3 Newton Commuter Rail Stations To Get Upgrades, MBTA Wants Input

NEWTON, MA — Three commuter rail stations in Newton are set to be upgraded as part of a $46 million project that's in the design phase, the MBTA announced Wednesday.

By 2024, stations in Auburndale, West Newton, and Newtonville will get a makeover so that they're accessible to all riders, the MBTA said. But first, officials are asking for rider input.

Public site visits and workshops start Feb 13 and run through the end of the month. The MBTA said any Newton seniors or persons with disabilities who participates in the sessions will get an Amazon gift card. The first site visit begins at 1 p.m. at the Newtonville Commuter Rail Station on Feb. 13. The day after, there's a meeting at the Newton Free Library at 10 a.m.

"We want to hear your ideas about how the new stations can best be designed to meet your needs," the MBTA said in a statement.

Right now, stairways lead to low-level boarding platforms on Track 2 at Auburndale, West Newton, and Newtonville stations. The plan is to construct fully accessible, high-level platforms on Track 1 and set up for the possibility similar platforms on Track 2 at each station and accessible pathways to each platform.

Officials said they also want to add benches, canopies, and those yellow tactile stripping as well as bike racks.

At the Auburndale station, plans are in the works to create sloped walkway access from the sidewalk and the parking lot to the platform and create a connection from street drop-off area to the platform.

At the West Newton station, plans are set to create stair and elevator access from the sidewalk to the platform and stair and ramp access from the Washington Street parking lot to the platform. There's also a plan to create a sloped walkway access from the Webster Street parking lot to the platform via a pedestrian underpass.

While construction is happening for the accessibility upgrades, crews will use the time to assess what could be done to modernize and make the MBTA there more reliable when it comes to track and signal issues

Details: For the list of workshops and meetings.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).