PHOTO: Gov. Maura Healey speaks during a visit to Newton to celebrate the coming renovation of the Newtonville commuter rail station. Photo by Joshua Qualls
Gov. Maura Healey visited Newton on Monday morning and met with local and state officials to celebrate and shed light on the plan to reconstruct the Newtonville commuter rail station and make it accessible to people with disabilities.
When it’s complete, the Newtonville station will be Newton’s first fully ADA accessible commuter rail station.
“We’re proud to be delivering a new and modernized Newtonville Station that will make commuter rail service safer and more reliable, enhance accessibility and improve quality of life for our residents,” Healey said. “This commitment is an important step forward in our goal to improve transportation infrastructure across the state. I’m grateful for the strong leadership of Secretary Tibbits-Nutt, General Manager Eng, Congressman Auchincloss, Mayor Fuller and all of the residents, legislators and advocates who have been working so hard for so long to make this possible.”
Joining her were Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss and state representatives Kay Khan and Ruth Balser, both of whom played a role in pushing the project forward over the years.
“Making the Newtonville Commuter Rail Station accessible with two platforms is a permanent, positive game change for Newton’s northside,” Fuller said. “This is a huge leap forward not just for public transportation but also housing, economic opportunity, accessibility, and climate resiliency. Everyone will now be able to take the train—people with mobility challenges, parents with a stroller, and travelers with a suitcase. The double platforms will allow more frequent service, improving life and access to economic opportunities for people along the entire Worcester/Framingham/Boston corridor.”
The renovation will create two 400-foot-long accessible platforms that are even and level with the trains, avoiding the need for big steps and allowing for more frequent scheduled stops there. There will also be new security cameras, improved lighting, warming strips, canopies and bicycle racks, pulling the neglected station into the modern age.
“This station reconstruction will make Newtonville Commuter Rail station in Newton fully accessible with a state-of-the-art station supporting safety, security and comfort. This addresses a crucial need for riders with disabilities and others who have struggled with the existing station infrastructure,” MBTA CEO and General Manager Phillip Eng said. “Finding ways to deliver projects like this go beyond infrastructure improvements—they’re also about fostering a more inclusive, accessible, and equitable MBTA for all who depend on public transit.”
The project is expected to cost $50 million, Fuller wrote in her newsletter to the community Monday afternoon, paid for with state and federal funds as well as money from the MBTA, and construction is set to begin in 2026.
Newtonville station is one of three commuter rail stations in Newton and it’s the station with the most use in Newton, and the station has been said to hold a lot of potential for transportation-oriented housing development.