Newton Highlands station


Newton Highlands is a surface-level rapid transit station located in Newton, Massachusetts on the Green Line D branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Like the other surface-level stations on the D branch, it opened on July 4, 1959.
The first station at this site opened in 1852 on the Charles River Branch Railroad. The 1880s Boston and Albany Railroad depot building, designed by H. H. Richardson in collaboration with landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 3, 1976 and is part of the Newton Railroad Stations Historic District.
The station's interior, occupied by an auto parts store for years, is being renovated and is partially occupied by a periodontist's office. It is not used as a passenger waiting area, although the building's eaves provide some shelter for outbound passengers.

Accessibility

Newton Highlands station has three entrances - ramps from Walnut Street and Station Avenue, and stairs from Hyde Street - all to the outbound platform. Passengers must cross the tracks to reach the inbound platform. The station has low platforms and the ramps are too steep, making the station not fully accessible; however, portable lifts are present to provide partial accessibility.
Design for a fully accessible renovation reached 30% in October 2015. The project will make the two existing ramps accessible, add an accessible ramp from Hyde Street to the inbound platform, and raise the platforms. In 2019, a temporary accessible ramp and platform sections were built to make the station accessible while it is used as a terminal during track work on the line. Construction on the full project is planned to begin in 2021.