Downtown Crossing station
 A southbound Orange Line train at Downtown Crossing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Summer Street at Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°21′20″N 71°03′38″W / 42.3555°N 71.0605°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms (Orange Line) 2 side platforms (Red Line) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 (Orange Line) 2 (Red Line) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections |  MBTA Bus: 7, 11, 448, 449, 459, 501, 504, 505, 553, 554, 556, 558
MBTA Bus: 43, 55 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platform levels | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | November 30, 1908 (Orange Line) April 4, 1915 (Red Line) July 24, 2002 (Silver Line) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous names | Washington (Red Line) Winter–Summer (Orange Line) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | 23,478 (weekday average boardings)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Downtown Crossing is a rapid transit station located in the Downtown Crossing retail district in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is the junction of the Orange Line and the Red Line as one of the quartet of "hub stations" on the MBTA subway system, as well as a major bus transfer location serving 13 MBTA Bus routes, including one Silver Line route.
Downtown Crossing station is two levels deep. The upper (Orange Line) level, opened in 1908, stretches from Temple Place to Franklin Street under Washington Street. The lower (Red Line) level, opened in 1915, reaches from Washington Street to Chauncey Street under Winter Street. Downtown Crossing is the second busiest subway station in the MBTA network (behind only South Station), with an average of 23,478 entries per weekday in 2013.[1] The Winter Street Concourse (opened in March 1979) allows access to the Green Line at Park Street without leaving their common paid area.
History
The Washington Street Tunnel carrying the Main Line Elevated (later the Orange Line) opened on November 30, 1908.[2] Stations on the tunnel were built in pairs with different names and separate entrances, an appeasement to merchants on the street who desired maximal pedestrian traffic. Stations were located at Summer northbound with entrances at Summer Street and Franklin Street, and Winter southbound with entrances at Winter Street and Temple Place.
The Dorchester Extension of the Cambridge Tunnel (now the Red Line) was built one level below the Washington Street Tunnel. Washington station opened on April 4, 1915, with additional entrances on Summer Street at Hawley Street and Chauncey Street.[2]
As part of a systemwide rebranding by the newly formed MBTA, on January 23, 1967 the Orange Line platforms were renamed Washington as well.[2] On May 3, 1987, the name was changed again to Downtown Crossing after the surrounding retail district.[2]
Originally, the Orange Line level had an underground concourse with several direct access points to basement entrances of various stores in the district, such as Jordan Marsh (now Macy's) and the former Filene's department store. In 1979, the Winter Street Concourse was opened, connecting the upper level of Downtown Crossing station (inside fare control) to the upper level of Park Street station two blocks away, utilizing an existing but previously unopened section of the concourse.[3] Both levels of the station were substantially renovated and accessibility was improved in the mid-1980s.
Silver Line service from Downtown Crossing to Dudley Square began on July 24, 2002.[2]
CharlieCard Store
A ticket counter was formerly located on the mezzanine level of the station (outside fare control) under Winter Street east of Washington Street. On August 13, 2012, the MBTA combined customer services (formerly located in a booth at Back Bay station) into the Downtown Crossing location as the "CharlieCard Store".[4] The store provides services including obtaining special passes for blind, senior, disabled, and other users; transferring value between fare media; and the purchase of regular passes (the last of which can also be done at any unmanned fare machine).[5] Due to unreliable computer systems and high demand, the store experiences long wait times.[6]
Bus connections
A number of MBTA bus routes have Downtown Crossing station as their downtown terminus. These include local routes to Charlestown, South Boston, and the North Shore, express buses which run via the Massachusetts Turnpike, and the bus rapid transit Silver Line to Dorchester.[7]
Most routes stop on Otis Street at Summer Street, a short block east of the nearest subway entrance:[7]
- 7 City Point - Otis & Summer Streets via Summer Street & South Station
- 448 Marblehead - Downtown Crossing via Paradise Road & Logan Airport Terminal C
- 449 Marblehead - Downtown Crossing via Humphrey Street & Logan Airport Terminal C
- 459 Salem Depot - Downtown via Central Square, Lynn & Logan Airport Terminal C
- 501 Brighton Center - Downtown Boston via Mass Pike
- 504 Watertown Yard or Newton Corner - Downtown via Mass Pike
- 505 Central Square, Waltham - Downtown Boston via Moody Street
- 553 Roberts - Downtown Boston via Newton Corner & Central Square, Waltham
- 554 Waverly Square - Downtown Boston via Newton Corner, Central Square, Waltham & Bentley College
- 556 Waltham Highlands - Downtown Boston via Newton Corner & Central Square, Waltham & Newtonville
- 558 Riverside - Downtown Boston via Newton Corner & Turnpike
One route stops on Bedford Street at Kingston Street, an additional block to the south:[7]
- 11 City Point - Downtown BayView Route
One Silver Line route serves Downtown Crossing at a midblock bus stop on Temple Place, half a block from the nearest subway entrance:[7]
- SL5 Dudley Station - Downtown Crossing at Temple Place
The 92 and 93 stopped at Downtown Crossing until they were cut back to Milk Street in August 2014.[2][7]
Station layout
| G | Street Level | Exit/Entrance |
| Outbound | ← Silver Line toward Dudley Square (Boylston) | |
| B1 Platform level |
Side platform, doors will open on the right | |
| Southbound | ← Orange Line toward Forest Hills (Chinatown) | |
| Northbound | → Orange Line toward Oak Grove (State) → | |
| Side platform, doors will open on the right | ||
| B2 Platform level |
Side platform, doors will open on the right | |
| Inbound | ← Red Line toward Alewife (Park Street) | |
| Outbound | → Red Line toward Ashmont or Braintree (South Station) → | |
| Side platform, doors will open on the right | ||
Accessibility
Like all Orange Line and most Red Line stations, Downtown Crossing is fully handicapped accessible. Surface elevators are located at the Winter Street, Franklin Street, and Hawley Street entrances.[7] An additional elevator -open business hours only - leads to the Roche Brothers store which connects to the Summer Street concourse. Because Downtown Crossing is an older station built at two different times in a dense urban area, transfers between the two lines are convoluted. There is no elevator between either of the Red Line platforms and the southbound Orange Line platform; passengers making such transfers must use the Winter Street Concourse and the Red Line elevators at Park Street. The Red Line elevators connect to the Summer Street concourse at its far east end; passengers transferring to and from the northbound Orange Line must leave fare control and one end of the concourse and reenter at the other end.
From August 10, 2015 until mid-2016, the Franklin Street elevator is closed due to construction of the Millennium Tower. The closure does not affect accessibility of the station.[8]
A $12.66 million project is under way to add elevators connecting the southbound Orange Line platform to both Red Line platforms. Notice to proceed was given on February 18, 2016, and completion is expected by the end of 2017.[9]
References
- ^ a b "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f Belcher, Jonathan (27 June 2015). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district 1964-2015" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- ^ Clarke, Bradley H.; Cummings, O.R. (1997). Tremont Street Subway: A Century of Public Service. Boston Street Railway Association. p. 49. ISBN 0938315048.
- ^ Rocheleau, Matt (13 August 2012). "MBTA opens new CharlieCard Store inside Downtown Crossing Station". Boston Globe. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- ^ "CharlieCard Store". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ Helms, Chris (15 August 2012). "Hour Waits Common as MBTA's New CharlieCard Store Opens in Downtown Crossing". Charlestown Patch. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Downtown Crossing Station Neighborhood Map" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- ^ "Subway Service Alerts: Red Line". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 18 August 2015. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015.
- ^ "DOWNTOWN CROSSING (DTX) VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION AND STATION IMPROVEMENTS". Business Center. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
External links
