West Newton (MBTA station)

WEST NEWTON
West Newton station in May 2011
Location	1395 Washington Street Newton, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°20′52″N 71°13′51″W / 42.34780°N 71.23075°W / 42.34780; -71.23075Coordinates: 42°20′52″N 71°13′51″W / 42.34780°N 71.23075°W / 42.34780; -71.23075
Owned by	MBTA
Line(s)	Framingham/Worcester Line
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Connections	MBTA Buses
Construction
Parking	45 spaces ($4.00 fee)
Other information
Fare zone	2
History
Opened	1834
Traffic
Passengers (2013)	284 (weekday inbound average)
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station Auburndale toward Worcester Framingham/Worcester Line Newtonville toward South Station   Former services   New York Central Railroad Auburndale toward Worcester Worcester Line Newtonville toward Boston

West Newton is a commuter rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line, located inside the Massachusetts Turnpike Exit 16 rotary in West Newton, Massachusetts. Except for a brief period in 1981, West Newton has had rail service since 1834. The station consists of a single low side platform serving one of the line's two tracks, with small crossings to access trains on the far track. West Newton is not handicapped accessible.

West Newton was the first terminus of the Boston and Worcester Railroad in April 1834, and one of the first locations in the world from which workers could commute to a city by rail for regular working hours. The Railroad Hotel originally served as the train station.

By the late 1840s, a dedicated station building was located on the north side of the tracks just west of Chestnut Street. By the 1870s, West Newton was a flag stop, with a larger station building on the south side of the tracks.

Except for six weeks in 1981, West Newton has had continuous rail service since 1834. As part of service cutbacks due to declining funding, West Newton was closed along with Auburndale, West Gloucester, Uphams Corner, and Morton Street on January 30, 1981. West Newton and Auburndale reopened on March 16, 1981, though the other three stations did not.

A 2011 village plan prepared for the city by MIT proposed a four-story development integrated with a rebuilt commuter rail station, with two high-level side platforms providing handicapped accessible boarding on both tracks.

Two MBTA Bus express routes serve West Newton: