Route 128 (MBTA station)

Route 128
MBTA Commuter Rail train at Route 128 station in 2012
Location	50 University Avenue Westwood, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°12′37″N 71°08′50″W / 42.2102°N 71.1472°W / 42.2102; -71.1472Coordinates: 42°12′37″N 71°08′50″W / 42.2102°N 71.1472°W / 42.2102; -71.1472
Owned by	Amtrak (station and platforms) MBTA (parking garage and tracks)
Line(s)	Northeast Corridor
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Parking	2,589 spaces ($7.00 fee) 44 accessible spaces
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	RTE (Amtrak)
Fare zone	2 (MBTA)
History
Opened	April 26, 1953
Rebuilt	1965, 2000
Traffic
Passengers (FY2016)	450,301 (Amtrak alightings + boardings)
Passengers (2013)	853 (MBTA weekday inbound average)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Providence toward Washington, DC Acela Express Boston Back Bay toward Boston South Station Providence toward Norfolk, Newport News, or Lynchburg Northeast Regional MBTA Canton Junction toward Wickford Junction or Stoughton Providence/Stoughton Line Hyde Park toward South Station

Route 128 (sometimes subtitled Dedham-Westwood or University Park or called the Westwood – Route 128 Station) is a passenger rail station in Westwood, Massachusetts. It is located at the crossing of the Northeast Corridor and Interstate 95/US 1/Route 128 at the eastern tip of Westwood and Dedham. It is served by most MBTA Commuter Rail Providence/Stoughton Line commuter trains, as well as by all Amtrak Northeast Regional and Acela Express intercity trains. The station area and platforms are owned by Amtrak, but the MBTA owns the parking garage and tracks.

Route 128 station opened in 1953 as a park-and-ride facility; it has no bus connections and low walkability to Westwood, Dedham, or the nearby towns of Norwood and Canton. Although primarily for daily parking, it is one of only a few MBTA stations that permits overnight parking. A separate entrance to the garage is used for overnight parking, which is intended for Amtrak customers. Unlike most MBTA stations, credit cards and even E-ZPass transponders are accepted for payment of parking fees.

The station has full-length high-level platforms serving both tracks and is fully handicapped accessible.

A station named Green Lodge was located on Green Lodge Street (later part of the original Circumferential Highway) from the 1860s to the 1920s. The New Haven Railroad opened Route 128 station on April 26, 1953 on the same site, so that intercity rail passengers could park off the (then under construction) Route 128 expressway rather than having to drive into downtown Boston. Built at the direction of New Haven president Frederic C. Dumaine, Jr., Route 128 station was among the first dedicated park and ride stations built in the country. It quickly became a preferred station for suburban commuters, who now represent a majority of station traffic. Green Lodge Street was cut to allow the building of the station, but the abutments still flank the platforms. Some local commuters park on the east side of the station to avoid parking fees, though the MBTA has attempted to curtail this.