Airport station (MBTA)
Airport 171 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | ||||||||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Racks | |||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes[1] | |||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||
| Opened | January 5, 1952[2] | |||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | April 2000–June 3, 2004[2] | |||||||||||||||
| Passengers | ||||||||||||||||
| FY2019 | 7,404 (Blue Line average boardings)[3] | |||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Location | ||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||
Airport station is a
At Airport, Blue Line trains switch between the
Station layout
Airport station is located in East Boston at the western edge of Logan International Airport within the interchange of Interstate 90 and Massachusetts Route 1A. It has two side platforms serving the two tracks of the Blue Line, which runs approximately northeast–southwest at street level through the station. A trainshed covers the tracks; it is intersected by a taller, north–south volume that contains the fare lobby and two footbridges (one outside the paid area) over the tracks.
The west entrance to the station serves residential portions of East Boston via
History
Original station
The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) opened the first phase of the Revere Extension on January 5, 1952, with new stations at Airport,
Reconstruction
In April 2000, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority began construction on a $23 million project to replace the 1952-built station.[9] The new station, located approximately 500 feet east of the old station due to Big Dig relocation of highway ramps, opened June 3, 2004.[2] It is fully accessible, with the platforms connected by a pedestrian bridge with elevators, and has longer platforms than the previous station in order to accommodate 6-car trains (which began operation in 2008).[2] The station includes several features to serve airport travelers, including luggage slides adjacent to the faregates, wider escalators and elevators, and monitors showing flight statuses.[9]
In 2001, the MBTA began a $2.3 million federally-funded program to install ten new works and restore existing pieces. The centerpiece of the program was Totems of Light, a pair of 40-by-6-foot (12.2 m × 1.8 m) stained glass windows at the rebuilt Airport station. Designed by Linda Lichtman, the work cost $90,000.[10]
Silver Line
Until 2005, the station was the primary rapid transit link between Boston to the airport. As part of Big Dig environmental mitigation, the state was mandated to run Silver Line service to the airport terminals. Full-time service from South Station began on June 1, 2005.[2] This SL1 service has replaced the transfer at Airport station for many travelers, although the station still sees substantial airport traffic.
Airport station was a proposed stop on the
Plans
In October 2015, Massport released plans for a major expansion of Terminal E which would include a pedestrian bridge directly to the station.[15] With half a mile between the terminal and the station, the moving walkways for the connection would be among the longest in the world.[16] In April 2018, Massport announced a $15 million study of a possible automated people mover system to connect the Airport Station with the four terminals, rental car center, and economy parking. It would replace the shuttle busses and serve instead of the proposed walkway. Implementation was estimated to cost $1 billion and take ten years.[17]
References
- ^ "Airport station". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
- ^ "A Guide to Ridership Data". MassDOT/MBTA Office of Performance Management and Innovation. June 22, 2020. p. 8.
- ^ "On-Airport Shuttle". Massport. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ "2023–24 System Map". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 17, 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-8289-0173-4.
- ^ Fourth Annual Report (Covering the period October 1, 1967 – October 31, 1968) of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 1968. p. 23 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ A Chronicle of the Boston Transit System. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 1981. pp. 3–6 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b "Romney, Travaglini Open New Airport MBTA Station" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 3, 2004. Archived from the original on August 5, 2004.
- ^ "Art on the MBTA". Boston Globe. March 18, 2001. pp. B1, B5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Urban Ring Phase 2 FACT SHEET" (PDF). January 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
- ^ Mullan, Jeffery B. (January 22, 2010). "Re: Urban Ring Phase 2, EOEEA #12565" (PDF). Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
- ^ "The Urban Ring Phase 2: Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report/Statement" (PDF). Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation. November 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2017.
- ^ "Silver Line 3 Update" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. March 12, 2018.
- ^ Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (October 2015). "Environmental Notification Form: Terminal E Modernization Project" (PDF). Massachusetts Port Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ Rocheleau, Matt (19 November 2015). "Planned Logan moving walkway could break world record". Boston Globe. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ^ Logan Airport monorail under consideration, but sit tight: It could take 10 years and $1 billion to build, Tom Acitelli, Boston Curbed, Apr 25, 2018
External links
