Line(s) Green Line "E" branch Rebuilt 2002–2003 Platforms in use 2 | Disabled access Yes Opened 16 February 1941 Tracks 2 | |
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Location Huntington Avenue at Opera Place, Boston Owned by Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Previous names Opera Place (1941-1947) Address Boston, MA 02115, United States Owner Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Similar Ruggles, Heath Street, Symphony, Brigham Circle, Museum of Fine Arts | ||
Northeastern University (signed as Northeastern) is a surface-level trolley stop on the MBTA Green Line. It is located in a dedicated median along Huntington Avenue in Boston, between Opera Place and Forsyth Street, and is adjacent to the Krentzman Quad on the campus of Northeastern University. It is the first surface-level stop going outbound along the Green Line "E" Branch; trolleys rise from a portal located between Opera Place and Gainsborough Street and continue along the surface down Huntington Avenue towards Mission Hill.
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History
The modern Green Line "E" Branch opened on February 16, 1941 with the completion of the Huntington Avenue subway from Copley to the Northeastern Incline. (Before then, trams had run on the surface from the Boylston Street portal). On May 21, 1947, the Boston Elevated Railway board voted to change the name from Opera Place to Northeastern University. The stop was named on maps as early as the 1951 M.T.A. route map, while most other surface stops (save for Brigham Circle and Heath Street) did not appear separately until around 1990.
Until bare asphalt platforms were installed in the 1970s, there were no real stations on much of the surface portion of the line; passengers merely waited on street corners and boarded from the street. However, Northeastern University received platforms much earlier due to its high traffic. In a renovation that took place in 2002 and 2003, a new handicapped-accessible station was built between Opera Place and Forsyth Street. Boston's original electric street lamps were manufactured by Lundin Electric & Machine Company of South Boston; during the rebuild, the lamps at Northeastern station were replaced with cheaper replica cast iron lamps which mimic the style of street lamps in Washington, DC. Wiring slots for an automatic fare collection system were also installed during this upgrade. A signal prioritization system for Northeastern University and all stops further outbound is also in place. Temporary platforms were built northeast of Opera Place during the renovations; a station sign is still in place.
Incidents and accidents
On August 23, 2004, a Type 8 Breda low-floor trolley derailed at the station, causing scarring in the outbound platform near the pedestrian crossing on the Opera Place side of the station, which remains unrepaired as of 2013.
Nearby destinations
Bus connections
Accessibility
Renovations to the station in 2002 and 2003 improved the accessibility of the station. The raised platforms can accommodate up to four-car trains of low-floor trolleys for handicapped access. As of 2008, most trains consist of one low-floor trolley and one standard trolley, allowing handicapped accessibility even with limited low-floor rolling stock. The nearby pedestrian crossing signals are also equipped with audio indicators.