MBTA to begin accessibility project on Symphony Station
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) will start construction for major accessibility improvements at Symphony Station on the Green Line E branch on June 6. The agency notes the 85-year-old Symphony Station upgrade includes four new elevators and other station enhancements. To accommodate the accessibility upgrades, Symphony will close for 35 months, with Green Line trains bypassing the station in both directions while construction takes place. MBTA says normal Green Line service to all other E branch stations will continue during this period.
The design contract for the Symphony Station Accessibility Improvements Project was awarded in 2019, with design completed in 2023. Utility relocations have been taking place since spring 2023 at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Huntington Avenue, with excavations in four different locations to accommodate space for the four new elevators and stairway areas. MBTA notes the current budget for utility relocation is approximately $20 million and $150.8 million for station renovations, funded in part with over $66.6 million from the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) All Stations Accessibility Program.
“Thank you to the Healey-Driscoll Administration and our legislative partners for their continued focus on transportation projects such as Symphony Station that will improve the quality of life for communities and the public we serve,” said Massachusetts Department of Transportation Interim Secretary and MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “I’m proud of our MBTA team, including our Grants team that successfully pursued $66.6 million in federal funds for this project. It is the partnerships that we have with the FTA, local stakeholders and community groups that make projects like this possible. We know that construction and temporary closures of the station affect our riders, but when finished, Symphony Station will be a bright, modernized, and fully accessible station that all can be proud of for generations to come.”
According to the agency, there are currently no step-free pathways from the entrances to the platforms at Symphony, and the station is not able to be accessed by people with wheeled mobility devices. When construction is complete in spring 2029, Symphony will be enhanced with raised platforms for easier boarding, accessible bathrooms, improved wayfinding, more lighting and upgraded safety features.