Bowdoin (MBTA station)
Encyclopedia
Bowdoin of the MBTA
, is a station on the Blue Line
, serving Bowdoin Square
in Boston's Beacon Hill
neighborhood. It is currently the downtown terminus of the line, although it may close if the line is extended or after Government Center
is rebuilt.
. Along with Government Center
, it replaced Court Street Station as the turnaround point for trolley cars from East Boston. The line was converted to heavy rail metro cars in 1925, and the loop has been a tight fit for rapid transit cars ever since. Blue Line cars are 48 feet long, shorter than the 65-foot Orange Line and 69-foot Red Line cars, partially because of the tight loop. Bowdoin is the only remaining turnaround loop on the MBTA's heavy rail lines; Wonderland and all Orange and Red Line termini simply use crossovers to reverse the direction of trains.
, and is only open from 5:15AM to 6:30PM, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. At all other times, trains terminate and originate service at Government Center
station. The tight loop just past the station is used to turn around Blue Line trains at all times, sending them back to Government Center and onwards to Wonderland
, in Revere
. The platform is wedge shaped, with a single entrance at the wide end near the turnaround loop.
In 2008, the MBTA started running a mixture of 4-car and 6-car trains on the Blue Line, adding more long trains as new cars arrive from the manufacturer. Incoming 6-car trains can fit on the westbound platform where trains go out of service, but only 4-car trains can fit on the eastbound side where trains come into service after turning around. At Bowdoin only, passenger must press a "door open" button outside of the train to board a 6-car train.
is constructed.
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...
, is a station on 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...
, serving Bowdoin Square
Bowdoin Square (Boston)
Bowdoin Square in Boston, Massachusetts was located in the West End. In the 18th-19th centuries it featured residential houses, leafy trees, a church, hotel, theatre and other buildings. Among the notables who have lived in the square: physician Thomas Bulfinch; merchant Kirk Boott; and mayor...
in Boston's Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts
Beacon Hill is a historic neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, that along with the neighboring Back Bay is home to about 26,000 people. It is a neighborhood of Federal-style rowhouses and is known for its narrow, gas-lit streets and brick sidewalks...
neighborhood. It is currently the downtown terminus of the line, although it may close if the line is extended or after Government Center
Government Center (MBTA station)
Government Center is an MBTA subway station and a transfer point between the Green Line and the Blue Line. It is located at the intersection of Tremont, Court and Cambridge Streets in the Government Center area of Boston.-History:...
is rebuilt.
History
Bowdoin station opened for service on March 18, 1916 as the terminus of the East Boston Tunnel, connecting Beacon Hill to Maverick SquareMaverick (MBTA station)
Maverick is a subway station on the Blue Line at Maverick Square in East Boston, Massachusetts, USA. It is the easternmost underground station on the Blue Line, and a transfer point to various buses. One center island platform provides access to the surface in the middle of Maverick Square...
. Along with Government Center
Government Center (MBTA station)
Government Center is an MBTA subway station and a transfer point between the Green Line and the Blue Line. It is located at the intersection of Tremont, Court and Cambridge Streets in the Government Center area of Boston.-History:...
, it replaced Court Street Station as the turnaround point for trolley cars from East Boston. The line was converted to heavy rail metro cars in 1925, and the loop has been a tight fit for rapid transit cars ever since. Blue Line cars are 48 feet long, shorter than the 65-foot Orange Line and 69-foot Red Line cars, partially because of the tight loop. Bowdoin is the only remaining turnaround loop on the MBTA's heavy rail lines; Wonderland and all Orange and Red Line termini simply use crossovers to reverse the direction of trains.
Current status
The station is lightly used except at rush hourRush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
, and is only open from 5:15AM to 6:30PM, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. At all other times, trains terminate and originate service at Government Center
Government Center (MBTA station)
Government Center is an MBTA subway station and a transfer point between the Green Line and the Blue Line. It is located at the intersection of Tremont, Court and Cambridge Streets in the Government Center area of Boston.-History:...
station. The tight loop just past the station is used to turn around Blue Line trains at all times, sending them back to Government Center and onwards to Wonderland
Wonderland (MBTA station)
Wonderland is the northern terminus of the Blue Line in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority mass transit system serving greater Boston. The station is located near the site of the now-closed Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere, Massachusetts, and is handicapped accessible. See MBTA...
, in Revere
Revere, Massachusetts
Revere is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and located approximately from downtown Boston. It is named after the American patriot Paul Revere. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 51,755.- History :...
. The platform is wedge shaped, with a single entrance at the wide end near the turnaround loop.
In 2008, the MBTA started running a mixture of 4-car and 6-car trains on the Blue Line, adding more long trains as new cars arrive from the manufacturer. Incoming 6-car trains can fit on the westbound platform where trains go out of service, but only 4-car trains can fit on the eastbound side where trains come into service after turning around. At Bowdoin only, passenger must press a "door open" button outside of the train to board a 6-car train.
Future
Bowdoin is slated to be closed once the Government Center renovation is complete, due to the short distance between the lengthened platforms. A second headhouse might be added to Government Center closer to Bowdoin Station on Cambridge Street. This would reduce the walking distance from 980 to 575 feet. Bowdoin will likely continue to be used as a turnaround loop, unless the proposed Blue Line extension tunnel to Charles/MGHCharles/MGH (MBTA station)
Charles/MGH Station also known as Charles or Charles Street, is located at the intersection of Cambridge Street and Charles Street, in Boston, Massachusetts. The rapid transit station is on the MBTA Red Line and is elevated, being located at the Boston side of the Longfellow Bridge, which carries...
is constructed.