Arlington (MBTA station)

ARLINGTON
Outbound platform in December 2009
Location	20 Arlington Street Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°21′07″N 71°04′15″W / 42.35186°N 71.070728°W / 42.35186; -71.070728
Owned by	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Line(s)	Green Line (all branches)
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	November 13, 1921
Rebuilt	May 31, 2009
Traffic
Passengers (2013)	8,519 (weekday average boardings)
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station Copley toward Boston College Green Line "B" Branch Boylston toward Park Street Copley toward Riverside Green Line "D" Branch Boylston toward Government Center Copley toward Cleveland Circle Green Line "C" Branch Boylston toward North Station Copley toward Heath Street Green Line "E" Branch Boylston toward Lechmere   Former service   Copley toward Watertown Green Line "A" Branch discontinued 1969 Boylston toward Park Street

Arlington is a station on the light rail MBTA Green Line. located at the southwest corner of the Boston Public Garden at the corner of Arlington and Boylston Streets. Arlington was not part of the 1914-opened Boylston Street Subway; its construction was delayed by World War I and the station opened in 1921.

Arlington station is located at the eastern end of the Back Bay neighborhood, at the intersection of Arlington Street and Boylston Street, in one of the most prosperous areas of Boston. The station's prime location means that it is close to many popular attractions in the Back Bay area. Arlington is the most convenient station to reach the Boston Public Garden, as it is on the southwestern corner of the park. The station also serves Bay Village, one of Boston's smallest and least-known neighborhoods.

After the success of the original Tremont Street Subway in 1897–1898, there was a push to extend the tunnel under Boylston Street towards Kenmore Square. During 1913 tunnel excavations near the present-day site of Arlington station, remains of ancient fish weirs built by Native Americans were found approximately 30 feet (9.1 m) below street level. Their age has been estimated as between 2,000 and 3,600 years.

Businesses in the Back Bay neighborhood along Boylston Street between Clarendon and Tremont Streets became worried about loss of income due to being bypassed by an uninterrupted 4,000-foot (1,200 m) tunnel between Boylston and Copley stations, which was completed in 1914. They lobbied for an infill station near Arlington Street, but were rebuffed by the Boston Elevated Railway and the state legislature. In 1915, with the backing of Boston mayor James Michael Curley, they succeeded in getting legislative approval for a new underground station.