Capen Street (MBTA station)

CAPEN ST

Trolley at the outbound platform at Capen Street
Location Capen Street off Eliot Street
Milton, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°16′03″N 71°05′15″W / 42.267622°N 71.087436°W / 42.267622; -71.087436Coordinates: 42°16′03″N 71°05′15″W / 42.267622°N 71.087436°W / 42.267622; -71.087436
Line(s)
  Red Line– Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 2
Construction
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened c. September 1930[1]
Rebuilt June 24, 2006 – December 22, 2007[2]
Traffic
Passengers (2010) 58 (weekday average boardings)[3]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station
toward Ashmont
Red Line
Terminus

Capen Street is a light rail surface stop on the MBTA Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line, located on Capen Street off Eliot Street in Milton, Massachusetts. The westernmost of the four MBTA stations in Milton, Capen Street consists of two side platforms flanking the eponymous street's grade crossing. The platforms are staggered to allow trains to make the stop at Capen Street before crossing the street itself, as there is no signal at the grade crossing.[4] Capen Street is handicapped accessible via wooden ramps on both platforms.

Capen Street opened in September 1930 as an infill station on the line.[1]

History

Capen Street in 1930, shortly after opening
Inbound platform at Capen Street in 2016

The Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad opened from Neponset to Mattapan in December 1847.[5] Service was discontinued on August 26, 1929, as the new high-speed trolley line was completed from Ashmont to Milton by the Boston Elevated Railway (BERy).[6][2] The trolley line was extended from Milton to Mattapan on December 21, 1929, with new intermediate stops at Central Avenue and Valley Road.[7][2]

Residents on Capen Street, having to use the Valley Road stop despite the line crossing Capen Street, requested a station of their own; it was considered a likely possibility at the time of the line's opening.[8] After considering the walking distance from Capen Street to Valley Road and Mattapan, the BERy granted the request. The Boston Transit Department constructed 12-foot (3.7 m) by 100-foot (30 m) gravel platforms with overhead lighting. The completed station opened as a flag stop in September 1930.[1] A second infill stop at Butler Street opened the next year.[2]

On October 8, 1982, a shotgun-wielding man attempted to rob the six passengers aboard an inbound trolley at Capen Street. One of the passengers foiled the attempt by grabbing the unloaded gun from the robber.[9]

The MBTA closed the line on June 24, 2006 to allow a new viaduct to be constructed at Ashmont station. During the closure, all stations on the line were modernized and (except for Valley Road) made handicapped accessible. The old shelter and platforms were replaced by modern platforms with canopies, with a wooden ramp on each platform for handicapped accessibility. Trolley service resumed on December 22, 2007.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Boston Transit Department (1931). Report of the Transit Department for the Year Ending December 31, 1930. City of Boston Printing Department. p. 46 – via Internet Archive.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Belcher, Jonathan (September 30, 2016). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district 1964-2016" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14 ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  4. ↑ O'Regan, Gerry; Pickering, Bob (2012). "MBTA Mattapan–Ashmont Line". NYCsubway.org. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  5. ↑ Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. p. 315. ISBN 0942147022.
  6. ↑ "ALLOWS NEW HAVEN TO STOP SERVICE: Ruling as to Branch From Neponset and Mattapan Public Utilities Order Effective With Rapid Transit to Milton". Boston Daily Globe. August 1, 1928. p. 8 – via Proquest Historical Newspapers. (subscription required (help)).
  7. ↑ "ASHMONT-MATTAPAN HIGH SPEED TROLLEY LINE TO OPEN SATURDAY". Boston Daily Globe. December 15, 1929. p. A11 – via Proquest Historical Newspapers. (subscription required (help)).
  8. ↑ "MAYOR PILOTS PARTY OVER MATTAPAN LINE: Chairman Johnson of Milton Also Operates Car--Transit Extension To Carry Public Tomorrow". Boston Daily Globe. December 20, 1929. p. 1 – via Proquest Historical Newspapers. (subscription required (help)).
  9. ↑ "MAN FOILS SHOTGUN HOLDUP ON MILTON T LINE". Boston Globe. October 10, 1982 – via Proquest Historical Newspapers. (subscription required (help)).
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