Newton Highlands station is a surface-level light rail station located in Newton, Massachusetts on the Green Line D branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Newton Highlands
An inbound train at Newton Highlands station in March 2022
General information
Location	1170 Walnut Street Newton Highlands, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°19′21″N 71°12′20″W
Line(s)	Highland branch
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	MBTA bus: 59
Construction
Disabled access	Partial
History
Opened	1852 (Charles River Branch Railroad)
Key dates
1958	Station closed for conversion to light rail
July 4, 1959	Station reopened
Passengers
2011	1,627 (weekday average boardings)[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Eliot toward Riverside Green Line D branch Newton Centre toward Union Square
Former services Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station Eliot toward Riverside Highland branch Newton Centre toward Boston

History

The Brookline Branch of the Boston and Worcester Railroad was extended west to Newton Upper Falls by the Charles River Branch Railroad in November 1852. A flag stop was located at Oak Hill (later Newton Highlands).[2][3] The 1880s Boston and Albany Railroad depot building, designed by H. H. Richardson in collaboration with landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 3, 1976, and is part of the Newton Railroad Stations Historic District.[4] Commuter rail service on the line ended in 1958; it reopened as a light rail station on July 4, 1959.

The station's interior, occupied by an auto parts store for years, is being renovated and is partially occupied by a periodontist's office.[5] It is not used as a passenger waiting area, although the building's eaves provide some shelter for outbound passengers.

Accessibility

Newton Highlands station has three entrances – ramps from Walnut Street and Station Avenue, and stairs from Hyde Street – all to the outbound platform. Passengers must cross the tracks to reach the inbound platform. The station has low platforms and the ramps are too steep, making the station not fully accessible; however, portable lifts are present to provide partial accessibility.[6]

Design for a fully accessible renovation reached 30% in October 2015.[7] The project will make the two existing ramps accessible, add an accessible ramp from Hyde Street to the inbound platform, and raise the platforms.[8] In 2019–20, a temporary accessible ramp and platform sections were built to make the station accessible while it was used as a terminal during track work on the line.[9][10] The project is planned to reach 100% design in fall 2022, with construction beginning in 2023.[10]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Newton Highlands station.

• MBTA – Newton Highlands
• MBTA – Newton Highlands Station Accessibility Improvements
• Station Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View

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