Newton Official Pushes For Upgrades To Additional MBTA Stations

NEWTON, MA — City Councilor-At-Large Tarik Lucas expressed his desire for two Newton MBTA Commuter Rail stations to receive upgrades similar to the ones previously announced at Newtonville Station in November.

The $50 million Newtonville project was announced by Gov. Maura Healey at City Hall, and is slated to begin construction in 2026. Notable upgrades include two new elevators, two fully accessible high-level platforms, benches, canopies, bicycle racks, informational signage, CCTV cameras, and overall track, signal, and lighting updates.

Lucas said that while he is grateful for the commitment made to repair Newtonville Station, he expressed his desire to see two other stations in the city receive the same treatment.
“It still leaves the West Newton and Auburndale train stations in their current status as non-ADA compliant with a single sided platform,” Lucas said. “In order to better serve Newton residents and the other communities along the Worcester line, the MBTA and state officials need to prioritize funding for the other Newton stations as well.”

He added that he looks forward to taking part in the project’s design phase despite his dissatisfaction with the state of the other two stations. The design phase is scheduled to be completed in 2025.