Eliot station
Eliot station is a light rail station on the MBTA Green Line D branch located just north of Route 9 between the Newton Highlands and Newton [Upper Falls, Massachusetts|Newton Upper Falls] villages of Newton, Massachusetts. The station has a parking lot at the end of Lincoln Street, a pedestrian entrance from Meredith Avenue, and pedestrian entrances from both sides of Route 9. A footbridge, built in 1977, crosses Route 9 adjacent to the railroad bridge. Eliot station was made accessible in October 2024; additional reconstruction is planned.
History
Eliot formerly boasted an H.H. Richardson-designed train station, like those still standing at and. The original station was completed in late 1888 as part of the Boston and Albany Railroad's Highland branch and was one of the last stations designed by Richardson before his death in April 1886.In June 1957, the Massachusetts Legislature approved the purchase of the branch by the M.T.A. from the nearly-bankrupt New [York Central Railroad] for conversion to a trolley line. Service ended on May 31, 1958. The line was quickly converted for trolley service, and the line including Beaconsfield station reopened on July 4, 1959. The station building was demolished. The M.T.A. was folded into the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in August 1964.
Accessibility
In 2019, the MBTA indicated that the four remaining non-accessible stops on the D branch were "Tier I" accessibility priorities. A preliminary design contract for accessibility modifications at the four stations was issued in February 2021. Design reached 75% in June 2022 and was completed late that year. Plans shown in March 2024 called for the platforms to be rebuilt in their existing configuration.By November 2023, construction was expected to be advertised in early 2024 and begin midyear. However, in June 2024, the MBTA indicated that the renovations at the four stations would be done in two phases. The first phase added sections of accessible platform similar to those previously installed at ; some entrances were made accessible. Construction at the four stations took place primarily over the weekends of October 5–6 and 19–20, 2024, leaving them "generally accessible". By late 2024, full reconstructions were expected to take place in 2026–2027 to serve MBTA [CAF USA Type 10|new Type 10 vehicles]., final design work is "pending determination of final scope".