Oak Grove (MBTA station)

OAK GROVE

Orange Line platform (left) and rarely used commuter rail platform (right), viewed looking northwards
Location Washington Street at Winter Street
Malden, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°26′13″N 71°04′15″W / 42.436942°N 71.070889°W / 42.436942; -71.070889Coordinates: 42°26′13″N 71°04′15″W / 42.436942°N 71.070889°W / 42.436942; -71.070889
Owned by MBTA
Line(s)
  Orange Line
Platforms 1 island platform (Orange Line)
1 side platform (Commuter Rail, not in regular use)
Tracks 2 (Orange Line)
1 (Commuter Rail)
Construction
Parking 788 spaces ($6.00 fee)
13 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilities 140 spaces in "Pedal and Park" bicycle cage
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened March 20, 1977[1]
Traffic
Passengers (2013) 6,590 (daily average boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station
toward Forest Hills
Orange LineTerminus
Haverhill Line
Service disruptions only
toward Haverhill

Oak Grove is a rapid transit station on the MBTA Orange Line, located in the northern part of Malden, Massachusetts 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.

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

Like all Orange Line stations, Oak Grove is fully handicapped accessible.

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]

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]

Platform rehabilitation project

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.[3] The project also included new track lighting, guardrails, and expansion joints.[4]

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.[4] From March 2 to June 30, 2014, the MBTA constructed the emergency exit ramp and a public restroom as Phase 3.[3]

Bus connections

Four MBTA Bus routes serve Oak Grove station.[5] Three routes that run on Main Street in Malden and Melrose use a dedicated busway in the parking area on the east side of the station:

One route runs on Washington Street on the west side of the station:

Station layout

Platform rehabilitation work in 2013
Ground Street level Exit/Entrance
Concourse Lobby Mezzanine, faregates
Platforms Southbound ← Orange Line toward Forest Hills (Malden Center)
Island platform, doors will open on the left
Northbound → Orange Line termination track →
Commuter rail ← Haverhill Line does not stop here except during service disruptions →
Side platform, not in service except during service disruptions

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Belcher, Jonathan (22 March 2014). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14 ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Oak Grove Platform Rehabilitation Project". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  4. 1 2 Sacco, Jessica (May 16, 2014). "Work continues at Oak Grove MBTA station". Wicked Local Melrose. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "Oak Grove Station Neighborhood Map" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. July 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
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