Federal Budget Includes $7M To Overhaul Newton Commuter Rail Stations

NEWTON, MA — Efforts to implement a series of accessibility upgrades at Newton Commuter Rail stations got a financial boost late last month in the form of a $7 million earmark in the 2023 federal budget.

Just days after hearing they had missed out on a much larger batch of federal grant money for the project, though, officials were still left with major work ahead to secure more funding for what Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and others have long identified as an important project for area commuters.

“These new stations will be a game changer for commuters living or working in Newton, improving frequency, accessibility and reliability on this crucial line that connects Worcester with Boston and may even extend to the Berkshires,” Fuller said in a statement before federal lawmakers finalized their budget.

Fuller continued, calling the situation with federal grant money “disappointing news.” She described recent developments on the topic as a “particular blow” to people with physical disabilities who can’t currently access Newton Commuter Rail stations.

Envisioned upgrades aim to bring Newton’s Auburndale, West Newton and Newtonville stations on the MBTA’s Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail line into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act through a combination of ramps, stairs and elevators, as described in U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss’ request for federal funding for the project. Currently, the stations are only accessible by stairs.

Plans at the Newton stations would add new two-sided, high-level boarding platforms in place of what are currently ground-level platforms abutting only one direction of train tracks. This design format, officials have said, would allow more frequent service through the stations thanks to more efficient boarding.

Planned upgrades, which have been in the works for several years, additionally call for new benches, canopies and bike storage, among other things.

A former Newton city councilor, Auchincloss said this week that Newton station improvements are crucial to long-envisioned efforts to expand Massachusetts’ regional train network. Just under a month prior, he separately described Newton stations as a “bottleneck” on the Framingham/Worcester line in comments to the State House News Service.

Station work, Auchincloss told Patch, also dovetails with efforts to expand housing options in Newton.

The city is subject to new state guidelines for communities serviced by the MBTA aimed at expanding multifamily housing options. Such developments are coming to Newton, with the City Council this week approving a 50-unit project on Washington Street, as reported by the Boston Globe. New housing concepts apply pressure for local transit improvements, according to Auchincloss.

“That mixed-use, transit-oriented development requires better Commuter Rail,” Auchincloss said.

The MBTA has funded the design process for Newton Commuter Rail station improvements.

A T spokesperson said this week that the agency “continues to make good progress” on designs, anticipating that designs will be completed next fall.

The upcoming project itself is expected to cost $170 million, according to Fuller. Federal money exists through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that could pay up to $132 million in project costs, Fuller said. To date, though, local upgrades have missed the cut on key federal grants.

Auchincloss said he has talked to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg about the availability of federal funding.

“He made clear that states applying for federal grants are in a more competitive position when they put state money forward,” Auchincloss said.

Massachusetts legislators included an $85 million bond authorization for Newton Commuter Rail upgrades in a state transportation bond bill signed into law in August of last year.

But that money wasn’t put into a 2023-2027 capital investment plan from the MBTA that the T released in May, months before the transportation bond bill reached then-Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk.

The T’s plan acknowledged requests from the public for full construction funding for Commuter Rail station upgrades. It ultimately only included $8 million in design phase money, though.

MBTA spokesperson Lisa Battiston didn’t directly address a question about the $85 million bond authorization in a statement about the status of Newton Commuter Rail station upgrades this week.

“With many important MBTA infrastructure projects competing for limited sources of capital funds, it is the MBTA’s intention to explore additional funding options for this project in order for construction to occur,” she said.

Having criticized the MBTA’s approach to Newton's Commuter Rail project in the past, Auchincloss said again this week that he sees an opportunity for more urgent state action as recently elected Gov. Maura Healey begins her administration and oversees a major transition in state transit leadership.

He noted work so far on Commuter Rail accessibility by State Rep. Kay Khan and State Sen. Cindy Creem, adding that he expects the state to put money forward — either through budget allocations or through a future MBTA capital improvement plan — to bolster the push for federal dollars.

Fuller said she will work with Auchincloss, state legislators and city councilors to reapply for federal grant funding. Commuter Rail upgrades, Fuller said, are her top priority for state financial support as Healey takes the helm.

Auchincloss said he will continue to work, in kind, working to secure funding at the federal level.

"I like to finish what I started," he said.