Copley (MBTA station)

History

Copley Station was opened October 3, 1914, as part of the Boylston Street Subway, an extension of the original Tremont Street Subway. The ornate wrought-iron head house next to the Boston Public Library was designed by the firm Fox, Jenny & Gale. Originally Copley had light blue and white tile mosaic for the station name on the walls; however, none of these have survived.

Renovation project and lawsuit

As a "key station" on the MBTA system, Copley was a priority for the MBTA to make handicapped accessible under the Light Rail Accessibility Program. A 1995 MBTA report identified possible elevator locations for the station, noting potential conflicts with the historic Old South Church and the Boston Public Library McKim Building, both of which are National Historic Landmarks. The MBTA finished design plans in 2002; representatives from the church and the library approved the plans. These plans placed the outbound elevator next to the church, and the inbound elevator next to the library steps.

In August 2003, the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay (NABB) asked the MBTA to move the outbound elevator across the street from the church, and the inbound elevator 150 feet (46 m) away from the library steps. In response, an MBTA preservation consultant prepared a report analyzing the impacts of the proposal. Based on this, the Federal Transit Administration issued a decision of "no adverse effect", with which the Massachusetts Historical Commission concurred in January 2004.

In May 2004, the Department of the Interior concurred with the FTA's statement that "there is no prudent and feasible alternative to the proposed project and that all possible measures to minimize harm have been included in the project planning." On December 30, 2004, the FTA issued a Finding Of No Significant Impact (FONSI), concluding that alternate elevator locations were infeasible to construct or violated the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 by forcing handicapped riders onto a longer entrance route.

In June 2005, NABB and the Boston Preservation Alliance (BPA) filed suit against the MBTA and FTA, alleging that the agencies had violated the National Historic Preservation Act and the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. On December 28, 2005, a district court rejected the NABB and BPA's arguments, finding that the FTA had properly determined that the project would have "no adverse effect" and that the public interest would be served by the speedy renovation of the station. On September 14, 2006, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit led by Michael Boudin confirmed the district court's decision.

The MBTA began the renovations – which included the two elevators, new outbound headhouses, new tiling and lighting, accessible platforms, and restoration of the wrought iron inbound headhouse – in 2008. In December 2008, the $45 million construction project (part of a $61 million billing that included similar modifications to Arlington station) was halted when it was found that drilling for the outbound elevator had caused a crack in the church's exterior wall as well as damage to the sanctuary. Construction resumed in December 2009, with the permission of church leaders, after automated monitoring systems were installed. Work was finished and the station declared accessible on October 29, 2010. Repairs to the church, paid for by the MBTA contractor's insurance, took place in 2011.

Boston Marathon

Copley Station is closed every year on the day of the Boston Marathon. After the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15, 2013, Copley Station remained closed through April 23, 2013.

Station layout

Some stations constructed during the Boston Elevated Railway era had cross passages above or below the tracks to allow passengers to transfer between the inbound and outbound platforms; others had such passages constructed later. Even after the Huntington Avenue Subway opened in 1941 and Copley became a transfer station, no passage was built. Copley station remains one of the few in the MBTA system that do not have a crossover between outbound and inbound platforms.

As there is no connection between the inbound and outbound platforms, travelers must exit the station, cross the street, and pay again to switch directions at this station. Alternatively, a free inbound-outbound transfer can be made by traveling one stop east to Arlington station, where the two platforms are connected by a free mezzanine crossover.

Immediately west of the inbound side of Copley station, the Green Line "E" Branch splits off to the southwest from the main line via a flat junction, and then runs under Huntington Avenue towards its terminus at Heath Street. Because inbound and outbound trains must be carefully coordinated when traversing the junction, this location is one of the bottlenecks limiting peak capacity of the Green Line.

Connections

Four local MBTA Bus routes and two express routes stop at Copley Square:

Intercity bus routes run by Cavalier Coach, Peter Pan Bus, and Yankee Bus also use the same bus stop on the southwest corner of Copley Square.

Back Bay station is located three blocks south of Copley station on Dartmouth Street. The Orange Line subway, four MBTA Commuter Rail lines, and three Amtrak services all stop at Back Bay; for Green Line riders from the west, this connection is often more convenient than changing to the Red Line at Park Street to reach South Station.