History
Orient Heights, along with much of the Blue Line, is built along the right-of-way of the narrow gauge Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn Railroad, which ran from 1875 to 1940. The BRB&L operated an Orient Heights station, located at the intersection of Bennington and Saratoga Street, which served as a transfer point between the main line and the Winthrop loop. The narrow gauge was abandoned in 1940, and the M.T.A. (predecessor to the MBTA) acquired the right-of-way.
The East Boston Tunnel route (renamed as the Blue Line in 1967) was extended along the former line, with construction beginning in 1950. Orient Heights station opened on January 5, 1952, along with Day Square station (later renamed Wood Island) and Airport Station. The station was the terminus of the line until April 21, 1952, when Suffolk Downs station opened. Until September 1972, some trains terminated at Orient Heights rather than Wonderland to provide more frequent service on the inner part of the line. During construction and track work on the outer section of the line, Orient Heights is sometimes used as the terminus, as its busways can accommodate the replacement bus service.
Until 2012, Orient Heights was the only Blue Line station in East Boston that had not yet been fully rebuilt (since its 1952 opening) for better accessibility. (The only others on the line are Government Center and Bowdoin, both in Boston proper). Due to this distinction, until then it was the last remaining station in the MBTA that still had a 1967-1969 system map, which showed the Charlestown and Washington Street Elevateds on the Orange Line and the Green Line "A" Branch The station was literally falling apart, with the sagging platforms held up by 2x4s.
On October 5, 2011, the MBTA announced a $51 million ground-up rebuild of the station. The reconstruction of the crumbling station, which will require closing the station for nearly 7 months in 2013 or 2014, is expected to be paid for mostly by the Federal Transit Administration. The 6-month station closure will begin in March 2013.
Construction began in earnest in 2012 with the demolition of much of the 1952 station and the erection of temporary platforms. The inbound elevator shaft was built in November 2012.
Read more about this topic: Orient Heights (MBTA Station)
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