JFK/UMass station

2025-10-22T20:42:50Z

2601:19B:D84:15A0:F871:74C:47AB:65A2:

{{Short description|Transit station in Boston, Massachusetts, US}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox station
| style = MBTA
| style2 = Red and Purple
| name = JFK/UMass
| image = Braintree-bound MBTA Red Line train entering JFK UMass Station (2), October 2025.jpg
| image_caption = A Braintree-bound Red Line train at the station in 2025
| address = 599 Old Colony Avenue
| borough = [[Boston, Massachusetts]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|42.32058|-71.05239|type:railwaystation_region:US-MA |display=inline,title}}
| line = {{ubl|[[Middleborough Main Line]]|[[Ashmont Branch]]|[[Red Line (MBTA)#South Shore line|Braintree Branch]]}}
| other = {{ubl|{{ric|MBTA|Bus|name=y}}: {{MBTA bus links|JFK/UMass}}|{{bus icon}} {{MBTA other buses|JFK/UMass}}}}
| platform = {{ubl|1 [[side platform]] (Commuter Rail)|2 [[island platform]]s (Red Line)}}
| tracks = {{ubl|1 (Commuter Rail)|4 (Red Line)}}
| bicycle = Racks available
| mpassengers = {{rail pass box |passengers=1,095 daily boardings<ref name=CRcounts>{{MBTA Commuter Rail 2024 ridership}}</ref>|pass_year=2024|system=Commuter Rail}}
{{rail pass box |passengers=8,012 daily boardings<ref name=fy2019counts>{{cite web |url=https://mbta-massdot.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/mbta-ridership-guide |title=A Guide to Ridership Data |publisher=MassDOT/MBTA Office of Performance Management and Innovation |date=June 22, 2020 |page=8}}</ref> |pass_year=FY2019|system=Red Line}}
| opened = 1840s; November 5, 1927<ref name=netransit />
| rebuilt = June 1987–December 14, 1988
| accessible = Yes
| zone = 1A (Commuter Rail)
| former = Columbia (1927–1982)
| services = {{Adjacent stations|system1=MBTA
|line1=Red|type1=A|left1=Andrew|right1=Savin Hill
|type2=B|left2=Andrew|right2=North Quincy
|line3=Fall River/New Bedford|left3=South Station|right3=Quincy Center
|line4=Greenbush|left4=South Station|right4=Quincy Center
|line5=Plymouth|left5=South Station|right5=Quincy Center
}}
| other_services_header = Former services (Crescent Avenue station)
| other_services_collapsible = yes
| other_services = {{Adjacent stations|system=NYNH&H
|line1=Shawmut Branch|to-left1=Boston|to-right1=Mattapan|left1=South Boston|right1=Savin Hill|note-left1=Closed ca. 1917
|line2=Braintree|left2=South Boston|right2=Savin Hill|note-left2=Closed ca. 1917
}}
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-marker-color = #{{rcr|MBTA|Rail}}
| mapframe-marker = rail
| mapframe-zoom = 12
| route_map = {{JFK/UMass station|inline=y}}
| map_state = collapsed
}}

'''JFK/UMass station''' is a [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] (MBTA) [[intermodal passenger transport|intermodal]] transfer station, located adjacent to the [[Columbia Point, Boston|Columbia Point]] area of [[Dorchester, Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]. It is served by the rapid transit [[Red Line (MBTA)|Red Line]]; the [[Fall River/New Bedford Line]], [[Greenbush Line]], and [[Kingston Line]] of the [[MBTA Commuter Rail]] system, and three [[MBTA bus]] routes. The station is named for the [[John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum]] and the [[University of Massachusetts Boston]], both located nearby on Columbia Point.

JFK/UMass station has four tracks and two [[island platforms]] for the Ashmont and Braintree branches of the Red Line, with one track and one [[side platform]] for Commuter Rail. A waiting room and fare lobby over the Red Line platforms is connected to Columbia Road, Sydney Street, and the busway on the east side of the station by footbridge. The station is fully [[accessible]]. North of the station, the complex Columbia Junction connects the two Red Line branches with the downtown tunnel and Cabot Yard lead tracks.

The [[Old Colony Railroad]] first opened through the area in 1845, with Crescent Avenue serving as a flag stop by 1848. A station building opened in 1868 and was rebuilt in 1883. The [[Boston Elevated Railway]] began construction of Columbia station on the Dorchester Extension of the Cambridge–Dorchester Tunnel in 1925. Crescent Avenue station closed in July 1927; Columbia station opened on November 5, with an additional footbridge added in 1929.

Columbia station was modernized in 1970, though without a platform for South Shore (Braintree Branch) service, which started in 1971. UMass Boston moved to Columbia Point in 1974, while the Kennedy Library opened in 1979; the station was renamed JFK/UMass in 1982. A 1987–88 renovation added a platform for the Braintree Branch. Commuter Rail service on the former Old Colony, last operated in 1959, resumed in 1997. However, the platform at JFK/UMass did not open until 2001.

==Station layout==
[[File:Aerial view of JFK UMass station, July 2019.JPG|thumb|left|Aerial view of the station, facing north]]
JFK/UMass station is located south of Columbia Road near Kosciuszko Circle, with the [[Interstate 93]] viaduct to the south and west and [[Morrissey Boulevard]] to the east. The Red Line has four tracks and two [[island platform]]s at the station; the west platform is served by the Ashmont branch, and the east platform by the Braintree branch.<ref name=bluebook /> (This unusual configuration is the result of the decision to not originally have the Braintree Branch stop at the station.)<ref name=redlinebook /><ref name=jan2012plan>{{cite report |hdl=2452/119128 |title=Improving the Southwest Expressway: A Conceptual Plan |author=Central Transportation Planning Staff |publisher=Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization |date=January 2012}}</ref> East of the Red Line is a single track used by the three commuter rail lines, with a high-level [[side platform]] on its east side.<ref name=bluebook /> A two-lane busway, drop-off lane, and plaza are located east of the tracks.<ref name=nycsubway />

A waiting room and fare lobby is located over the middle of the Red Line platforms, with elevators and stairs to both platforms. Footbridges connect the lobby to the Columbia Road bridge to the north, Sydney Street to the west, and the east plaza via a ramp structure. Exit-only stairs also lead from the north ends of the Red Line platforms to Columbia Road, and from the south ends to Sydney Street at Crescent Avenue.<ref name=nycsubway /> Because northbound Red Line trains arrive on two different platforms, an automatic illuminated sign in the lobby indicates which platform the next northbound train will arrive at.<ref name=jan2012plan />

North of the station is a complex Red Line interlocking called Columbia Junction. The two track line from downtown Boston exits the tunnel under Dorchester Avenue about {{convert|0.4|miles|1}} north of JFK/UMass station and splits into the four tracks with a [[flying junction]]. The junction also connects two yard leads from Cabot Yard, the main Red Line maintenance facility, which is located on the surface near {{bts|Broadway}}.<ref name=bluebook /><ref name=jan2012plan /> South of the station, the Braintree Branch tracks cross over the commuter rail tracks via a lengthy flyover.<ref name=bluebook>{{MBTA Bluebook 2014}}</ref> The flyover is dedicated to Milton DeVaughn, an MBTA track worker, who died in December 1993 when he fell under the wheels of an MBTA work train.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36775545/the_boston_globe/ |title=T worker dies following accident |newspaper=The Boston Globe |via=Newspapers.com |date=December 4, 1993}} {{open access}}</ref>
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===Bus connections===
Columbia was not built as a transfer station; streetcar—and later, bus—routes mostly served Andrew and Fields Corner. Bus service to the station began in 1954 when the Columbia Point Development was constructed, and increased in 1974 when the UMass campus opened.<ref name=netransit /> The 1988 renovations added a dedicated two-lane busway on the east side of the station.<ref name=nycsubway /><ref name=dec1988 /> The station is served by [[MBTA bus]] routes {{MBTA bus links|JFK/UMass|yes}}.{{MBTA bus links/mapcite}} During service disruptions – both planned track work and unplanned incidents – JFK/UMass is often used as the terminus of busing on either Red Line branch.<ref name=netransit /> A privately operated shuttle bus also connects the station with the UMass campus and the [[John F. Kennedy Library]].<ref name=busmap />

==History==
===Old Colony Railroad===
[[File:Moving Crescent station, October 1926.jpg|thumb|left|Crescent Avenue station building]]
In 1845, the [[Old Colony Railroad]] opened between Boston and [[Plymouth, Massachusetts]].<ref name=sne>{{cite book |title=The Rail Lines of Southern New England |last=Karr |first=Ronald Dale |publisher=Branch Line Press |year=1995 |isbn=0942147022 |pages=310–315}}</ref> '''Crescent Avenue''' was a [[flag stop]] for South Braintree and [[Dorchester and Milton Branch Railroad|Dorchester and Milton Branch]] trains by 1848.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/boston-evening-transcript/130948338/ |title=Old Colony Railroad |newspaper=Boston Evening Transcript |date=January 20, 1848 |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> A station building was opened at Crescent Avenue on November 2, 1868, and replaced in 1883.<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor=43504499 |title=Dates of Some of the Principal Events in the History of 100 Years of the Railroad in New England. 1826-1926 |first=Warren |last=Jacobs |date=October 1928 |journal=[[Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin]] |publisher=Railway and Locomotive Historical Society |volume=17 |issue=17 |pages=15–28}}</ref><ref name=redlinebook>{{cite book |title=Boston's Red Line: Bridging the Charles from Alewife to Braintree |author=Cheney, Frank |year=2002 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=9780738510477 |pages=77–80}}</ref><ref name=1883report>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2GI9AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA19-PA7 |page=7 |date=November 1883 |title=Twentieth Annual Report of the Old Colony Railroad Co. to the Stockholders |publisher=Old Colony Railroad Company}}</ref> The Old Colony Railroad was an early proponent of decorating the grounds of its train stations. By 1891, flowers were planted to spell "☾ AVE" at the station.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fall-river-daily-evening-news/169527240/ |title=Railroad Gardening |newspaper=Fall River Daily Evening News |date=June 10, 1891 |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

In the early 1920s, the [[Boston Elevated Railway]] (BERy) began planning an extension of the [[Red Line (MBTA)|Cambridge–Dorchester Tunnel]] over the [[Shawmut Branch Railroad|Shawmut Branch]] to {{bts|Ashmont}}. The [[New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad]], which had succeeded the Old Colony, sold the Shawmut Branch to the BERy, with service ending on September 6, 1926.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/38297601/the_boston_globe/ |title=GETS PERMISSION TO CLOSE STATIONS: N. Y., N. H. & H. Abandons Shawmut Branch Sept 6 Commission Rules It Necessary to Complete New Service |newspaper=Boston Daily Globe |date=August 27, 1926 |page=13 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The mainline stations at Crescent Avenue and {{bts|Savin Hill}} were kept open during construction.<ref name=1926report>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/annualreport1926trans |title=Report of the Transit Department for the Year ending December 31, 1926 |year=1927 |publisher=City of Boston |author=Boston Transit Department |pages=[https://archive.org/details/annualreport1926trans/page/31 31]-32, 36-37 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Crescent Avenue station was closed on July 15, 1927, for final construction and demolished shortly thereafter.<ref name=1927report>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/annualreport1927trans |title=Report of the Transit Department for the Year ending December 31, 1927 |year=1928 |publisher=City of Boston |author=Boston Transit Department |pages=[https://archive.org/details/annualreport1927trans/page/26 26], 28, 33 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60256047/the-boston-globe/ |title=State Approves Closing of Crescent-Av Station |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=July 19, 1927 |page=28 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
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===Boston Elevated Railway===
[[File:Looking northwesterly toward easterly side of Columbia station, March 1928.jpg|thumb|left|Columbia station in March 1928]]
Crescent Avenue was replaced with '''Columbia''' station, which primarily served the residential areas to the west.<ref name=ERJ1927 /> The station had a single [[island platform]], {{convert|300|feet}} long and varying {{convert|20-25|feet}} wide, covered with a full-length [[reinforced concrete]] canopy.<ref name=1926report /> It was designed to be extended southwards if future ridership required six-car trains.<ref name="ERJ1927">{{cite journal |url=https://archive.org/stream/electricrailwayj701mcgrrich#page/428/mode/2up |title=First Station Completed on Dorchester Rapid Transit |journal=[[Electric Railway Journal]]|publisher=McGraw-Hill Company |date=10 September 1927 |page=428 |volume=70 |issue=11 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> The entrance to the station was from the Columbia Road overpass; like other stations on the Dorchester Extension, it was a rectangular red brick structure with [[red sandstone]] and Concord [[granite]] trim. The roofs of the headhouse, the stairway to the platform, and the canopy were all flashed with copper. Fare control was in the headhouse, with a waiting room on the platform. The station was designed by [[William D. Austin]].<ref name=1926report />

Construction of the station began in 1925 with the reconstruction of the Columbia Road bridge.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/annualreport1925trans |title=Report of the Transit Department for Eleven Months ending December 31, 1925 |year=1926 |publisher=City of Boston |author=Boston Transit Department |pages=[https://archive.org/details/annualreport1925trans/page/35 35]–36 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> The station platform was built in mid-1926.<ref name=1926report /> Construction was completed in May 1927; the station was finished during the next several months under the possibility it would open before Savin Hill and {{bts|Fields Corner}}.<ref name=1927report /> The three stations ultimately opened together on November 5, 1927.<ref name=netransit /><ref name=1927report />

In November 1928, the BERy began construction of a second station entrance from Sydney Street at Crescent Avenue. A footbridge was built over the southbound track at the south end of the station, with fare control located on a short extension of the platform.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/annualreport1928trans |title=Report of the Transit Department for the Year ending December 31, 1928 |year=1929 |publisher=City of Boston |author=Boston Transit Department |pages=[https://archive.org/details/annualreport1928trans/page/28 28]–29 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> The new entrance opened on March 18, 1929; by May, it was used by 42% of passengers at the station.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/annualreport1929trans |title=Report of the Transit Department for the Year ending December 31, 1929 |year=1930 |publisher=City of Boston |author=Boston Transit Department |page=[https://archive.org/details/annualreport1929trans/page/55 55] |via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/cooperation8192bost/page/66 |title=Novel entrance to Columbia station |magazine=Co-operation |date=May 1929 |volume=8 |issue=5 |pages=67–68 |publisher=Boston Elevated Railway}}</ref> In late 1938, the footbridge was extended east over the other tracks to serve a parking area.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.historicnewengland.org/explore/collections-access/capobject/?refd=PC017.01.06.210.0830 |title=Columbia Station overpass to parking area |date=December 23, 1938 |publisher=Boston Elevated Railway |via=Historic New England}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/annualreporto19191941bost |pages=[https://archive.org/details/annualreporto19191941bost/page/21 21]-22 |title=Twentieth Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Boston Elevated Railway Company for the Year Ending December 31, 1938 |year=1939 |publisher=Boston Elevated Railway |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
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===MBTA era===
[[File:JFK UMass station Columbia Road headhouse, April 2016.JPG|thumb|left|The 1970-built north headhouse]]
On January 13, 1961, the MTA began operating "[[Skip-stop|modified express service]]" on the line during the morning rush hour, following the introduction of similar service on the [[Orange Line (MBTA)|Forest Hills–Everett line]] the month before. Every other train bypassed Columbia and three other stations.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe/137738689/ |title=MTA Boosts Service For New Year's Eve |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=December 29, 1960 |page=8 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> This was discontinued in September 1961 to reduce wait times at the skipped stations, most of which were outdoors.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe/137738740/ |title=M.T.A. Dropping Morning Express |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=September 27, 1961 |page=10 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

The New Haven Railroad ended commuter service on the Old Colony lines in 1959, but subway service to Ashmont via Columbia continued. On July 28, 1965, the MBTA signed an agreement with the [[New Haven Railroad]] to purchase {{convert|11|miles}} of the former Old Colony mainline from [[Fort Point Channel]] to [[Braintree station (MBTA)|South Braintree]] in order to construct a new rapid transit line along the corridor. The line was expected to be completed within two years.<ref name=netransit /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/38297699/the_boston_globe/ |title=MBTA Buys Old Colony Line For a South Shore Express |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=July 29, 1965 |first=Robert |last=Carr |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> On August 26, 1965, the Cambridge–Dorchester line was renamed as the Red Line as part of a rebranding by the [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] (MBTA), which had taken over the system in 1964.<ref name=netransit />

In 1967, the MBTA began a station modernization program; modifications to Columbia took place in 1970.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/annualreportmas1970mass_0/page/n11 |title=Sixth Annual Report |year=1970 |pages=12, 18 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> A southward extension made the platform long enough for six-car trains (which were not run until 1987).<ref name=netransit /> The original brick headhouse was replaced with a plain concrete headhouse, which opened on February 20, 1970, and the platform waiting room was removed.<ref name=nycsubway /><ref name=chronicle /> The footbridge was also replaced.<ref name=nycsubway>{{cite web |url=http://world.nycsubway.org/us/boston/red.html |title=MBTA Red Line |publisher=nycsubway.org |last=O'Regan |first=Gerry |year=2005 |access-date=February 23, 2020}}</ref> The South Shore Branch (later the Braintree Branch) opened in 1971. Trains used two new tracks on the east side of Columbia; they did not stop in order to speed travel time between Quincy and Boston.<ref name=netransit />

====1980s====
The Columbia Point Development opened to the southeast of the station in 1954; residents of the housing development secured the 1962 closure of the city dump, which opened the peninsula to development. Ridership at Columbia station grew quickly despite the MBTA's refusal to have the South Shore Branch stop.<ref name=redlinebook />{{rp|80}} Three major developments opening on Columbia Point in the 1970s—the [[University of Massachusetts, Boston|UMass Boston]] campus in 1974, the [[John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum]] in 1979, and the [[Bayside Expo Center]]—increased the importance of the station.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43923589/the_boston_globe/ |title=Planned Red Line stop expected to give easier access to UMass area |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=September 27, 1986 |first=M.E. |last=Malone |page=18 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref><ref name=redlinebook />{{rp|80}} On December 2, 1982, the station was renamed as '''JFK/UMass''' after the campus and library.<ref name=netransit /><ref name=chronicle>{{cite book |url=http://web.mit.edu/cron/project/uncertainty/Dowd_Data/Baum_Snow/boston-history.txt |title=A Chronicle of the Boston Transit System |year=1992 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |via=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |last=Sanborn |first=George M. |access-date=2019-10-30 |archive-date=2019-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127202604/http://web.mit.edu/cron/project/uncertainty/Dowd_Data/Baum_Snow/boston-history.txt |url-status=dead }}</ref> Columbia was re-added as a secondary name in 1985 as part of a series of station name changes.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54291295/the-boston-globe/ |title=T board votes to change the names of some stations |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=July 27, 1985 |first=Douglas S. |last=Crocket |page=26 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> Repairs to the Columbia Road bridge closed the north entrance from early 1982 until January 10, 1983.<ref name=chronicle />

[[File:JFK UMass station viewed from commuter rail platform, April 2016.JPG|thumb|right|The Braintree Branch platform and the overhead waiting room (left) opened in 1988, while the commuter platform (right) opened in 2001]]
In January 1980, the MBTA indicated that a $1 million renovation of the station, including a second platform, would be completed in 1982.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43964028/the_boston_globe/ |title=A Better Day for Columbia Point / 'New' Columbia Point |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=January 26, 1980 |first=Ray |last=Richard |pages=1, 12 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> However, the project proved controversial; residents near [[Savin Hill station]] instead wanted a flyover there so that Braintree Branch trains would stop at both Savin Hill and JFK/UMass. State officials insisted that the flyover would be significantly more expensive than the second platform, and that five times as many South Shore riders were riding to JFK/UMass as to Savin Hill.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44222783/the_boston_globe/ |title=MBTA board approves contract for new North Station trestle |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=June 28, 1984 |page=27 |first=Douglas S. |last=Crocket |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44222874/the_boston_globe/ |title=MBTA says Savin Hill sign was removed as 'hazardous' |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=May 19, 1984 |first=Douglas S. |last=Crocket |pages=17, 20 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

The MBTA awarded a $13.5 million construction contract on February 4, 1987, and work began that June.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe/130806622/ |title=Construction starts on platform for Braintree at JFK-UMass station |first=Peter J. |last=Howe Globe Staff |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=June 7, 1987 |page=34 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> A groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 16.<ref name=chronicle /><ref name=redlinebook /> A large waiting room and fare control lobby was built over the center of the platforms, with footbridges to Sydney Street on the west and a new busway on the east. The 1970s Columbia Road entrance became exit-only; an adjacent footbridge to the lobby was added. The south footbridge was modified with a connection to the new platform, and became exit-only. The east part of the footbridge was removed and an employee building constructed in its place.<ref name=nycsubway /> The platform for the Braintree Branch opened on December 14, 1988, allowing all Red Line trains to stop at the renovated station.<ref name="netransit">{{NETransit}}</ref><ref name=redlinebook /> The renovation included elevators to both platforms, making the station [[accessible]].<ref name=2007doc>{{cite web |url=https://old.mbta.com/uploadedFiles/Accessibility/final%20report%20082407%20on%20CD.pdf |title=Evaluation of MBTA Paratransit and Accessible Fixed Route Transit Services: Final Report |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |author=Tran Systems and Planners Collaborative |date=August 24, 2007}}</ref><ref name=bluebook1990>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/ridershipservice990mass |edition=3 |title=Ridership and Service Statistics |date=November 1990 |pages=1–4 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |author=Operations Directorate Planning Division |via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref name=dec1988>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44222831/the_boston_globe/ |title=New JFK/UMass T station opens |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=December 15, 1988 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>

====2000s====
[[Commuter rail]] service on the Middleborough/Lakeville and Plymouth/Kingston lines was restored in September 1997.<ref name=netransit /> The MBTA initially did not plan to include a stop at JFK/UMass; not until November 1996 did the agency agree to build the platform.<ref name=bypass>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44840152/the_boston_globe/ |title=T trains bypass new JFK stop |newspaper=The Boston Globe City Weekly |first=Ric |last=Kahn |date=July 1, 2001 |pages=1, 9 |via=Newspapers.com}} ([https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44840494/the_boston_globe/ second page], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44840513/the_boston_globe/ third page]) {{open access}}</ref> Construction began in 2000, and trains began stopping on April 30, 2001.<ref name=netransit /><ref name=bypass /> This was the first time that mainline commuter trains stopped at the station since 1927. Several rush-hour Greenbush Line trains began to stop concurrent with that line's restoration in 2007.<ref name=netransit /> Not all commuter trains on the line stopped at JFK/UMass, however, because the station is in a single-tracked bottleneck section of the otherwise double-tracked route. All weekend trains, however, stopped at the station prior to July 2025 due to the more limited weekend schedule.<ref name=jan2012plan>{{cite report |hdl=2452/119128 |title=Improving the Southwest Expressway: A Conceptual Plan |author=Central Transportation Planning Staff |publisher=Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization |date=January 2012}}</ref><ref name="MBTAScheduleJuly2025">{{cite web |url=https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/media/route_pdfs/2025-07-21-braintree-south-station-line-spring-summer-schedulee_3.pdf |title=Braintree – South Station Line Spring/Summer Schedule |date=July 21, 2025 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=https://news.keolisna.com/mbta-and-keolis-announce-commuter-rail-schedule-adjustments |title=MBTA and Keolis Announce Commuter Rail Schedule Adjustments |date=July 9, 2025 |publisher=Keolis Commuter Services |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250710054146/https://news.keolisna.com/mbta-and-keolis-announce-commuter-rail-schedule-adjustments |archive-date=July 10, 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Closed south stairs at JFK UMass station, December 2022.jpg|thumb|left|Closed south stairs in December 2022]]
JFK/UMass station was a proposed stop on the MBTA's planned [[Urban Ring Project (MBTA)|Urban Ring Project]].<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708181035/https://www.commentmgr.com/projects/1169/docs/URnews0105c.pdf |archive-date=July 8, 2011 |url=https://www.commentmgr.com/projects/1169/docs/URnews0105c.pdf |title=Urban Ring Phase 2 FACT SHEET |date=January 2009 |publisher=Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation}}</ref> The Urban Ring was to be a [[bus rapid transit]] (BRT) line designed to connect the current MBTA lines to reduce strain on the downtown stations. Under 2008 plans, the Urban Ring would access the station via Columbia Road, with a one-bay dedicated BRT platform in the existing busway.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/theurbanring/downloads/Plan_Profile_Drawings.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728112411/http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/theurbanring/downloads/Plan_Profile_Drawings.pdf |archive-date=July 28, 2013 |title=Conceptual alignments, profiles, station locations, and typical sections |work=The Urban Ring Phase 2: Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report/Statement |publisher=Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation |date=November 2008 |access-date=19 July 2011}}</ref> The project was cancelled in January 2010.<ref>{{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}}</ref> In 2012 and 2013, the MBTA installed over 50 security cameras in the station—in addition to over ten already present—in response to an increase of crime in nearby areas.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/uncategorized/noprimarytagmatch/2013/01/30/mbta-installs-50-surveillance-cameras-at-jfkumass-red-line-stop-to-fight-crime-in-area |title=MBTA installs 50 surveillance cameras at JFK/UMass Red Line stop to fight crime in area |newspaper=The Boston Globe |last=Feathers |first=Todd |date=January 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217062520/https://www.boston.com/uncategorized/noprimarytagmatch/2013/01/30/mbta-installs-50-surveillance-cameras-at-jfkumass-red-line-stop-to-fight-crime-in-area |archive-date=February 17, 2020}}</ref> Improvements to the station were proposed in 2014 as part of the city's [[Boston bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics|bid for the 2024 Olympics]], which was withdrawn in 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/01/10/devil-details-transportation-projects/UsoQd8f7gXQp6JW0BJcleI/story.html |title=Revenue to dictate difficult choices on Olympic transit projects |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=January 10, 2015 |first1=Michael |last1=Levenson |first2=Nicole |last2=Dungca |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814035047/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/01/10/devil-details-transportation-projects/UsoQd8f7gXQp6JW0BJcleI/story.html |archive-date=August 14, 2015}}</ref>

On June 11, 2019, a Red Line train derailed just north of JFK/UMass station due to a broken axle, damaging three sheds of signal equipment that control the nearby Columbia Junction.<ref>{{cite news |last=Buell |first=Spencer|date=September 16, 2019 |title=At Long Last, We Know What Caused the Red Line Derailment |work=Boston Magazine |publisher=Metrocorp |url=https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2019/09/16/red-line-derailment-report/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001234706/https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2019/09/16/red-line-derailment-report/ |archive-date=October 1, 2019}}</ref><ref name=2019accelerate /> The Red Line was limited to 10 trains per hour (instead of the usual 13–14) for three months while repairs were made.<ref name=2019accelerate>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2019-06-21/plans-accelerate-red-line-signal-repairs |title=Plans to Accelerate Red Line Signal Repairs |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |date=June 21, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/06/21/step-pace-red-line-signal-repairs/yGTeOs234uGab9gdcni6EJ/story.html |title=T says Red Line reduced schedule to last through summer |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=June 21, 2019 |first1=Matt |last1=Stout |first2=Diamond Naga |last2=Siu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719074100/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/06/21/step-pace-red-line-signal-repairs/yGTeOs234uGab9gdcni6EJ/story.html |archive-date=July 19, 2019}}</ref> Full service resumed on September 25, 2019.<ref name=restored>{{cite press release |url=https://mbta.com/news/2019-09-25/completion-red-line-signal-repairs |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |date=September 25, 2019 |title=Completion of Red Line Signal Repairs}}</ref>

Structural deterioration affected the station entrances in the early 2020s. On January 29, 2020, the stairs between Columbia Road and the east side of the station were taken out of service for repairs.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301044521/https://mbta.com/alerts/commuter-rail |title=Alerts: Commuter Rail |url=https://mbta.com/alerts/commuter-rail |archive-date=March 1, 2020 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |date=January 29, 2020}}</ref> [[Boston University]] professor David K. Jones was killed when he fell through a missing section of the still-closed stairs (owned by the [[Department of Conservation and Recreation]]) on September 11, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fortier |first=Marc |date=September 13, 2021 |title=BU Professor Dies After Apparent Fall From Stairs Near MBTA Station in Boston |url=https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/man-dies-after-apparent-fall-from-stairs-near-mbta-station-in-boston/2490466/ |access-date=September 14, 2021 |website=[[WBTS-CD|NBC Boston]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914192506/https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/man-dies-after-apparent-fall-from-stairs-near-mbta-station-in-boston/2490466/ |archive-date=September 14, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://mass.streetsblog.org/2021/09/14/bu-professor-dies-on-crumbling-dcr-staircase-in-dorchester/ |title=BU Professor Dies On Crumbling DCR Staircase In Dorchester |newspaper=Streetsblog Massachusetts |date=September 14, 2021 |first=Christian |last=MilNeil |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915014718/https://mass.streetsblog.org/2021/09/14/bu-professor-dies-on-crumbling-dcr-staircase-in-dorchester/ |archive-date=September 15, 2021}}</ref> The stairs from the east footbridge to the busway were closed from May to September 2022, and the southern stairs to Sydney Street were indefinitely closed in mid-2022.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dotnews.com/2022/mbta-stairs-jfkumass-shut-down-fixes-are-priority |title=MBTA stairs at JFK/UMass shut down, fixes are a 'priority' |newspaper=Dorchester Reporter |date=June 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625204016/https://www.dotnews.com/2022/mbta-stairs-jfkumass-shut-down-fixes-are-priority |archive-date=June 25, 2022 |first=Gintautas |last=Dumcius}}</ref><ref name=nov2022>{{cite news |url=https://www.dotnews.com/2022/citing-critical-structural-finding-mbta-closes-columbia-rd-entrance |title=Citing 'critical structural finding,' MBTA closes Columbia Rd. entrance to JFK/UMass station |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122194721/https://www.dotnews.com/2022/citing-critical-structural-finding-mbta-closes-columbia-rd-entrance |archive-date=November 22, 2022 |newspaper=Dorchester Reporter |first=Gintautas |last=Dumcius}}</ref> In November 2022, the MBTA closed the Columbia Road entrance, with repairs initially expected to take at least a month.<ref name=nov2022 /> Part of the Red Line was closed for a weekend in January 2023 to accommodate repairs.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2023-01-02/upcoming-weekend-service-changes-orange-green-red-lines-january |title=Upcoming Weekend Service Changes on Orange, Green, Red Lines in January |date=January 2, 2023 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> The Columbia Road entrance reopened that month.<ref>{{cite news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110193231/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/01/10/metro/pedestrian-entrance-jfkumass-stop-set-reopen-by-end-week-mbta-says/ |archive-date=January 10, 2023 |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/01/10/metro/pedestrian-entrance-jfkumass-stop-set-reopen-by-end-week-mbta-says/ |title=Pedestrian entrance at JFK/UMass stop set to reopen by the end of the week, MBTA says |date=January 10, 2023 |first=Kate |last=Armanini}}</ref>

The MBTA included $2.3 million in its draft fiscal year 2024–2028 capital plan for a planning study to redesign the station.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dumcius |first=Gintautas |date=March 29, 2023 |title=T finally adds JFK/UMass upgrade to list of projects |work=Dorchester Reporter |url=https://www.dotnews.com/2023/t-finally-adds-jfkumass-upgrade-list-projects |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329155557/https://www.dotnews.com/2023/t-finally-adds-jfkumass-upgrade-list-projects |archive-date=March 29, 2023}}</ref> Buses replaced service on the Ashmont Branch from October 14–29, 2023, to allow for track work.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mbta.com/news/2023-08-24/mbta-expedite-critical-track-work-between-jfkumass-and-ashmont-stations-and-the |title=MBTA to Expedite Critical Track Work Between JFK/UMass and Ashmont Stations and on the Mattapan Line, Shuttle Buses to Replace Service on Ashmont Branch and Mattapan Line October 14–29 |date=August 24, 2023 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref> Repairs and repainting of the Red Line platforms at JFK/UMass station was also performed during the closure.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dumcius |first=Gintautas |date=September 13, 2023 |title=T chief, top aide tour JFK/UMass Station as Oct. shutdown looms |newspaper=Dorchester Reporter |url=https://www.dotnews.com/2023/t-chief-top-aide-tour-jfkumass-station-oct-shutdown-looms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230914132413/https://www.dotnews.com/2023/t-chief-top-aide-tour-jfkumass-station-oct-shutdown-looms |archive-date=September 14, 2023}}</ref> In November 2024, the MBTA applied for a $99 million federal grant to fund half of a renovation of the station.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dotnews.com/2024/t-asking-federal-help-new-savin-hill-bridge |title=MBTA seeks federal help to fund a new Savin Hill Bridge |first=Seth |last=Daniel |date=November 13, 2024 |newspaper=Dorchester Reporter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241114225552/https://www.dotnews.com/2024/t-asking-federal-help-new-savin-hill-bridge |archive-date=November 14, 2024}}</ref> In January 2025, the [[United States Department of Transportation|U.S. Department of Transportation]] did not approve the MBTA's petition but did award a $2 million grant for planning and design work at the station.<ref>{{cite news |title=MBTA gets $2M federal grant for JFK-UMass station redesign |date=January 15, 2025 |work=Dorchester Reporter |url=https://www.dotnews.com/2025/mbta-gets-2m-federal-grant-jfk-umass-station-redesign |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250116172835/https://www.dotnews.com/2025/mbta-gets-2m-federal-grant-jfk-umass-station-redesign |archive-date=January 16, 2025}}</ref>

Off-peak and weekend commuter rail trains no longer stop at JFK/UMass effective July 21, 2025, leaving only peak-hour peak-direction stops. The change was intended to improve reliability on the lines, which had been lowered after the [[South Coast Rail]] extension opened.<ref name="MBTAScheduleJuly2025" />

{{clear left}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://www.mbta.com/stops/place-jfk MBTA - JFK/UMass]
*Google Maps Street View: [https://www.google.com/maps/@42.321421,-71.0525774,3a,90y,178.56h,81.85t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sa_tofCVHQkLk3pjozfd1Ig!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 Columbia Road entrance], [https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3201856,-71.0534514,3a,75y,46.8h,87.62t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKHIWLQba-SgUFTepJWN29g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 Sydney Street entrance], [https://www.google.com/maps/@42.319536,-71.0529148,3a,75y,52.34h,87.2t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sOLZ2TKsuhavsXPwohK9uXw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 Sydney Street exit], [https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3207338,-71.0513758,3a,60y,284.7h,89.53t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sRVcuUt6p0moP8Y7x5Z2Wpw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 east plaza]

{{MBTA Subway Stations}}
{{University of Massachusetts Boston}}

[[Category:Dorchester, Boston]]
[[Category:Red Line (MBTA) stations]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Boston]]
[[Category:MBTA Commuter Rail stations in Boston]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1927]]
[[Category:Former Old Colony Railroad stations]]
[[Category:1927 establishments in Massachusetts]]

Vero - Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

JFK/UMass station