West Natick station is a commuter rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line, located off West Central Street (MA-135) in Natick, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1982 as a park and ride station.

West Natick
An outbound train leaving West Natick station in 2017
General information
Location	249 West Central Street Natick, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°16′59″N 71°23′30″W
Line(s)	Worcester Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	MWRTA : 10, 11
Construction
Parking	178 spaces ($4.00 fee)
Bicycle facilities	5 spaces
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	4
History
Opened	August 23, 1982[1]
Passengers
2018	944 (weekday average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Framingham toward Worcester Framingham/​Worcester Line Natick Center toward South Station

History

The Boston and Albany Railroad opened through Natick in September 1834.[3] In the late 1800s, Walkerville station was briefly open at Speen Street, midway between Natick Center and the modern station site.[4][5]

On August 23, 1982, the MBTA opened West Natick station to ease demand at Natick and Framingham stations.[1] The $500,000 station included a 200-space park and ride lot. [3][6] The station should have been built accessible (state accessibility laws date from the 1970s, long before the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act), but it was not due to a budget shortfall. Accessible mini-high sections were installed around 1993.[7]

In early 2016, the mini-high accessible platforms were closed because the folding platform edges were deteriorated, risking a dangerous collapse like one that happened at North Billerica station in 2015.[8] The MBTA earmarked $4 million to replace them and brought a portable lift to the station to maintain accessibility.[9] The mini-high platforms were demolished in March 2017; new composite platforms opened that November.[8]

The adjacent Boden Lane bridge was closed on October 31, 2019, after it was damaged by brush-clearing equipment.[10] On November 5, MassDOT announced that the bridge would be permanently closed and replaced.[11] The bridge was removed in December 2019; a temporary pedestrian span opened on January 27, 2020.[12][13] Solar panels over the parking lots were added in 2021.[14]

In June 2021, the MBTA issued a $28 million design contract for a project to add a third track from Weston to Framingham, including reconstruction of the three Wellesley stations and West Natick station. The project was expected to cost around $400 million, of which rebuilding West Natick station would be $37 million, with completion in 2030.[15]

References

External links

Media related to West Natick station at Wikimedia Commons

• MBTA - West Natick

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