Wollaston Station (MBTA Red Line)
Wollaston Station is a rapid transit station in the city of Quincy, which borders Boston. The MBTA Red Line, as well as local bus connections, utilize the station. It was opened in 1971 as the second of three stations in the original South Shore extension designed to replace the mainline rail station which was active from 1945 to 1959. Renovations at the station were completed in August of 2019 after 20 months of closure in order to implement flood mitigation infrastructure, increase parking accessibility and to ensure compliance with ADA accessibility standards.
The project cost was estimated at $36 million and included a full rejuvenation of the station’s inside area with new elevators, new escalators, additional stairways, and accessible bathroom facilities. External station accessibility has also been improved including new sets of fare gates, new pedestrian paths and a newly built pedestrian bridge over the existing railway. The improvements to Wollaston Station were the result of a $911 million commitment from the MBTA to improve South Side projects which also includes 252 new Red Line cars, signal upgrades, and station rejuvenation projects.
The new Wollaston Station opening was a welcome announcement to the Quincy area as bus diversions had replaced all rail service for the 20 months the stations were out of service. While complete station closures such as this are inconvenient for residents and commuters, they ensure far more expedient project delivery than partial closures which the MBTA has attempted. While full station operations have now been restored, the MBTA will conduct ongoing work on surrounding roadways to increase accessibility beyond the station itself as well as continuing to increase parking availability at this highly trafficked station with side projects.
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