Adam RollinsThe Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) will use $67.6 million to make accessibility improvements platforms along Boston’s Green Line. Plans include removing steps and widening platforms to make transit easier for people with disabilities to board and disembark.
The Green Line Accessibility Improvements Project will modernize one of the oldest light-rail subway lines in the nation. The line is one of the most challenging parts of the system to make accessible due to stations located along major roadways and the level of collaboration needed between the authority and Boston to renovate the system. Other barriers, such as heavy station doors and broken sidewalks, make the Green Line even less accessible.
MBTA will upgrade station platforms at 14 stops along the Green Line to make them more accessible to riders with disabilities. Plans include installing accessible platforms for level boarding to improve safety. This will remove the current 14-inch step that prevents people with disabilities or limited mobility from using the subway. MBTA will also widen, level and illuminate the platforms to increase visibility and navigation.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) provided the funds through the All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP). The project is MBTA’s latest investment in improving transit mobility and accessibility across Boston. The authority received more than $66 million from the FTA to improve Symphony station’s accessibility in 2023.
MBTA has received numerous awards totaling more than $1 billion to replace bridges, improve connectivity and rehabilitate infrastructure. The authority has also developed a freestanding mini-high structure to help people with disabilities access transit options and built 75 elevators over the past decade.
ASAP is designed to help repair, improve, modify, retrofit or relocate station and facility infrastructure to make public areas more accessible for people with disabilities. The Green Line Accessibility Improvements Project is one of eight projects that will receive a portion of the FTA’s recent $343 million investment in public transit accessibility.
