Quincy Adams (MBTA station)

"Quincy Adams" redirects here. For the 6th President of the United States, see John Quincy Adams.
QUINCY ADAMS

Quincy Adams station platform viewed from above
Location Burgin Parkway at Centre Street
Quincy, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°13′58″N 71°00′29″W / 42.232894°N 71.008083°W / 42.232894; -71.008083Coordinates: 42°13′58″N 71°00′29″W / 42.232894°N 71.008083°W / 42.232894; -71.008083
Owned by Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Line(s)
  Red Line
Platforms 1 island platform
Tracks 2 (Red Line)
1 (Commuter rail)
Connections MBTA Bus: 238
Construction
Parking 2538 spaces ($7.00 fee)
29 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilities 64 spaces
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened September 10, 1983[1]
Traffic
Passengers (2013) 4,785 (daily boardings)[2]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station
toward Alewife
Red Line
Terminus

Quincy Adams is a rapid transit station on the Braintree Branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Red Line, located in the southern part of Quincy, Massachusetts. The station features a large park and ride garage, with space for 2,538 automobiles, built over the station tracks and platforms. It is located on the Burgin Parkway, with convenient access from Route 3 and Interstate 93 near the Braintree Split. It is fully wheelchair accessible.

History

Old Colony Railroad

The extant station building at Avon, identical to the former station at Quincy Adams

The Old Colony Railroad had a station, variously named South Quincy and Quincy Adams (after President John Quincy Adams who was born nearby) at Water Street in southern Quincy.[3][4] A stone station building was constructed in 1869; it was identical to the still-extant station at Avon, which was built around the same time.[5]

The 1926 Report on Improved Transportation Facilities and 1945–47 Coolidge Commission Report recommended the Cambridge-Dorchester Line receive a branch to Braintree along the Old Colony right-of-way.[6][7] Quincy Adams station closed along with the rest of the Old Colony system on June 30, 1959, and was later demolished.[3][5]

Red Line opening

The modern rapid transit station opened on September 10, 1983 as an infill station on the Braintree Branch. Quincy Adams had been scheduled to open along with Braintree (which opened on March 22, 1980), but construction delays caused opening to be three years late.[1] Although known as South Quincy during early planning, it was finally named Quincy Adams.[8]

Independence Avenue entrance

The closed Independence Avenue entrance in 2016

Currently, the only pedestrian access to the station is via the park and ride garage off Burgin Parkway. The MBTA opened a pedestrian entrance on the east side of the station leading to Independence Avenue in 1981. However, the streets surrounding that entrance were frequently used for parking by riders seeking to avoid paying for the parking garage. In the late 1980s, the entrance was closed, leaving neighborhood residents without station access.[9][10]

The MBTA has no definite plans to reopen the entrance, which sits intact behind a large gate.[10] Some neighborhood residents climb over the large gate to use the station.[11] The entrance has long been a point of contention between the towns of Quincy and Braintree; in February 2014, officials from the two towns proposed that a lock system be created where only nearby residents could enter from Independence Avenue.[12] As of October 2015, there has been no substantial progress towards reopening.[11]

Bus service

Interior of the parking garage with busway platforms

The station was built with a large busway (bus transfer facility) for MBTA Bus routes, with entry from Centre Street and exit to Burgin Parkway, but it has remained very underutilized throughout the history of the station. The busway has never served as a terminal for any MBTA bus route, and only one route (238 Quincy Center Station - Holbrook/Randolph Commuter Rail Station) uses it.[1] However, several other services have used it at various times.

In November 1985, one-week trials were run of MBTA service directly from Alewife and Quincy Adams to Logan International Airport. The Quincy Adams service was considered successful and became permanent.; it was later contracted to Plymouth & Brockton in November 1987. From 1988 to 1990 service continued past Quincy Adams to Plymouth. In November 1990, the terminal was moved from Quincy Adams to a parking lot near Braintree to free garage spots for MBTA commuters.[1]

In February 1990, two special routes, 201 Riverside - Museum of Fine Arts and 202 Quincy Adams - Museum of Fine Arts, were run during a Monet exhibition at the museum.[1] Beginning in August 1999, Interstate Coach operated reverse commute bus service from Boston to a business park in Canton, with intermediate stops at JFK/UMass at Quincy Adams. The service was operated by Bloom Bus Lines after it acquired Interstate in August 2003, but discontinued in July 2004.[1]

Beginning with the 1994 season, the MBTA subsidized private-carrier service from Forest Hills, Alewife, Riverside, and Quincy Adams to Gillette Stadium for New England Patriots home games. Service from the latter three stations lasted until the 2000 season.[1]

The 230 Quincy Center Station - Montello Commuter Rail Station via Holbrook & Braintree Station route runs on Independence Avenue and would provide station access should the second entrance be reopened.

Exit fare

From their openings until 2007, a double entry fare and single exit fare were charged at Quincy Adams and Braintree when leaving the subway, as a proxy for distance-based fares. The extra fares was discontinued as part of a fare increase and service change on January 1, 2007.[13] Similar charges existed until 1980 for the inner stations on the Braintree Branch.

Garage issues

Until 2012, access to the garage had only been from ramps off I-93 and Route 3, with the Burgin Parkway entrance leading only to a 160-space surface lot. In July 2012, after the closure of the garage at Quincy Center due to structural issues, the 130-space lower level of the garage was made accessible from Burgin Parkway as well.[14]

Although built to last 50 years, the $28 million garage at Quincy Adams began suffering concrete damage due to water leakage and ill-fitting structural elements. Repairs were performed to the Quincy Adams and Braintree garages in the mid 1990s. In 2015, the MBTA began a $4.4 million project to address urgent structural issues with the two garages, though $56 million for full repairs or replacement is still needed.[15]

Station layout

A single track runs through the station carrying the Old Colony Lines and Greenbush Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail system, but there is no commuter rail platform and trains do not stop.

P
Platform level		 Inbound ← Red Line toward Alewife (Quincy Center)
Island platform, doors will open on the left
Outbound → Red Line toward Braintree (Terminus) →
Commuter rail track ← Commuter rail lines/CapeFLYER do not stop here →

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Belcher, Jonathan (26 December 2015). "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district 1964-2015" (PDF). NETransit. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14 ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  3. 1 2 Karr, Ronald Dale (1995). The Rail Lines of Southern New England. Branch Line Press. pp. 310–315. ISBN 0942147022.
  4. ↑ "Quincy 1876: Southern Section". Atlas of Norfolk County. Comstock & Cline. 1876. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  5. 1 2 Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 128. ISBN 9780942147087.
  6. ↑ Central Transportation Planning Staff (15 November 1993). "The Transportation Plan for the Boston Region - Volume 2". National Transportation Library. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  7. ↑ Boston Elevated Railway and Boston Department of Public Utilities (1945), Boston Rapid Transit System & Proposed Extensions 1945 - Metropolitan Transit Recess Commission Air View
  8. ↑ Plotkin, A.S. (9 November 1973). "$100m parking plans snagged by lot abuttors". Boston Globe – via Proquest Historical Newspapers. (subscription required (help)).
  9. ↑ Tan, L. Kim (7 December 2006). "Can't get there from here". Boston Globe. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  10. 1 2 Davey, Rich (22 May 2011). "Ask the MBTA: On gates and delays". Metro. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  11. 1 2 Hanson, Fred (21 October 2015). "Opinions remain split on Quincy Adams station access". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  12. ↑ Simpson, Neal (14 February 2014). "Plan targets entrance dispute at Quincy Adams T station". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  13. ↑ Waltz, Vicky (11 November 2006). "End of the Line for Free T". BU Today. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  14. ↑ Simpson, Neal (18 July 2012). "MBTA to open Burgin Parkway entrance to Quincy Adams garage". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  15. ↑ Burrell, Chris (16 November 2015). "Stopgap repairs being made to crumbling MBTA garages in Quincy, Braintree". Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
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