Downtown Crossing station
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox station
Downtown Crossing station (often known as DTX<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>) is an underground Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rapid transit station located in the Downtown Crossing retail district in the downtown core of Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by the Orange Line and Red Line, and is one of four "hub stations" on the MBTA subway system. Downtown Crossing is also a major bus transfer location serving 13 MBTA bus routes, including one Silver Line route. It is the second busiest subway station in the MBTA network (behind only Template:Bts), with an average of 24,074 entries per weekday in FY2019.<ref name=fy2019counts />
The Washington Street Tunnel carrying the Main Line (later the Orange Line) opened in 1908, with platforms called Summer and Winter. The Dorchester Tunnel carrying the Cambridge–Dorchester Line (now the Red Line) opened in 1915, with its station called Washington. The MBTA renamed the whole station complex as Washington in 1967, then Downtown Crossing in 1987. Major renovations took place in the 1970s and 1980s. Silver Line service began in 2002.
Station layoutEdit
Downtown Crossing has two underground platform levels, each with two side platforms. The upper level serves the Orange Line and stretches from Temple Place to Franklin Street under Washington Street. A concourse from Washington Street to Chauncey Street under Summer Street includes entrances to several retail stores and formerly housed the Charliecard Store. The lower-level platforms, under the concourse, serve Red Line trains. The Winter Street Concourse, which connects to the southbound Orange Line platform, allows access to the Green Line at Template:Bts without leaving the common paid area.
Downtown Crossing is a terminal for several MBTA bus routes. Template:MBTA bus links/count routes – Template:MBTA bus links – stop on Otis Street at Summer Street, a short block east of the nearest subway entrance. Route Template:MBTABus stops on Bedford Street at Kingston Street, an additional block to the south. Silver Line route Template:MBTABus serves Downtown Crossing at a midblock bus stop on Temple Place, half a block from the nearest subway entrance.Template:MBTA bus links/mapcite
AccessibilityEdit
Like all Orange Line and Red Line stations, Downtown Crossing is accessible. Surface elevators are located at the Winter Street, Franklin Street, and Hawley Street entrances.<ref name=neighmap>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> An additional elevator – open business hours only – leads to the Roche Brothers store which connects to the Summer Street concourse. Because Downtown Crossing is an older station built at two different times in a dense urban area, transfers between the two lines are convoluted. There is no elevator between either of the Red Line platforms and the southbound Orange Line platform; passengers making such transfers must use the Winter Street Concourse and the Red Line elevators at Park Street.
The northbound Red Line platform has elevators at both ends of the Summer Street concourse for connections to the northbound Orange Line and to the street. The southbound Red Line platform only has an elevator at its far east end; passengers transferring to and from the northbound Orange Line must leave fare control at one end of the concourse and reenter at the other end.
A $13.57 million project added the two elevators connecting the northbound Orange Line platform to the northbound Red Line platform. Notice to proceed was given on February 18, 2016; completion was originally expected in late 2017, but delayed until June 14, 2019.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=SWAnov2019>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The $50 million Phase II will add an elevator between the northbound Orange Line and southbound Red Line platforms, enlarge and extend the elevator from Winter Street to the southbound Orange Line platform to also serve the southbound Red Line, and relocate the Red Line elevator at Park Street. A $6.9 million design contract was awarded in March 2020.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Phase II improvements, which will complete elevator connections for all transfers, are part of the 2006 settlement of Joanne Daniels-Finegold, et al. v. MBTA.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Original plans in that settlement for an elevator between the northbound Red Line and southbound Orange Line were found to be infeasible; as part of a 2018 amendment to the settlement, the relocation of the Park Street elevator was substituted.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Design was completed for the three elevators by June 2024.<ref name=SWAJune2024>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Bidding for a construction manager at risk for a $95 million contract, including the Downtown Crossing and Park Street elevators plus similar work at Template:Bts, opened in April 2025. Construction was expected to last from April 2026 to January 2031.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Clear left
HistoryEdit
The Washington Street Tunnel carrying the Main Line Elevated (later the Orange Line) opened on November 30, 1908.<ref name=netransit /> Stations on the tunnel were built in pairs with different names and separate entrances, an appeasement to merchants on the street who desired maximal pedestrian traffic. Stations were located at Summer northbound with entrances at Summer Street and Franklin Street, and Winter southbound with entrances at Winter Street and Temple Place. The Dorchester extension of the Cambridge Tunnel (now the Red Line) was built one level below the Washington Street Tunnel. Washington station opened on April 4, 1915, with additional entrances on Summer Street at Hawley Street and Chauncey Street.<ref name=netransit />
As part of a system-wide rebranding by the newly formed MBTA, on January 23, 1967, the Orange Line platforms were renamed Washington as well.<ref name=netransit /> On May 3, 1987, the name was changed again to Downtown Crossing after the surrounding retail district, with Washington as a secondary name.<ref name="netransit">Template:NETransit</ref> The renaming, which had been approved in 1985 as part of a series of station name changes, was coordinated with the opening of the Southwest Corridor.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref>
The 1970s saw the first major renovations to the station in decades. In 1972, the agency received a federal grant that funded two-thirds of a $14.3 million modernization program for downtown stations, including $2 million for Washington station.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> As part of that project, the MBTA investigated the feasibility of connecting Template:Bts, Template:Bts, Washington, and Template:Bts with pedestrian tunnels.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> The stairways between the Summer Street Concourse and the Orange Line platforms were reconfigured.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Franklin Street entrance was originally inside a building on the north side of the street.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The construction of the 350 Washington Street building beginning in 1965 demolished the older building and widened the street.<ref name=handel /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A rebuilt entrance slightly to the north was incorporated into the new building.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It was later replaced by a freestanding headhouse, approximately at the original location, in Shopper's Park. The MBTA proposed to make the headhouse exit-only during budget cuts in 1981.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Open access</ref> On August 10, 2015, the entrance was temporarily closed for construction of the Millennium Tower, which constructed a new sloping seating area over the entrance.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=handel>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The renovated headhouse reopened on September 12, 2016.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Originally, the Orange Line level had an underground concourse with several direct access points to basement entrances of various stores in the district, such as Jordan Marsh (now Macy's) and the former Filene's department store. It was modernized in 1978 with a new fare collection area added.<ref name=1978report /> In 1979, the Winter Street Concourse was opened, connecting the upper level of Downtown Crossing station (inside fare control) to the upper level of Park Street station two blocks away, utilizing an existing but previously unopened section of the concourse.<ref name=century>Template:Cite book</ref> Both levels of the station were substantially renovated and accessibility was improved in the mid-1980s. The 101 Arch Street building, completed in 1989, included access to the Summer Street concourse (including an elevator) through its basement level.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By 1991, a 1914-installed wooden escalator in the station was the oldest operating escalator in the world.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Modernization in the 1980s included the installation of Situations, a set of 31 skewed marble seats designed by Buster Simpson along the Red Line platform.<ref>Template:Cite news (second page) Template:Open access</ref> During the renovations, temporary artworks were displayed as part of the Arts on the Line program. One work on the Orange Line level, a take on Invasion of the Body Snatchers, featured 'alien' eggs that grew and eventually hatched 'aliens' portrayed by costumed actors.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In August 1987, the MBTA board approved plans for an MBTA Transit Police substation in the Summer Street Concourse.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> The $950,000 substation opened on July 26, 1988.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref>
Silver Line service from Downtown Crossing to Template:Bts began on July 24, 2002.<ref name=netransit /> The Temple Place exit from the southbound Orange Line platform was reopened to allow easier transfers.<ref name=bluebook>Template:MBTA Bluebook 2014</ref> It was converted to an entrance around 2007 when automated fare collection was installed at the station.<ref name=bluebook2004>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=bluebook2007>Template:Cite book</ref> On June 24, 2019, the MBTA Board awarded a $29.7 million, 16-month contract for full cleaning, wayfinding signage replacement, and other improvements at North Station, Haymarket, State, and Downtown Crossing stations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The work was completed in June 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=swadec2021>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The entire Orange Line, including the Orange Line platforms at Downtown Crossing station, was closed from August 19 to September 18, 2022, during maintenance work.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Clear left
CharlieCard StoreEdit
The MBTA began selling monthly passes in late 1978. A sales office for the passes was opened in the Summer Street concourse outside fare control on December 26, 1978.<ref name=1978report>Template:Cite book</ref> On August 13, 2012, the MBTA merged reduced-fare ticketing customer services (formerly located in a booth at Back Bay station) and the pass sales counter into a new "CharlieCard Store" at the Downtown Crossing location. The store was located inside an air-conditioned room in the concourse. It provided services including obtaining special passes for blind, senior, disabled, and other users; transferring value between fare media; and conventional pass purchases.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Due to unreliable computer systems and high demand, the store initially experienced long wait times.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The store was closed on July 17, 2023, due to an air conditioning failure; a temporary location opened on July 27 in the State Transportation Building.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The new permanent "Charlie Service Center" opened near State station on July 29, 2024.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Template:Clear left
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- MBTA - Downtown Crossing
- Entrances on Google Maps Street View: Washington at Winter, Summer at Washington, Temple Place, 101 Arch Street, Chauncy Street, Franklin Street