainline.
On February 12, 2009, the MBTA authorized an 85-year lease of a portion of Riverside Station. A mixed-use development will be built on what are currently parking lots. This development will contain 420,000 sq ft (39,000 m2) of office space, 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m2) of retail space, and 190 residential units.[2]
[edit] Fare control
Riverside is one of a few ground-level MBTA stations with a fare control area. This allows passengers to enter through front and rear doors of trolleys efficiently, without lining up to pay fares upon boarding.
[edit] Bus connections
Riverside station also offers local and long distance bus service:
- 500 Express bus to downtown Boston financial district via Massachusetts Turnpike
- 558 Downtown Boston via Newton Corner and Central Square, Waltham
- Intercity bus services to and from Boston, including Greyhound Lines, Peter Pan Bus Lines, World Wide Bus and Megabus offer occasional stops at Riverside. This service was temporarily suspended in early 2010 but was soon reinstated in October 2010.[3] Also in October 2010, World Wide Bus began providing regular service to and from Riverside station to New York City.[4]
[edit] Accessibility
The station is wheelchair accessible when served by the MBTA's newer low-floor trolley cars and buses. There is accessible parking.
[edit] Images of Riverside
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Tram waiting in the Riverside Yard
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Plaque from 1959 opening of Highland Branch
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Station name carved into entrance ramp
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Inbound platform sign
[edit] References
- ^ "Community Solar System Official Passport". Boston Museum of Science. http://www.mos.org/media/docs/MOS_Community_Solar_System.pdf. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
- ^ "Riverside Station Lease Approved". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 12 February 2009. http://mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=16645&month=&year=. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
- ^ "Riverside bus service reinstated". Wicked Local. 19 October 2010. http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/x549838674/Riverside-Bus-service-reinstated. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
- ^ Thomas, Sarah (19 October 2010). "NYC-bound buses will roll from Newton and Cambridge". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/cambridge/2010/10/warren_mbta_welcome_world_wide.html. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
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