Wellington (MBTA station)
Encyclopedia
Wellington is a MBTA
station on the Orange Line
, located in Medford
, Massachusetts
, USA on the Revere Beach Parkway
(a.k.a Route 16
) slightly east of its intersection with Route 28.
While there are some restaurants and stores nearby, this station primarily serves as a park and ride
station and as a bus
hub, with connections to several local bus routes. It features a large parking lot
and a nearby parking garage connected to the station by an above-ground walkway, for a total of 1,316 spaces.
The Orange Line's main yard and shop is located here.
In 2010, the 8 story parking structure was divided into 2 sections, with the lower floors charging a higher rate than the higher ones. The price structure changes each year.
Completed in October 1997 at a cost of $2.9 million, the 760 feet (231.6 m) "horizontal elevator" was designed to carry 1,000 commuters a day at speeds up to 25 mile per hour taking about 55 seconds to travel end to end.
Constructed by Poma-Otis
, the people mover consisted of a pair of independent cable-hauled cars on two parallel tracks. Unlike other Otis-built people movers
, which float on a cushion of air, the Wellington people mover was the first by Otis to run on steel rails. Each eight-seat glass sided car could carry up to 45 passengers or 7200 pounds (3.3 t) resulting in a maximum capacity of 1,600 people per hour per direction. Riders entered and exited from pairs of sliding doors on the ends of the carriages, with a third door providing access to the emergency walkway between the two tracks.
The people mover was plagued by mechanical problems, which resulted in both high maintenance costs and low reliability. The frequent breakdowns and service outages frustrated riders to such an extent that 91% of users preferred replacing the people mover with a walkway, according to a 2004 survey of 240 Wellington commuters conducted by National Development, owners of the Station Landing property.
In August 2006, less than ten years after it first opened, the people mover was demolished, and an above-ground covered walkway was constructed on top of the existing viaduct structure. Off-site fabrication of parts was used to speed construction of the enclosed walkway, while a temporary shuttle-bus connected commuters to the parking structure during the construction.
The replacement walkway, named SkyWalk, cost $3 million to construct, and opened in March 2007.
, south of Wellington Station.
Wellington Station is also a proposed stop on the MBTA's planned Urban Ring Project
. The Urban Ring will be a Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT) Line designed to connect the current MBTA Lines to reduce strain on the downtown stations.
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...
station on the Orange Line
Orange Line (MBTA)
The Orange Line is one of the four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. It extends from Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain, Boston in the south to Oak Grove in Malden, Massachusetts in the north. It meets the Red Line at Downtown Crossing, the Blue Line at State, and the Green...
, located in Medford
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, USA on the Revere Beach Parkway
Revere Beach Parkway
Revere Beach Parkway is a historic parkway in the northern suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. It begins at the Fellsway in Medford, where the road leading to the west is the Mystic Valley Parkway, proceeds east, ending at the junction of Revere Beach Boulevard and Winthrop Parkway in Revere. In...
(a.k.a Route 16
Massachusetts Route 16
Route 16 is an east–west state highway in Massachusetts. It begins in the west at an intersection with Route 12 and Route 193 in Webster, just north of the Connecticut state border...
) slightly east of its intersection with Route 28.
While there are some restaurants and stores nearby, this station primarily serves as a park and ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
station and as a bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
hub, with connections to several local bus routes. It features a large parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
and a nearby parking garage connected to the station by an above-ground walkway, for a total of 1,316 spaces.
The Orange Line's main yard and shop is located here.
Parking
Wellington has a parking structure, entrance located off Rte. 28. Access to the fully enclosed overhead walkway going to the station as well as the manned pay station is on the 3rd floor. This structure allows parking up to 10 days for the daily rate.In 2010, the 8 story parking structure was divided into 2 sections, with the lower floors charging a higher rate than the higher ones. The price structure changes each year.
Renovations
The station underwent some changes in 2006. New fare collection systems were installed to support the new Charlie Ticket, and the people mover connecting the parking garage with the station was replaced with an elevated walkway.Accessibility
This station is wheelchair accessible. Wellington Station is not easily accessible by foot, thus many people take buses or park at the station.Buses
The following buses provide service to Medford, Everett, Malden and other surrounding cities.- 90 Davis SquareDavis (MBTA station)Davis Station is located at the intersection of Holland Street, Elm Street, and College Avenue , in Somerville, Massachusetts. It opened on December 8, 1984. Davis Station is named after the Davis family of Massachusetts, a political dynasty whose members, over 220 years, have held at least...
& Red LineRed Line (MBTA)The Red Line is a rapid transit line operated by the MBTA running roughly north-south through Boston, Massachusetts into neighboring communities. The line begins west of Boston, in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Alewife station, near the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Route 2...
- Wellington Station via Sullivan Square Station & Assembly Square Mall - 97 Wellington Station - Malden Center Station via Canal Street, Hancock Street & Everett
- 99 Boston Regional Medical CenterBoston Regional Medical CenterBoston Regional Medical Center was a 187-bed hospital located in Stoneham, Massachusetts...
- Wellington Station via Main Street & Malden Center Station - 100 Elm Street - Wellington Station via Fellsway
- 106 Franklin Square - Wellington Station via Lebanon Street, Linwood Ave, Melrose, Maplewood Square & Malden Center Station
- 108 Linden Square - Wellington Station via Highland Ave & Malden Center Station
- 110 Wonderland StationWonderland (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...
& Blue LineBlue 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...
- Wellington Station via Park Ave, Everett & Woodlawan. - 112 Wood Island StationWood Island (MBTA station)Wood Island is a grade-level, open-air rapid transit bus and train station on the MBTA Blue Line and is on the part of the Blue Line that uses overhead lines instead of third rail. Located on Bennington Street in the neighborhood of East Boston, the station's primary patrons are residents of the...
& Blue LineBlue 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...
- Wellington Station Mystic Mall & Chelsea - 134 North Woburn - Wellington Station via Woburn Square, Medford Square, & Meadow Glen Mall
People mover
In May 1996 construction began on an automated people mover connecting Wellington Station with the Mystic Center (later "Station Landing") office complex and park and ride.Completed in October 1997 at a cost of $2.9 million, the 760 feet (231.6 m) "horizontal elevator" was designed to carry 1,000 commuters a day at speeds up to 25 mile per hour taking about 55 seconds to travel end to end.
Constructed by Poma-Otis
Otis Elevator Company
The Otis Elevator Company is the world's largest manufacturer of vertical transportation systems today, principally focusing on elevators and escalators...
, the people mover consisted of a pair of independent cable-hauled cars on two parallel tracks. Unlike other Otis-built people movers
Otis Hovair
Otis Hovair Transit Systems is a type of Hovertrain that replaces conventional steel wheels with hovercraft lift pads, and the conventional railway bed with a paved road-like surface, known as the "track" or "guideway". The concept aims to eliminate rolling resistance and allow very high...
, which float on a cushion of air, the Wellington people mover was the first by Otis to run on steel rails. Each eight-seat glass sided car could carry up to 45 passengers or 7200 pounds (3.3 t) resulting in a maximum capacity of 1,600 people per hour per direction. Riders entered and exited from pairs of sliding doors on the ends of the carriages, with a third door providing access to the emergency walkway between the two tracks.
The people mover was plagued by mechanical problems, which resulted in both high maintenance costs and low reliability. The frequent breakdowns and service outages frustrated riders to such an extent that 91% of users preferred replacing the people mover with a walkway, according to a 2004 survey of 240 Wellington commuters conducted by National Development, owners of the Station Landing property.
In August 2006, less than ten years after it first opened, the people mover was demolished, and an above-ground covered walkway was constructed on top of the existing viaduct structure. Off-site fabrication of parts was used to speed construction of the enclosed walkway, while a temporary shuttle-bus connected commuters to the parking structure during the construction.
The replacement walkway, named SkyWalk, cost $3 million to construct, and opened in March 2007.
Future plans
In 2013 an additional station stop is due to open at Assembly SquareAssembly Square
Assembly Square is a mixed-use, smart growth development planned for along the Mystic River in Somerville, Massachusetts. The site is two miles from downtown Boston and accessible via I-93 and Route 28/Middlesex Fells Parkway....
, south of Wellington Station.
Wellington Station is also a proposed stop on the MBTA's planned Urban Ring Project
Urban Ring Project (MBTA)
The Urban Ring is a project of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, to develop new public transportation line that would provide improved circumferential connections among many existing transit lines that project radially from downtown...
. The Urban Ring will be a Bus Rapid Transit
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
(BRT) Line designed to connect the current MBTA Lines to reduce strain on the downtown stations.
External links
- The MBTA's official page for this station
- Photos of this station from world.nycsubway.org
- Otis Horizontal Elevator people mover video, at YouTube.