Porter (MBTA station)

PORTER PORTER
A Red Line train at Porter on the lower (outbound) platform
Location	Massachusetts Avenue at Somerville Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°23′18.0″N 71°07′08.5″W / 42.388333°N 71.119028°W / 42.388333; -71.119028Coordinates: 42°23′18.0″N 71°07′08.5″W / 42.388333°N 71.119028°W / 42.388333; -71.119028
Owned by	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Line(s)	MBTA Commuter Rail:   Fitchburg Line MBTA Subway:   Red Line
Platforms	1 island platform (Fitchburg Line) 2 split platforms (Red Line)
Tracks	2 (Fitchburg Line) 2 (Red Line)
Connections	MBTA Bus: 77, 77A, 83, 87, 96
Construction
Parking	None
Bicycle facilities	34 spaces
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	1A (commuter rail)
History
Opened	1845 (Fitchburg Railroad) December 8, 1984 (Red Line)
Rebuilt	1897, 1937
Previous names	Porter's Station, North Cambridge, Cambridge
Traffic
Passengers (2012)	1,616 daily boardings (Fitchburg Line)
Passengers (2013)	8,850 daily boardings (Red Line)
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station Belmont Center toward Wachusett Fitchburg Line North Station Terminus Davis toward Alewife Red Line Harvard toward Ashmont or Braintree   Former services   Waltham North toward South Sudbury Central Mass Branch Closed 1971 North Station Terminus Lake Street toward Bedford Lexington Branch Closed 1977

MBTA Commuter Rail:

MBTA Subway:

Porter is an MBTA transfer station serving the rapid transit Red Line and the commuter rail Fitchburg Line, located at Porter Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Positioned at the intersection of Massachusetts and Somerville Avenues, the station provides rapid transit access to northern Cambridge and the western portions of Somerville. Porter is 14 minutes from Park Street on the Red Line, and about 10 minutes from North Station on commuter rail trains. Several local MBTA Bus routes also stop at the station.

A series of commuter rail depots have been located at Porter Square under various names since the 1840s. The modern station with both subway and commuter rail levels was designed by Cambridge Seven Associates and opened on December 8, 1984. At 105 feet (32 m) below ground, the subway section is the deepest station on the MBTA system. The station originally had six artworks installed as part of the Arts on the Line program; five remain, including Gift of the Wind and Glove Cycle.

There has been a railroad station at Porter Square since the Fitchburg Railroad began operations in the early 1840s. The first station, built in 1843–45, was called Porter's Station. Later stations at the site were known as North Cambridge, then later simply as Cambridge. In 1869, the original station was moved to the North Avenue (now Massachusetts Avenue) bridge over the tracks.