West Roxbury station

42°16′54″N 71°09′36″W / 42.2816°N 71.159932°W / 42.2816; -71.159932Line(s)Needham Branch (West Roxbury Branch)Platforms1 side platformTracks1Connections

MBTA bus: 35, 36, 37ConstructionParking175 spacesAccessibleYesOther informationFare zone1HistoryOpenedJuly 14, 1849Rebuilt1979–1987Passengers2018444 (weekday average boardings)^[1] Services

Preceding station	MBTA			Following station
Hersey toward Needham Heights		Needham Line		Highland toward South Station

Former services

Preceding station	MBTA		Following station
Bird's Hill toward Millis		Millis Branch Closed 1967	Highland toward South Station
Preceding station	New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad		Following station
Bird's Hill toward Woonsocket		Charles River Line	Highland toward Boston

Location

West Roxbury station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Boston, Massachusetts, served by the Needham Line. It is located on an embankment above Lagrange Street in the West Roxbury neighborhood. The station is accessible with a short mini-high platform on the outbound end of the main platform.

History

The Boston and Providence Railroad (B&P) opened a branch line from Forest Hills to Dedham (where it connected with the B&P's preexisting branch to Dedham via Readville) via West Roxbury on July 14, 1849.^[2] South Street (Roslindale), Central (Bellevue), West Roxbury, and Spring Street stations all opened with the branch.^[3] The New Haven Railroad, successor to the B&P, opened the Needham cutoff on November 4, 1906 from West Roxbury to Needham Junction, allowing trains from the former New York and New England Railroad to reach Boston without needing to use the Boston and Albany Railroad's Highland branch.^[3] Service to Dedham via West Roxbury ended in 1940, leaving West Roxbury an intermediate station on the commuter lines to Needham and West Medway.^[3]

The entire Needham line was closed from 1979 to 1987 while the Southwest Corridor was reconstructed. During that time, most of the stations (including West Roxbury) were renovated for accessibility.^[4]

References

^ Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
^ "Dedham Branch Railroad". Boston Evening Transcript. July 16, 1849. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 21–24, 29, 43–46. ISBN 9780685412947.
^ Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.