History
West Newton was the first terminus of the Boston and Worcester Railroad in April 1834, and one of the first locations in the world from which workers could commute to a city by rail for regular working hours. The Railroad Hotel originally served as the train station. By the late 1840s, a dedicated station building was located on the north side of the tracks just west of Chestnut Street. A new station building was constructed in 1850 at an expense of $2,700. It was located on the south side of the tracks. Service to West Newton and Auburndale stations was reduced to one daily round trip on January 30, 1981, as part of a series of service cuts due to a budget crisis. Normal service resumed to the two stations on March 16, 1981. A 2011 village plan prepared for the city by MIT proposed a four-story development integrated with a rebuilt commuter rail station, with two high-level side platforms providing accessible boarding on both tracks. Design for an accessible platform on the north side of the tracks reached 30% in November 2020 and was expected to be complete in spring 2022. The designs were later changed to have two platforms to reduce operational impacts. The new design reached 30% completion in early 2022. A ramp was added to the design scope at that time, delaying expected design completion to February 2024. Drilling for geotechnical surveying took place in October–November 2022. Design work for the Newton stations was paused at 75% completion in September 2023 because project costs had risen to $255 million. The MBTA unsuccessfully applied for a federal grant for the projects in January 2024. In April 2024, lacking the federal funding, the MBTA indicated that it would proceed with Newtonville before the two other stations.References
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