Cleveland Circle station

Cleveland Circle station is a Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) Green Line light rail station located in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston, at Cleveland Circle. It is the western terminal of the C branch of the Green Line. Cleveland Circle station is accessible, with raised platforms to accommodate low-floor light rail vehicles.

Cleveland Circle
An inbound train at Cleveland Circle in 2024
General information
Location	Beacon Street at Chestnut Hill Avenue Brighton, Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°20′10.4″N 71°8′56.4″W
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	MBTA bus (at Reservoir): 51, 86
Construction
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	1889
Passengers
2011	1,457 (daily average)[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Terminus Green Line C branch Englewood Avenue toward Government Center
Location

History

PCC streetcars at Cleveland Circle in 1951

The Beacon Street line opened in 1889; most streetcars ran through Cleveland Circle to Lake Street after 1896, with some terminating at the Chestnut Hill Carhouse (renamed Reservoir Carhouse around 1900). A waiting room was originally located in a leased building at the southeast corner of Cleveland Circle; it was heavily damaged by fire on December 10, 1897, and the West End Street Railway allowed the property to revert to the owner.^[2]

In 1915, the route was cut back to Reservoir, at the Reservoir Carhouse. Around 1947, the terminus was redesignated Cleveland Circle after the adjacent traffic circle, to differentiate it from the nearby commuter rail station – which, twelve years later, would become a streetcar station itself. Although Cleveland Circle is no longer a traffic circle, the station retains its name.

In the early 2000s, the MBTA modified key surface stops with raised platforms for accessibility. Portable lifts were installed at Cleveland Circle around 2000 as a temporary measure.^[3][4] The platform modifications - part of a $32 million modification of thirteen B, C, and E branch stations - were completed around 2003.^[5][6] On May 2, 2007, the MBTA added a wooden mini-high platform on the outbound side, allowing level deboarding from older Type 7 LRVs. These platforms were installed at eight Green Line stations in 2006–07 as part of the settlement of Joanne Daniels-Finegold, et al. v. MBTA.^[7][8] The ramp was removed in July 2020 during a track reconstruction project.^[9]

In February 2024, the MBTA indicated long-term plans to replace the existing platforms with a longer island platform extending east across Ayr Road.^[10]

References

1. "Ridership and Service Statistics" (PDF) (14th ed.). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2014.
2. Inventory of the West End Street Railway Company. West End Street Railway Company. 1897. p. 180.
3. "Executive Summary" (PDF). Program of Mass Transportation. Boston Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization. January 2004. p. 2-9. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2012.
4. "Subway Map" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 1, 2001.
5. "Subway Service". Ridership and Service Statistics. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. October 2003. p. 2.19 – via Internet Archive.
6. "Planned Accessibility Projects - On Board the Green Line". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on August 10, 2004.
7. "Settlement Agreement" (PDF). Joanne Daniels-Finegold et al. v. MBTA. April 10, 2006. pp. 10–11.
8. "Green Line Stations Upgraded to Improve Accessibility" (PDF). TRANSReport. Boston Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization. June 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2011.
9. "Building a Better T: Green Line C Branch Track Improvements and Intersection Upgrades Accelerated, Kenmore – Cleveland Circle Work Begins Evening of July 5" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 24, 2020.
10. "Green Line C Branch Accessibility Upgrades" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. February 15, 2024.

External links

Media related to Cleveland Circle station at Wikimedia Commons

• MBTA - Cleveland Circle
• Cleveland Circle Station from Google Maps Street View