Mattapan station

Mattapan is an MBTA transit station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the southern terminus of the Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line, part of the Red Line, and is also an important MBTA bus transfer station, with ten routes terminating there. It is located at Mattapan Square in the Mattapan neighborhood. At the station, trolleys use a balloon loop to reverse direction back to Ashmont station. Mattapan station is fully accessible, with mini-high platforms for boarding trolleys.

For the former New York and New England Railroad station, see Blue Hill Avenue station § History.
Mattapan
A PCC streetcar at Mattapan station in 2016
Location500 River Street at 1670 Blue Hill Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°16′03″N 71°05′35″W
Owned byMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Line(s)Milton Branch
Platforms1 side platform (deboarding)
1 island platform (boarding)
Tracks1 track on balloon loop; splits to 2 tracks for inbound boarding platform
Connections MBTA bus: 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 191, 245, 716
Construction
Parking100 spaces ($4.00 daily)
4 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilities8 spaces
Disabled accessYes
History
OpenedDecember 21, 1929
RebuiltDecember 22, 2007
Passengers
20101,504 (daily boardings)[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Terminus Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line Capen Street
toward Ashmont

History
Mattapan station before the 2006–2007 renovation

The Ashmont–Mattapan Line follows the right-of-way of the Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad, which opened to Mattapan in December 1847. The line was converted to an interurban-style trolley line in the 1920s, with the final section to Mattapan opening on December 21, 1929.[2] The stone depot building, now a restaurant, stands adjacent in Mattapan Square.

On May 5, 2006, the MBTA awarded a $6.2 million contract to replace the 1929-built station.[3] The MBTA closed the line on June 24 to allow a new viaduct to be constructed at Ashmont station.[2] During the closure, all stations on the line were modernized and (except for Valley Road) made handicapped accessible. The decrepit 1929-built shelter and old platforms were replaced by modern platforms with canopies; a new building for MBTA police and bus operations with a community room was built.[4] Trolley service resumed on December 22, 2007.[2]

In 2014, the MBTA proposed to make $500,000 in additional renovations to the station. These included upgraded shelters and heating in passenger waiting areas, pedestrian improvements, improved signage, and bicycle storage.[5]

Transit-oriented development
Mattapan parking lot in March 2016

As part of the first round of modernization, the MBTA began planning for mixed-use transit-oriented development (TOD) to be built on the underused station parking lot.[6] The planned development was not built, even after a second request for proposals was issued in 2012.[7]

In July 2014, a local charter school announced plans to build a new building on the site, despite calls for a third RFP to be issued to attract TOD instead.[7] In January 2015, after opposition from local officials about the school's $1.5 million offer, the MBTA announced it would instead issue a third RFP that March.[8] The third RFP was issued in November 2015.[9]

In July 2016, the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board selected the winner from two proposals for the property.[10] The winning bidder, POAH/Nuestra, will pay the MBTA $4.89 million over the first 20 years of a 99-year lease of the site, upon which they will build 135 rental units and 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) of ground-floor retail. 50 parking spaces will be reserved for MBTA riders.[11] The project was approved by the city in 2018; as of 2019, construction was to start in 2020.[12]

Bus connections
The north busway at Mattapan station

Mattapan serves as a major transfer station for MBTA bus operations, with nine routes converging on Mattapan Square from six directions. Six routes use the busway located on the north side of the station, while routes 28, 29, and 31 use a bus loop on the south side.

Mattapan is also the origin point for the 191 Mattapan–Haymarket route. The 191 is a single daily early-morning round trip, intended for use by MBTA employees but open to the general public.[2]

References
  1. "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
  2. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit.
  3. "Mattapan Station To Get Upgrade" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. May 5, 2006.
  4. "T projects: Mattapan Station". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on 2 April 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  5. "Mattapan Station Improvements". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. February 2012. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  6. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. "Mattapan Square Station TOD - Mattapan, Boston, MA" (PDF). Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  7. Dezenski, Lauren (10 July 2014). "Charter school wants to buy T lot in Mattapan Square and move there". Dorchester Reporter. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  8. Dezenski, Lauren (8 January 2015). "MBTA backs off on Boston Prep school's $1.5m offer, puts Mattapan Square parking lot back on market". Dorchester Reporter. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  9. Massachusetts Realty Group (18 November 2015). "Invitation to Bid: Sale of Land". Boston Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  10. "MBTA: Transit-Oriented Projects in Beverly & Mattapan". MassDOT Blog (Press release). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. 26 July 2016.
  11. "Mattapan Station Transit‐Oriented Development" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 25 July 2016.
  12. Nelson, Caleb (August 15, 2019). "Residents get closer look at updated Mattapan Station project". Dorchester Reporter.
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