Quincy Red Line riders take note: Wollaston station is now closed for a 20-month renovation.
The MBTA is reminding customers that beginning Monday, Jan. 8, the “aging” Quincy station will be closed to allow workers to make improvements. The nearly two-year closure is necessary, transit officials said, in order to expedite the reconstruction and make it fully accessible as soon as possible.
Improvements to the station will include “major accessibility enhancements, state-of-the-art safety features and new drainage and flood prevention infrastructure” the MBTA said.
Wollaston is currently the only Red Line station that is not ADA-accessible, meaning it is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act standards for accessibility. Post-reconstruction, Wollaston will be fully accessible to all passengers, the MBTA said, making the Red Line 100 percent accessible to those with disabilities.
Other updates will include new elevators, more customer paths, upgraded stairways, new bathrooms, additional lighting, new electrical and fire protection and more. The construction is valued at $33 million, according to the MBTA.
Shuttle buses will be in place to take passengers from Wollaston to North Quincy and Quincy Center stations for the entire 20 months Wollaston is closed. The real-time location of these shuttles can be seen at mbta.com/wollaston.
The station’s parking lot will also be reduced by 110 spaces during construction, the transit authority said, but T customers will be able to use the roughly 420 remaining spots there, as well as the parking at North Quincy, accessible through Newport Avenue.
During the closure, the T will also be accepting Zone 1A Commuter Rail fares at Quincy Center. Officials are expecting more Commuter Rail riders during construction, so they’ve planned for an increased rider capacity on the Greenbush, Kingston/Plymouth and Middleborough/Lakeville Lines, all of which pass through Quincy Center.
