Oak Grove (MBTA station)

OAK GROVE
Orange Line platform (left) and rarely used commuter rail platform (right), viewed looking northwards
Location	Washington Street at Winter Street Malden, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°26′13″N 71°04′15″W / 42.436942°N 71.070889°W / 42.436942; -71.070889Coordinates: 42°26′13″N 71°04′15″W / 42.436942°N 71.070889°W / 42.436942; -71.070889
Owned by	MBTA
Line(s)	Orange Line
Platforms	1 island platform (Orange Line) 1 side platform (Commuter Rail, not in regular use)
Tracks	2 (Orange Line) 1 (Commuter Rail)
Construction
Parking	788 spaces ($6.00 fee) 13 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilities	140 spaces in "Pedal and Park" bicycle cage
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	March 20, 1977
Traffic
Passengers (2013)	6,590 (daily average boardings)
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station Malden Center toward Forest Hills Orange Line Terminus Malden Center toward North Station Haverhill Line Service disruptions only Wyoming Hill toward Haverhill

Oak Grove is a rapid transit station on the MBTA Orange Line, located in the northern part of Malden, Massachusetts just south of the Melrose border. The northern terminus of the Orange Line, Oak Grove has a 788-space park and ride lot serving nearby residential communities. It is also served by four MBTA Bus routes and has secure cages for bicycle storage.

Oak Grove has a single platform for the Haverhill Line that passes through the station. Commuter rail trains, however, are only stopped during service disruptions on the Orange Line or the inner Haverhill Line.

Like all Orange Line stations, Oak Grove is fully handicapped accessible.

Oak Grove opened on March 20, 1977, as the northern terminus of the Haymarket North Extension of the Orange Line. Originally intended to run as far as Reading, displacing inner Haverhill Line service, the extension had been cut back to Oak Grove by the time the station was completed. However, a platform (sized for six-car Orange Line trains rather than lengthier commuter rail trains) was built to serve the single Haverhill Line track, for potential use should the remainder of the extension be built. In the fare mezzanine, a sign labels the platform as "Orange Line outbound". Malden Center was built with the same configuration; however, its platform is regularly used for commuter rail service.

Haverhill Line trains do not stop at Oak Grove unless the Orange Line or the Haverhill Line is disrupted between there and North Station, necessitating a transfer between modes. After the approach trestles at North Station burned on January 20, 1984, Oak Grove became the inbound terminus for the Haverhill Line. When North Station reopened on April 20, 1985, commuter trains no longer stopped at Oak Grove. Instead, most trains make a stop at Malden Center, which is closer to employment areas in downtown Malden.

Because of its Orange Line connection, Oak Grove can serve as a temporary inbound terminus for Haverhill Line service when commuter rail service is disrupted between Oak Grove and Boston's North Station. It served this role during the 2004 Democratic National Convention, when North Station was closed for a week for security purposes.