Assembly station

File:Assembly Square site aerial September 2012.JPG

Assembly station is on the east side of the Assembly Square development, on the existing Orange Line tracks near the Mystic River. The station consists of a single island platform {{convert|410|ft|m}} long, to handle up to 6 railcars on each side.{{cite web|url=http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/MA_Assembly_Square_Station_complete_profile.pdf |title=Assembly Square Station Final Design |publisher=Federal Transit Administration |accessdate=31 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016094643/http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/MA_Assembly_Square_Station_complete_profile.pdf |archivedate=16 October 2011 }} Unlike Community College, Sullivan, and Wellington, Assembly does not have a second island platform to serve the (currently unused) third track, which was intended to be an express track. The station has two headhouses, one on each end of the platform. Two footbridges, one from each headhouse, cross over the inbound track and connect to parking on G Street.{{cite web |url=http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/T_Projects/T_Projects_List/Assembly%20Square%20Station%20Presentation%20011210.pdf |title=Assembly Square Presentation |date=12 January 2010 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |author=MassDOT |accessdate=30 July 2011 |archive-date=27 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127060512/http://mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/T_Projects/T_Projects_List/Assembly%20Square%20Station%20Presentation%20011210.pdf |url-status=dead }} The station is fully accessible and includes bicycle storage facilities. Sullivan Square to the south and Wellington to the north are both major MBTA bus terminals, so Assembly was not designed as a bus transfer station.

Several public art elements are incorporated into the station. These include artistic benches and a metal panel mosaic on the station façade (both designed by Artists for Humanity) and MBTA-designed panels about the site's history.{{cite web |url=http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/T_Projects/T_Projects_List/ASQ%20Public%20Meeting_2011-1115.pdf |title=Assembly Square Public Meeting |date=15 November 2011 |publisher=MassDOT |accessdate=13 June 2012 |archive-date=26 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526120217/http://mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/T_Projects/T_Projects_List/ASQ%20Public%20Meeting_2011-1115.pdf |url-status=dead }}

Adding a commuter rail station at Assembly Square was listed as a possibility in 2012 as an interim air quality mitigation measure in response to delays building the Green Line Extension{{cite web |title=Green Line Extension SIP Mitigation Inventory |url=http://greenlineextension.eot.state.ma.us/documents/SIP_Inventory030112.pdf |author=Central Transportation Planning Staff |publisher=Massachusetts Department of Transportation |date=23 January 2012 |accessdate=5 December 2012 |archive-date=7 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160607132531/http://greenlineextension.eot.state.ma.us/documents/SIP_Inventory030112.pdf |url-status=dead }} However, such a station could not be completed by 2015, and the project was not supported by MassDOT. The station would have required building separate platforms for the Haverhill Line and the Newburyport/Rockport Line, which split near the station site.

File:Assembly Square construction January 2013.JPG

File:Assembly Square station construction December 2013 001.JPG

File:Assembly Square station north headhouse construction January 2014.JPG

Construction was estimated to cost up to $57 million, of which $22 million (plus an optional $3.5 million extra) was from the state's Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. The remaining cost was divided between federal funding including the FTA Section 5309 New Starts program ($16 million) and the developer of Assembly Square ($15 million), Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRIT).

The area around the station formerly hosted a Ford automobile assembly plant, which used the adjacent Western Route for rail access. Although the plant is long gone, the Assembly Square name is a reference to the site's history.

On February 8, 2011, the MBTA board unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding between the MBTA and FRIT, which defined the funding sources for the project.{{cite news |url=http://somerville.patch.com/articles/mbta-board-approves-assembly-sq-t-stop-agreement |author=Taylor, Denise |date=9 February 2011 |title=MBTA Approves Assembly Sq. T-Stop Agreement |newspaper=Somerville Patch |accessdate=31 July 2011}} The memorandum was a "critical milestone," according to a FRIT executive.{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/real_estate/2011/02/assembly-square-advances-on-key-mbta.html?ana=e_bost_real?ANA=FBK |title=Assembly Square advances on key MBTA vote |author=Douglas, Craig M. |newspaper=Boston Business Journal |date=8 February 2011 |accessdate=31 July 2011}} Somerville approved the project on May 2, 2011, and two days later the MBTA opened bidding for construction,{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/real_estate/2011/05/mbta-opens-bidding-for-assembly-square.html |title=MBTA opens bidding for Assembly Square station |author=Douglas, Craig M. |newspaper=Boston Business Journal |date=4 May 2011 |accessdate=31 July 2011}} which was planned to start at the end of 2011.

On October 5, 2011, the MBTA announced the award of a $29,229,184 construction contract to S&R Construction Co., Inc., with construction beginning later that fall.{{cite news |url=http://www.tuftsdaily.com/news/construction-on-assembly-square-t-stop-to-begin-later-this-fall-1.2659745#.T9gJtLWvKSq |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204172940/http://www.tuftsdaily.com/news/construction-on-assembly-square-t-stop-to-begin-later-this-fall-1.2659745 |archivedate=4 December 2011 |title=Construction on Assembly Square T stop to begin later this fall |newspaper=Tufts Daily |author=Coughlin, Kerri |date=25 October 2011 |accessdate=13 June 2012}} The work required 18 weekend closures of the Orange Line from Sullivan to Oak Grove.{{cite news |title=MBTA board OK's millions for stations |url=http://articles.boston.com/2011-10-06/news/30253264_1_blue-line-orange-line-red-line |newspaper=Boston Globe |author=Moskowitz, Eric |date=6 October 2011 |accessdate=7 October 2011 |archive-date=27 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527221928/http://articles.boston.com/2011-10-06/news/30253264_1_blue-line-orange-line-red-line |url-status=dead }} The first weekend closures began in June 2012 and continued past the station opening into late 2014.{{cite news |url=http://patch.com/massachusetts/somerville/bus-diversions-on-orange-line-to-begin-in-june |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003040806/http://patch.com/massachusetts/somerville/bus-diversions-on-orange-line-to-begin-in-june |archivedate=3 October 2015 |title=Bus Diversions on Orange Line to Begin in June |author=Orchard, Chris |newspaper=Somerville Patch |date=24 May 2012 |accessdate=13 June 2012}} The closures were extended to five nights per week for the second half of 2012, and continued sporadically into 2013 and 2014.{{cite news |url=http://patch.com/massachusetts/southend/buses-replace-evening-northbound-orange-line-trains-b9c3195fefe |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003040223/http://patch.com/massachusetts/southend/buses-replace-evening-northbound-orange-line-trains-b9c3195fefe |archivedate=3 October 2015 |title=Buses Replace Evening Northbound Orange Line Trains Beginning July 8 |author=Orchard, Chris |newspaper=South End Patch |date=27 June 2012 |accessdate=28 June 2012}}

For construction, the MBTA shifted outbound trains to the normally unused express track and inbound trains to the outbound track, to give construction crews full access to the site.{{cite web |url=http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=26311&month=&year= |title=Crucial Progress Continues on Assembly Station Project |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |date=30 January 2013 |accessdate=30 January 2013}} In January 2013, the MBTA began constructing concrete pillars to support the platform and headhouses; elevator shaft construction began in the spring. Construction of the headhouse frames began in June 2013, and the platform segments were laid in July. The headhouses were completed in June 2014, with work remaining on other parts of the station.{{cite news |url=http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2014/06/18/assembly-row-somerville-mbta-station-headhouses-complete-set-to-open-in-august-septemer/ |title=MBTA Assembly Station to Open Later This Summer |newspaper=BostInno |date=18 June 2014 |author=Boroyan, Nate |accessdate=27 August 2014 |archive-date=3 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903084007/http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2014/06/18/assembly-row-somerville-mbta-station-headhouses-complete-set-to-open-in-august-septemer/ |url-status=dead }}

Inbound trains switched back to the normal inbound track on July 1, 2014; outbound trains began using the normal outbound track on July 21.{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708015929/http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/t_projects/default.asp?id=22873 |archivedate=8 July 2014 |url=http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/t_projects/default.asp?id=22873 |title=Assembly Station |date=July 2014 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |accessdate=8 July 2014}} The station opened to passengers on September 2, 2014, although some final construction work lasted until November. On the first day of operations, the station platform flooded from a rainstorm.{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/business/news/2014/09/03/and-here-the-first-big-complaint-about-the-new-orange-line-station/Hs7Mdhjq3Ntc7GUIIlF5BJ/story.html |title=And Here's the First Big Complaint About the New Orange Line Station |author=Vaccaro, Adam |date=3 September 2014 |newspaper=Boston Globe |accessdate=3 September 2014}} Partners Healthcare, which built its headquarters next to the south end of the station, funded the 2016 completion of the south headhouse as a full-time entrance and exit.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

The Assembly Square project is estimated to generate 45,000 new vehicle trips each day, and the station was intended to reduce the number that use private automobiles by diverting travelers to mass transit. In 2011, daily ridership was projected to reach 5,000 riders per day in 2030. Actual daily ridership was 1,864 within the first year, and 3,997 in FY 2019.{{cite web |url=http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Board_Meetings/StateoftheOrangeLine61616.pdf |title=MBTA State of the Service: Orange Line Heavy Rail |page=26 |date=June 6, 2016 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |access-date=June 8, 2016 |archive-date=June 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626122352/http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Board_Meetings/StateoftheOrangeLine61616.pdf |url-status=dead }} The entire Orange Line, including Assembly station, was closed from August 19 to September 18, 2022, during maintenance work.{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/2022-08/2022-08-12-ol-gl-closures-a-riders-guide-to-planning-ahead.pdf |title=A Rider's Guide to Planning Ahead: Upcoming Orange & Green Line Service Suspensions |date=August 2022 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}

A $49 million footbridge across the Mystic River between Assembly and the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett is planned. By 2021, the project was to include an extension of the station's north headhouse to the east, with direct access from Draw 7 Park.{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/10/22/business/soon-youll-be-able-walk-over-mystic-river-baker-says/ |title=Soon, you'll be able to walk over the Mystic River, Baker says |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=October 22, 2021 |first=Jon |last=Chesto}} By April 2024, design of the bridge was not finished, and the MBTA had not committed to the headhouse extension.{{cite news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240415023826/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/04/14/metro/promised-bridge-over-mystic-river-would-be-missing-link-somerville-everett-so-where-is-it/ |archive-date=April 15, 2024 |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/04/14/metro/promised-bridge-over-mystic-river-would-be-missing-link-somerville-everett-so-where-is-it/ |title=A promised bridge over the Mystic River would be a missing link for Somerville and Everett. So where is it? |first=Spencer |last=Buell |date=April 14, 2024 |newspaper=The Boston Globe}}

Assembly Square was a proposed stop on the Urban Ring Project.{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708181035/https://www.commentmgr.com/projects/1169/docs/URnews0105c.pdf |archive-date=8 July 2011 |url=https://www.commentmgr.com/projects/1169/docs/URnews0105c.pdf |title=Urban Ring Phase 2 Fact Sheet |date=January 2009|access-date=18 March 2012}} The Urban Ring was to be a circumferential bus rapid transit (BRT) Line designed to connect the current radial MBTA rail lines to reduce overcrowding in the downtown stations; it was canceled in 2010.{{cite web |url=http://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/EEA/emepa/mepadocs/2010/012710em/pn/14.pdf |title=Re: Urban Ring Phase 2, EOEEA #12565 |date=January 22, 2010 |last=Mullan |first=Jeffery B. |publisher=Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs}} Under draft plans released in 2008, the Urban Ring would have run on Grand Union Boulevard, with a stop at Foley Street about {{convert|800|feet}} west of the Orange Line.{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170514232004/http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/theurbanring/downloads/Plan_Profile_Drawings.pdf |archive-date=May 14, 2017 |url=http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/theurbanring/downloads/Plan_Profile_Drawings.pdf |title=The Urban Ring Phase 2: Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report/Statement |publisher=Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation |date=November 2008}}

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{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://www.mbta.com/stops/place-astao MBTA – Assembly]
• [http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/t_projects/default.asp?id=22873 MBTA project page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708015929/http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/t_projects/default.asp?id=22873 |date=2014-07-08 }}
• Public presentations: [http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/T_Projects/T_Projects_List/Assembly%20Square%20Station%20Presentation%20011210.pdf January 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127060512/http://mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/T_Projects/T_Projects_List/Assembly%20Square%20Station%20Presentation%20011210.pdf |date=2010-11-27 }}, [http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/T_Projects/T_Projects_List/ASQ%20Public%20Meeting_2011-1115.pdf November 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526120217/http://mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/T_Projects/T_Projects_List/ASQ%20Public%20Meeting_2011-1115.pdf |date=2012-05-26 }}, [http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/T_Projects/T_Projects_List/final%20ASQ%20Public%20Meeting_2012_05_23.pdf May 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027132559/http://mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/T_Projects/T_Projects_List/final%20ASQ%20Public%20Meeting_2012_05_23.pdf |date=2012-10-27 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20111016094643/http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/MA_Assembly_Square_Station_complete_profile.pdf Federal Transit Administration documentation]
• [https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3934929,-71.0775533,3a,75y,170.07h,87.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTPsrS8FHFGfaFtfmUBEHKA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en Station on Google Maps Street View]

{{MBTA Subway Stations}}

Category:Orange Line (MBTA) stations

Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 2014

Category:Railway stations in Somerville, Massachusetts

Category:2014 establishments in Massachusetts