Wood Island (MBTA station)
Encyclopedia
Wood Island is a grade-level, open-air rapid transit
bus and train station on the MBTA
Blue Line
and is on the part of the Blue Line that uses overhead lines
instead of third rail
. Located on Bennington Street (Route 145
) in the neighborhood of East Boston
, the station's primary patrons are residents of the Day Square area. The station also serves as a bus transfer point for several local routes.
The station is adjacent to the former Wood Island Park, a once heavily-used recreational area for East Boston residents. Most of the park was destroyed in the middle 1960s to expand Logan International Airport
. Although Logan can be clearly seen from the station, there is no access, however one can take the Blue Line one stop to the Airport
station.
. Since the busway was directly above the station's platforms, the station itself was partially enclosed. All MBTA buses now load in an open busway directly off Bennington Street with the new open-air station seated back several hundred feet from the street. The station's two platforms on either side of two tracks are connected by an overhead walkway within the paid zone.
During August 2008, the station underwent a renovation of both platforms. For several years, the platforms had deteriorated and several tiles were broken. The station was closed to passengers and shuttle buses ran from Airport Station
in lieu of subway service. It was reopened on Monday, August 25, 2008.
- Wood Island Station via Central Avenue: Orient Heights Station - Maverick Station via Bennington Street: Maverick Station via Lexington Street and Eagle Square
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
bus and train station on the MBTA
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
Blue Line
Blue Line (MBTA)
The Blue Line is one of four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority serving Downtown, East Boston and the North Shore. It runs from northeast to southwest, extending from Wonderland station in Revere, Massachusetts to Bowdoin station near Beacon Hill in Boston...
and is on the part of the Blue Line that uses overhead lines
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
instead of third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
. Located on Bennington Street (Route 145
Massachusetts Route 145
Route 145 is a circuitous south–north urban state highway in Massachusetts. It is entirely within Suffolk County and primarily serves the peninsular town of Winthrop from East Boston and Revere.-Route description:...
) in the neighborhood of East Boston
East Boston, Massachusetts
East Boston is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, with approximately 40,000 residents. The community was created by connecting several islands using landfill and was annexed by Boston in 1836. East Boston is separated from the rest of the city by Boston Harbor and bordered by Winthrop,...
, the station's primary patrons are residents of the Day Square area. The station also serves as a bus transfer point for several local routes.
The station is adjacent to the former Wood Island Park, a once heavily-used recreational area for East Boston residents. Most of the park was destroyed in the middle 1960s to expand Logan International Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
. Although Logan can be clearly seen from the station, there is no access, however one can take the Blue Line one stop to the Airport
Airport (MBTA station)
Airport Station is a subway station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Blue Line. It serves as a mass transit connection to the nearby Logan International Airport...
station.
Renovations
As part of the ongoing renovation and expansion of the Blue Line, the station was reconstructed in the mid-1990s, removing a private, elevated buswayBusway
Busway may refer to several things:Transport technology* Bus rapid transit, bus systems including some elements of trams or metro systems* Guided busway, concrete tracks exclusively for modified busesTransport systems...
. Since the busway was directly above the station's platforms, the station itself was partially enclosed. All MBTA buses now load in an open busway directly off Bennington Street with the new open-air station seated back several hundred feet from the street. The station's two platforms on either side of two tracks are connected by an overhead walkway within the paid zone.
During August 2008, the station underwent a renovation of both platforms. For several years, the platforms had deteriorated and several tiles were broken. The station was closed to passengers and shuttle buses ran from Airport Station
Airport (MBTA station)
Airport Station is a subway station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Blue Line. It serves as a mass transit connection to the nearby Logan International Airport...
in lieu of subway service. It was reopened on Monday, August 25, 2008.
Bus connections
The following MBTA Bus Routes stop here:: Wellington Station & Orange LineOrange Line (MBTA)
The Orange Line is one of the four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. It extends from Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain, Boston in the south to Oak Grove in Malden, Massachusetts in the north. It meets the Red Line at Downtown Crossing, the Blue Line at State, and the Green...
- Wood Island Station via Central Avenue: Orient Heights Station - Maverick Station via Bennington Street: Maverick Station via Lexington Street and Eagle Square