The Babcock Street stop on the MBTA Green Line B branch is one of four stations along BU’s West Campus that will be condensed into two during the MBTA Green Line B Branch Station Consolidation Project. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi

MBTA

MBTA B Branch Station Consolidation to Begin February 15

Four Green Line stations in West Campus will become two bigger, better ones

This story was updated February 9 to include the names of the new stations.

The MBTA’s Green Line B Branch Station Consolidation Project along the West Campus stretch of Commonwealth Avenue begins in earnest on February 15, with night and weekend trolley service shifting to shuttle buses over the following three weeks. 

The $29 million project, part of the ongoing Green Line Transformation, will consolidate four stops—BU West, St. Paul Street, Pleasant Street, and Babcock Street—into two larger, significantly improved ones, with new lighting, signage, and shelters and better accessibility. The new stations will be named Babcock Street (between the current Babcock and Pleasant stations) and Amory Street (between St. Paul and BU West)

“The four stops will now become proper stations,” Leo Murphy, the T project manager, said at a recent virtual public information meeting on the project, “with amenities such as lighting, seating, and access to emergency communication equipment.

“Instead of standing along a windy curb right next to traffic at a busy intersection, competing with pedestrians,” he said, “riders will now be able to enjoy the benefits of a modern, accessible light rail station.”

While the changes may mean a short additional walk to the nearest stop for some people, Murphy said, it should also mean a quicker ride through that stretch of Commonwealth Avenue for all passengers, with half as many stops and fewer traffic delays with signal timing changes.

The project is “a home run for everyone who lives in the neighborhood,” Brookline State Representative Tommy Vitolo (D, 15th Norfolk) said during the virtual meeting.

While three of the existing stations will remain open on weekdays during construction, the Pleasant Street stop will close permanently at the end of service on February 26. It is the only one of the four that overlaps one of the new stations. 

The new Babcock stop will be located east of Babcock Street.

The other new station will be located east of St. Paul/Buick Street. Naming that station Amory Street will eliminate duplication: currently there are two St. Paul stops on the Green Line, one on the B Branch and one on the C Branch.

The project is scheduled for completion in February 2022, although T officials say they are looking for ways to accelerate the timeline.

Bigger, better, and more accessible

T officials say the two new stations will be able to accommodate the same number of passengers as the four current ones, but will offer obvious improvements.

Platforms up to 225 feet longer will be able to handle the new, longer Type 10 cars. The 150-foot canopies and windscreens at each platform will provide significantly more protection from the weather than the current structures. Fencing and other barriers will improve customer safety from traffic. Upgraded communications, security, and signage will mean a safer and better informed ridership. Both stations will provide better accessibility, with entrances at both ends, and more accessible boarding. 

For a taste of what the new stations will look like, T officials point to the BU Central and BU East stops.

New fare collection systems that have been much discussed in recent years to speed boarding and ensure that all riders pay the fare are a separate project and are expected to be added later.

The station consolidation project was planned in coordination with MassDOT’s completed Commonwealth Avenue Phase 2A project and the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Replacement project, which, among other things, means that a wider footprint for the new platforms is already in place.

The eastbound platforms will be constructed first, followed by the westbound. The old platforms will be demolished at the end of the project.

Shuttle buses will replace trolleys during construction

Trolley service between Babcock Street and Kenmore Square will end at 9 pm on weekdays beginning Monday, February 15, and resume each weekday at 5 am. Shuttle buses will replace trolley service between Babcock and Kenmore, in addition to the regular 57 bus service along Commonwealth Avenue. Inbound passengers will transfer to buses at Babcock. The shuttles will make all the usual station stops.

On weekends, shuttle buses will replace trolley service from 9 pm on Fridays until 5 am Mondays

Things will be slightly different on the weekend of March 6 and 7, when several other stops to the west of Babcock will also be closed due to utility work. Shuttle buses will run between Washington Street and Kenmore Square that weekend.

Additional dates during which some B Branch service will be replaced with shuttle buses are in the process of being scheduled, the T says.

As for the impact on vehicular traffic, drivers will see intermittent lane closures along Comm Ave at night and on weekends. Early in the project, one side of Comm Ave at a time may be closed through the construction zone between 1 and 5 am, with traffic detoured through nearby streets.

To keep up with project updates, visit the web page, sign up for updates, and sign up for service alerts. Email questions and comments to GLT@MBTA.com.