South Station (subway)

South Station (also signed as South Station Under) is a transfer station on the MBTA rapid transit Red Line and bus rapid transit Silver Line, located at Summer Street and Atlantic Avenue in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is a part of the South Station complex, the second busiest transportation center in New England.[4] Eight MBTA Commuter Rail and three Amtrak intercity rail services terminate at South Station; many of those passengers then transfer to the subway to reach other destinations in the city. With 24,639 daily boardings by a FY2019 passenger count, South Station is the busiest station on the MBTA subway system.[3]

South Station
A northbound Red Line train at South Station in December 2019
Location	Atlantic Avenue and Summer Street Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42.35261°N 71.05536°W
Owned by	MBTA
Line(s)	Cambridge-Dorchester Tunnel (Red Line) South Boston Transitway (Silver Line)
Platforms	2 side platforms (Red Line) 2 side platforms (Silver Line tunnel) 1 side platform (Silver Line street level)
Tracks	2 (Red Line)
Connections	MBTA bus: 4, 7, 11 MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak at South Station Intercity buses at South Station Bus Terminal
Construction
Bicycle facilities	"Pedal and Park" bicycle cage
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	August 22, 1901 (Atlantic Avenue Elevated)[1] December 3, 1916 (Red Line)[2][1] December 17, 2004 (Silver Line)[1]
Closed	September 30, 1938 (Atlantic Avenue Elevated)[1]
Passengers
FY2019	24,639 (weekday average boardings)[3]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Downtown Crossing toward Alewife Red Line Broadway toward Ashmont or Braintree Terminus Silver Line SL1 Courthouse toward Logan Airport terminals Silver Line SL2 Courthouse toward Design Center Silver Line SL3 Courthouse toward Chelsea Chinatown One-way operation Silver Line SL4 (at surface stop) Terminus Tufts Medical Center toward Nubian
Former services Preceding station MBTA Following station Terminus Silver Line SL3 Closed 2009 Courthouse toward City Point Preceding station Boston Elevated Railway Following station Terminus Atlantic Avenue Elevated Closed 1938 Rowes Wharf toward North Station Dover toward Dudley Atlantic Avenue Elevated Rush hours only Closed 1938

History

In this early 1900s view, the Atlantic Avenue Elevated passes in front of South Station. The old elevated station is on the far right.

A station serving South Station was located on the Atlantic Avenue Elevated. Service on the Atlantic Avenue "El" was discontinued on September 20, 1938. The structure itself was torn down in the spring of 1942. Before stairs were added, passengers wishing to change lines from the underground station — itself opened on December 3, 1916 — had to use a paper transfer and go outside to change trains.[5] The underground station had four staircases and one escalator leading from the surface to the mezzanine, and two exit escalators.[6]

In 1957, the original fare lobby and the rounded top of the tunnel to the west were removed during construction of the Dewey Square Tunnel. The tunnel was rebuilt with a flat ceiling, while the fare lobby was moved to the east closer to the South Station headhouse.[7] In the 1970s, an artwork by Sylvana Cenci entitled Wheels in Motion was placed in the station. Cenci created the artwork by using explosives to warp a steel plate. She had previously been runner-up in a 1971 competition for public art at State station.[8][9]

Tile mosaic being restored in 2005

A second renovation began around 1980 and consisted of the adding of a passageway to already existing stairs and escalators upstairs to the main terminal building.[10] An entrance was also added to the Federal Reserve Bank Building as well as a passageway under Summer Street connecting the other street entrances. In 1985, the Red Line platforms were extended 60 feet on either end to allow 6-car trains.[5]

The final renovation was triggered by the massive highway project known as the "Big Dig". Since the Red Line tunnel beneath Summer Street is perpendicular to Atlantic Avenue, where the new I-93 northbound tunnel was to be built, builders had to tunnel under the tracks. After the first tunnel was complete, another tunnel was added along with a station for the Silver Line. Since the new tunnel was built at the former fare level, another fare level was constructed a level above. This allowed combined access for the Silver and Red lines. The original lobby that was destroyed was replaced by stairways.[5] This project was completed at a cost of $35 million.[11] An additional $13 million renovation of the Red Line level was undertaken.[12]

After the first sections of the Silver Line opened in 2002 and 2004, a Phase III was proposed which would build a tunnel connecting South Station and the South Boston Waterfront section with the Washington Street section of the line. In 2010, the project was placed on indefinite hold.[13] However, route SL5, operating to a surface stop on Essex Street at Atlantic Avenue, began service on October 13, 2009.[14]

In early 2005, a blue and white tile mosaic reading 'South Station Under' was discovered during renovations to the Red Line platform. The MBTA had the mosaic restored to its original condition during the project.[15] Network, a 650-square-foot (60 m²) glass mosaic map by Ellen Harvey, was built on the interior walls of the northeast headhouse in 2019.[16]

Station layout

South Station Under has entrances at street level on all four corners of the intersection of Summer Street and Atlantic Avenue.[17] The Red Line has two tracks and two side platforms on the lower level. Silver Line SL1, SL2, and SL3 service is provided in a tunnel near the Red Line, and SL4 service can be accessed at a surface bus top one block south of the station entrances.[18][19] stops at Atlantic Avenue and Essex Street near the Bus Terminal.[18] There are also underground passageways upstairs to the inter-city rail station and many restaurants.

G	Street level	Exit/entrance, SL4 stop
M	Mezzanine	Fare control
B1	Side platform
	Inbound	←      Silver Line termination track
	Outbound	←      Silver Line – SL1 toward Logan Airport terminals (Courthouse) → ←      Silver Line – SL2 toward Design Center (Courthouse) → ←      Silver Line – SL3 toward Chelsea (Courthouse) →
	Side platform
B2	Side platform
	Northbound	←      Red Line toward Alewife (Downtown Crossing)
	Southbound	→      Red Line toward Ashmont or Braintree (Broadway) →
	Side platform

Bus connections

Aside from the Silver Line, three MBTA bus routes stop on Summer Street east of the station entrances:[17]

• 4: North Station–Tide Street
• 7: City Point–Otis Street & Summer Street
• 11: City Point–Bedford Street & Chauncy Street

References

1. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit.
2. "New Tunnel Station is Opened". Boston Daily Globe. December 4, 1916. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "A Guide to Ridership Data". MassDOT/MBTA Office of Performance Management and Innovation. June 22, 2020. p. 6.
4. Project for Public Spaces Archived 2013-06-24 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved December 31, 2010
5. O'Regan, Gerry (2012). "MBTA Red Line". nycsubway.org. David Pirmann. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
6. ""South Station Under" Opens Tomorrow". Boston Globe. December 2, 1916. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Tsipis, Yanni K. (2001-02-01). Boston's Central Artery. Arcadia. p. 96. ISBN 9780738505268.
8. Alonso, Jessica (April 5, 1977). "Art from underground". Boston Globe. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Kay, Jane Holtz (July 11, 1971). "A look at some underground art". Boston Globe. p. 186 – via Newspapers.com.
10. NYCSubway Picture. Retrieved January 3, 2011
11. Intermodal Stations. Retrieved December 31, 2010
12. "Accessibility Projects at the MBTA" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. March 2005.
13. Annual Status Report to DEP, July 9, 2010
14. "PATRICK-MURRAY ADMINISTRATION, MAYOR MENINO LAUNCH SILVER LINE DIRECT CONNECT SERVICE TO SOUTH STATION" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. October 13, 2009.
15. Daniel, Mac (23 January 2005). "South Bay shoppers don't rush home with their treasures". Boston Globe. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
16. "WTS-Boston unveils public art celebrating women in transportation at South Station". New England Real Estate Journal. June 28, 2019.
17. "South Station Neighborhood Map" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. April 2012.
18. "South Station Direct Connect". MassDOT. Archived from the original on October 25, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2010.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
19. "Press Release". MBTA. October 13, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2010.

External links

• MBTA – South Station
• Atlantic Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View