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Riverside (MBTA station)
Encyclopedia
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
.
, 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 420000 ft2 of office space, 60000 ft2 of retail space, and 190 residential units.
service:
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
line. It is located at 333 Grove Street, off Exit 22 on Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Massachusetts
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, paralleling the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Maine. The Massachusetts portion of the highway enters from the state of Rhode Island in Attleboro and travels in a northeasterly direction to the junction with Route 128 in...
(Route 128), in Auburndale
Auburndale, Massachusetts
Auburndale is one of the 13 villages of Newton, Massachusetts. It lies at the western end of Newton near the intersection of interstate highways 90 and 95, and is bisected by the Massachusetts Turnpike. Auburndale is surrounded by three other Newton villages as well as the city of Waltham and the...
, a village of Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
. Scheduled travel time to Park Street
Park Street (MBTA station)
Park Street is a rapid transit and light rail station of the MBTA subway system in Downtown Boston. One of the four subway hub stations, Park Street is a transfer point between the Green and Red Lines. Park Street is the fourth-busiest station in the MBTA network, with an average of 19,836 entries...
is 46 minutes. Riverside includes a parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
with spaces for 925 automobiles and bicycle parking
Bicycle parking
Bicycle parking involves the infrastructure and equipment to enable secure and convenient parking of bicycles...
. 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
Pluto
Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...
in the Boston Museum of Science's
Museum of Science, Boston
The Museum of Science is a Boston, Massachusetts landmark, located in Science Park, a plot of land spanning the Charles River. Along with over 500 interactive exhibits, the Museum features a number of live presentations throughout the building every day, along with shows at the Charles Hayden...
community-wide solar system model
Solar system model
Solar System models, especially mechanical models, called orreries, that illustrate the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons in the Solar System have been built for centuries. While they often showed relative sizes, these models were usually not built to scale...
.
History
When the Highland Branch was run by the Boston and Albany RailroadBoston and Albany Railroad
The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail and CSX. The line is used by CSX for freight...
, 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
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
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
Framingham/Worcester Line
The Framingham/Worcester Line is a railroad line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, running west from Boston, Massachusetts to Worcester, Massachusetts, though some trains terminate at Framingham, Massachusetts...
) and have been used for emergency Commuter Rail
MBTA Commuter Rail
The MBTA Commuter Rail serves as the regional rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in the United States. It is operated under contract by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company a joint partnership of Veolia Transportation, Bombardier Transportation and Alternate...
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 420000 ft2 of office space, 60000 ft2 of retail space, and 190 residential units.
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.Bus connections
Riverside station also offers local and long distance busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service:
- 500 Express bus to downtown BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
financial district via Massachusetts TurnpikeMassachusetts TurnpikeThe Massachusetts Turnpike is the easternmost stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway... - 558 Downtown Boston via Newton CornerNewton, MassachusettsNewton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
and Central Square, WalthamWaltham, MassachusettsWaltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,... - Intercity busIntercity busAn intercity bus is a bus that carries passengers significant distances between different cities, towns, or other populated areas. Unlike a municipal bus, which has frequent stops throughout a city or town, an intercity bus generally has a single stop at a centralized location within the city, and...
services to and from Boston, including Greyhound LinesGreyhound LinesGreyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
, Peter Pan Bus LinesPeter Pan Bus LinesPeter Pan Bus Lines is a long-distance bus carrier headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts. It operates in the northeastern United States. Over four million passengers per year travel on Peter Pan's bus routes....
, and MegabusMegabusMegabus can refer to:*Megabus - a low-cost coach service in Great Britain owned by Stagecoach Group*Megabus - a low-cost bus service in the United States and Canada also owned by Stagecoach Group...
offer occasional stops at Riverside. This service was temporarily suspended in early 2010 but was soon reinstated in October 2010. Also in October 2010, World Wide Bus began providing regular service to and from Riverside station to New York City.