Oak Grove (MBTA station)

OAK GROVE
Orange Line platform (left) and rarely used commuter rail platform (right), viewed looking northwards
Location	Washington Street at Winter Street Malden, Massachusetts
Coordinates
Owned by	MBTA
Line(s)
Platforms	1 island platform (Orange Line) 1 side platform (Commuter Rail, not in regular use)
Tracks	2 (Orange Line) 1 (Commuter Rail)
Construction
Parking	788 spaces ($6.00 fee) 13 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilities	140 spaces in "Pedal and Park" bicycle cage
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	March 20, 1977
Traffic
Passengers (2013)	6,590 (daily average boardings)
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station Malden Center toward Forest Hills Orange Line Terminus

Oak Grove is a rapid transit station on the MBTA Orange Line, located in the northern part of Malden, Massachusetts just south of the Melrose border. The northern terminus of the Orange Line, Oak Grove has a 788-space park and ride lot serving nearby residential communities. It is also served by four MBTA Bus routes and has secure cages for bicycle storage.

Oak Grove has a single platform for the Haverhill Line that passes through the station. Commuter rail trains, however, are only stopped during service disruptions on the Orange Line or the inner Haverhill Line.

Like all Orange Line stations, Oak Grove is fully handicapped accessible.

History

File:Oak Grove outbound platform entrance.JPG

Entrance to the now-closed commuter rail platform from the fare mezzanine. The sign labels it as the outbound Orange Line platform, as the inner Haverhill Line was intended to be turned into an extension of the Orange Line to Reading.

Opening and Haverhill Line platform

Oak Grove opened on March 20, 1977, as the northern terminus of the Haymarket North Extension of the Orange Line. Originally intended to run as far as Reading, displacing inner Haverhill Line service, the extension had been cut back to Oak Grove by the time the station was completed. However, a platform (sized for six-car Orange Line trains rather than lengthier commuter rail trains) was built to serve the single Haverhill Line track, for potential use should the remainder of the extension be built. In the fare mezzanine, a sign labels the platform as "Orange Line outbound". Malden Center was built with the same configuration; however, its platform is regularly used for commuter rail service.

Haverhill Line trains do not stop at Oak Grove unless the Orange Line or the Haverhill Line is disrupted between there and North Station, necessitating a transfer between modes. After the approach trestles at North Station burned on January 20, 1984, Oak Grove became the inbound terminus for the Haverhill Line. When North Station reopened on April 20, 1985, commuter trains no longer stopped at Oak Grove. Instead, most trains make a stop at Malden Center, which is closer to employment areas in downtown Malden.

Platform rehabilitation project

File:Emergency exit at Oak Grove station, April 2015.jpg

The 2014-constructed emergency exit

During 2013, the MBTA performed heavy maintenance on the Orange Line platform, which had substantially deteriorated during 36 years of operation. High-pressure water was used to strip away the top layer of concrete; a smoother top coat and new tactile platform edging were installed. The work was performed on one side of the platform at a time with no station closures.

From March 2 to June 30, 2014, the MBTA constructed an exit-only ramp on the north end of the Orange Line platform.

Bus connections

Four MBTA Bus routes serve Oak Grove station. Three routes that run on Main Street in Malden and Melrose use a dedicated busway in the parking area on the east side of the station:

• 131 Melrose Highlands - Malden Center Station via Oak Grove Station
• 136 Reading Depot - Malden Station via Wakefield, Melrose & Oak Grove Station
• 137 Reading Depot - Malden Station via North Avenue, Wakefield, Melrose & Oak Grove Station

One route runs on Washington Street on the west side of the station:

• 132 Redstone Shopping Center - Malden Station

Station layout

File:Oak Grove platform rehabilitation work, August 2013.JPG

Platform rehabilitation work in 2013

Ground	Street level	Exit/Entrance
Concourse	Lobby	Mezzanine, faregates
Platforms	Southbound	← Orange Line toward Forest Hills (Malden Center)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left
	Northbound	→ Orange Line termination track →
	Commuter rail	← Haverhill Line does not stop here except during service disruptions →
	Side platform, not in service except during service disruptions

External links

• MBTA – Oak Grove
• Washington Street entrance from Google Maps Street View