Heath Street station
Heath Street station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line light rail station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the southwestern terminus of the Green Line E branch. It is located at the intersection of South Huntington Avenue and Heath Street on the border between the Mission Hill and Jamaica Plain neighborhoods. The MBTA plans to rebuild the station on South Huntington Avenue in 2027–2029.
History
Heath Street loop
A loop at Heath Street was constructed in 1945 to allow use of the new PCC streetcars, which only had an operator's cab at one end and could not use crossovers like the one at Francis Street to reverse direction. Route 57 was extended to the new loop on December 15, 1945, and began using PCC streetcars on January 3, 1946. Until 1961, service on Huntington Avenue consisted of a Heath Street– line and a – line. The Heath Street line was discontinued on September 11, 1961. Peak-hour service to the loop resumed on December 26, 1964; for a period in 1966, every other train on Huntington Avenue short-turned at the loop. Heath Street was the terminus of all weekday service for three periods in 1977–1978 due to streetcar shortages and track work.In 1972, the MBTA began planning a reconstruction of the median-running section of the line, then scheduled for 1973–1974. The work, including track replacement at the loop, eventually began in 1980 when the line was closed to modify the track and wires for the new LRVs. The line was cut back to Symphony on March 21, 1980; it was re-extended to Northeastern University on June 21 and Brigham Circle on September 20, but Heath Street and Arborway service did not resume until June 26, 1982. Heath Street short turns were cut on February 11, 1983 when a snowstorm closed the line, and did not resume when it reopened.
On September 8, 1984, short turns using LRVs were extended to Heath Street. On December 28, 1985, the entire Arborway line was cut for repairs to the Huntington Avenue subway. Service to Brigham Circle resumed on July 26, 1986, and to Heath Street on November 4, 1989; Arborway service never resumed. Around this time, a circular concrete shelter/crew base was built inside the loop.
21st century changes
In the early 2000s, the MBTA modified key surface stops with raised platforms for accessibility as part of the Light Rail Accessibility Program. Portable lifts were installed at Heath Street around 2000 as a temporary measure. The platform modifications – part of a $32 million modification of thirteen B, C, and E branch stations – were completed on January 13, 2003. The project included a wooden mini-high platform on the outer platform, allowing level boarding on older Type 7 LRVs.As part of a series of service reductions due to a budget crisis, on July 1, 2012 the MBTA began terminating weekend service at Brigham Circle. The cutback was unpopular with local residents, who considered it an unnecessary inconvenience. On October 13, 2012, the cut was quietly reversed by reducing frequency on the branch slightly, thus allowing the same equipment to cover the full line at no additional cost. This was made official with the December 29, 2012 timetable.
In March 2011, the MBTA recommended stop changes to route 39 as part of the Key Routes Improvement Project. The outbound stops at Back of the Hill station and south of Heath Street were to be consolidated, and the inbound stop at Heath Street would be dropped due to its proximity to Back of the Hill. The outbound stop south of Heath Street was dropped in 2013, but the inbound stop was kept until June 21, 2020.
In 2021, the MBTA indicated plans to modify the Heath Street– section of the E branch with accessible platforms to replace the existing non-accessible stopping locations. The new platforms are planned to be long enough to accommodate two Type 10 vehicles. Design work began in July 2023. In May 2025, the MBTA indicated that Heath Street station would also be rebuilt as part of the project. The loop would be closed; the new station would be designed to allow for a future extension on South Huntington Avenue., design work is expected to be completed in late 2026, with construction taking place in 2027–2029.