Oak Grove station

Oak Grove is a rapid transit station in Malden, Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA Orange Line, and located in northern Malden just south of the Melrose border. The northern terminus of the Orange Line, Oak Grove has a 788-space park and ride lot serving nearby residential communities. It is also served by four MBTA bus routes and has secure cages for bicycle storage. Like all Orange Line stations, Oak Grove is accessible.

For the Pony Express station, see Landmarks of the Nebraska Territory.

Oak Grove
Orange Line platform (left) and rarely used commuter rail platform (right), viewed looking northwards
LocationWashington Street at Winter Street
Malden, Massachusetts
Coordinates42.436942°N 71.070889°W / 42.436942; -71.070889
Line(s)Haymarket North Extension
Western Route
Platforms1 island platform (Orange Line)
1 side platform (Commuter Rail, disused)
Tracks2 (Orange Line)
1 (Commuter Rail)
Connections MBTA bus: 131, 132, 136, 137
Construction
Parking788 spaces (Weekdays $9.00 fee / Weekends $3.00 fee)
13 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilities140 spaces in "Pedal and Park" bicycle cage
Disabled accessYes
History
OpenedMarch 20, 1977[1]
Passengers
FY20196,637 (daily average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Malden Center
toward Forest Hills
 Orange Line Terminus
Malden Center
toward North Station
 Haverhill Line
Service disruptions only
 Wyoming Hill
toward Haverhill

Oak Grove has a single platform for the Haverhill Line that passes through the station. Commuter rail trains, however, are only stopped when service disruptions on the Orange Line or the inner Haverhill Line create the need for a transfer point.

History
Entrance to the now-closed commuter rail platform from the fare mezzanine. The sign labels it as the outbound Orange Line platform, as the inner Haverhill Line was intended to be turned into an extension of the Orange Line to Reading.

Opening and Haverhill Line platform

Oak Grove opened on March 20, 1977, as the northern terminus of the Haymarket North Extension of the Orange Line.[1] Originally intended to run as far as Reading, displacing inner Haverhill Line service, the extension had been cut back to Oak Grove by the time the station was completed. However, a platform (sized for six-car Orange Line trains rather than lengthier commuter rail trains) was built to serve the single Haverhill Line track, for potential use should the remainder of the extension be built. In the fare mezzanine, a sign labels the platform as "Orange Line outbound". Malden Center was built with the same configuration; however, its platform is regularly used for commuter rail service.

Haverhill Line trains do not stop at Oak Grove unless the Orange Line or the Haverhill Line is disrupted between there and North Station, necessitating a transfer between modes. After the approach trestles at North Station burned on January 20, 1984, Oak Grove became the inbound terminus for the Haverhill Line. When North Station reopened on April 20, 1985, commuter trains no longer stopped at Oak Grove. Instead, most trains make a stop at Malden Center, which is closer to employment areas in downtown Malden.[1] The switch may have been made due to a request by John A. Brennan Jr., who was then constructing a large development near Malden Center station.[3]

Because of its Orange Line connection, Oak Grove can serve as a temporary inbound terminus for Haverhill Line service when commuter rail service is disrupted between Oak Grove and Boston's North Station. It served this role during the 2004 Democratic National Convention, when North Station was closed for a week for security purposes.[1]

The design of Oak Grove station was based on that of North Quincy.[4] In October 1997, Oak Grove was identified as a possible site for a parking garage, but this was never pursued.[5]

Renovations
The 2014-constructed emergency exit

During 2013, the MBTA performed heavy maintenance on the Orange Line platform, which had substantially deteriorated during 36 years of operation. High-pressure water was used to strip away the top layer of concrete; a smoother top coat and new tactile platform edging were installed. The work was performed on one side of the platform at a time with no station closures.[6] The project also included new track lighting, guardrails, and expansion joints.[7]

The project, originally expected to cost $2.3 million, was issued a notice to proceed in December 2012. Phase 1, which lasted from April to August 2013, focused on the inbound side of the platform. Original plans called for an exit-only ramp on the north end of the Orange Line platform to be constructed as part of Phase 1; however, this was put off due to the discovery of buried utilities not present on site plans. Phase 2, from August to December 2013, focused on the outbound side of the platform.[7] From March 2 to June 30, 2014, the MBTA constructed the emergency exit ramp and a public restroom as Phase 3.[6]

The existing elevators, which connect the fare mezzanine to the Orange Line platform and the busway, were built with the station and renovated in 1987.[8][9] (This made Oak Grove the first Orange Line station to be accessible.)[10][11] Three elevators are being added to the station – an elevator between Washington Street and the mezzanine, a redundant elevator between the mezzanine and the platform, and a redundant elevator between the busway and the mezzanine – and one existing elevator renovated.[12] The MBTA awarded a $22.5 million construction contract in August 2019, and work began that December.[13][14][12] As of May 2020, construction is expected to last until mid-2021, with the Washington Street elevator completed by early 2021.[15]

Station layout
Platform rehabilitation work in 2013
M Mezzanine Station house, fare control
G Street level Exit/entrance, buses, parking
P
Platform level		 Southbound ←      Orange Line toward Forest Hills (Malden Center)
Island platform
Northbound →      Orange Line termination track →
Commuter ←      Haverhill Line does not stop here →
Side platform, not in service

Four MBTA bus routes serve Oak Grove station.[16] Routes 131, 136, and 137 use a dedicated busway in the parking area on the east side of the station, while route 132 runs on Washington Street on the west side of the station.

References
  1. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit.
  2. "A Guide to Ridership Data". MassDOT/MBTA Office of Performance Management and Innovation. June 22, 2020. p. 8.
  3. Mooney, Brian C. (October 23, 1988). "Malden senator has golden touch". Boston Globe. p. 1, 52 – via Newspapers.com. (first page)
  4. 9th Annual Report. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 1973. p. 19 – via Internet Archive.
  5. "INDEPENDENT STATE AUDITOR'S REPORT ON CERTAIN ACTIVITIES OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY: JULY 1, 1996 TO JULY 31, 2001" (PDF). Auditor of the Commonwealth. April 3, 2002.
  6. "Oak Grove Platform Rehabilitation Project". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on August 23, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  7. Sacco, Jessica (May 16, 2014). "Work continues at Oak Grove MBTA station". Wicked Local Melrose. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  8. Tran Systems and Planners Collaborative (August 24, 2007). "Evaluation of MBTA Paratransit and Accessible Fixed Route Transit Services: Final Report" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  9. "MBTA plans reduced fare for disabled". Boston Globe. September 11, 1975. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Operations Directorate Planning Division (November 1990). "Ridership and Service Statistics" (3 ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. p. 1-4 – via Internet Archive.
  11. Oak Grove Station, Malden. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. March 1977. Oak Grove is the first new station with an elevator for the use of handicapped persons when new elevators planned or under contract at several stations being modernized are installed.
  12. "Oak Grove Station Improvements: Public Meeting November 25, 2019" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. November 25, 2019.
  13. "Oak Grove Station Improvements Project: MBTA Construction Contract No. A92CN01" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. August 12, 2019.
  14. "Construction Begins at Oak Grove Station" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 11, 2019.
  15. Brelsford, Laura (May 26, 2020). "SWA Initiatives—May 2020" (PDF). p. 3.
  16. "Oak Grove Station Neighborhood Map" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. July 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
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