Braintree station (MBTA)


Braintree is an intermodal transit station in Braintree, Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA's Red Line and the MBTA Commuter Rail Old Colony Lines as well as MBTA buses.
It is located at Ivory and Union Streets. The tracks of the Red Line and commuter rail lines are all parallel to one another, their platforms are offset; the commuter rail platform is located north of Union Street, while the Red Line platform is south of the street. The station features a large park and ride garage, with space for 1,322 automobiles. Braintree is fully accessible on all modes.

History

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 13, 1977. The station opened on March 22, 1980, for Red Line service. Between 1984 and 1988, the Cape Cod and Hyannis Railroad operated a state-subsidized seasonal weekend service from Braintree to Hyannis, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. Commuter rail service began on September 26, 1997, when the Old Colony Lines re-opened. The station has been accessible since at least 1989.
From 1980 to 2007, a double entry fare and single exit fare were charged at Braintree and Quincy Adams when leaving the subway. The extra fares were discontinued as part of a fare increase and service change on January 1, 2007. Similar charges existed until 1980 on the inner stations on the Braintree Branch.
Although built to last 50 years, the parking garage at Braintree 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 full repair or replacement was still needed. Further construction on the Braintree garage took place in 2016. The deteriorated footbridge between the garage and station was closed in February 2017. The garage is being fully renovated from May 2018 through 2021 at a cost of $29 million; the station and garage will remain open during the whole project. The work includes a canopy over the ramp to the commuter rail platform, and a canopy to replace the former footbridge. 400 garage spaces closed on February 10, 2020 to allow the project to be completed by June 2021 rather than December 2021.

Station layout

The two island platforms are highly offset, with different street entrances.

Bus connections

Three MBTA bus routes serve a busway next to the Red Line platform at Braintree: