North Shore Commuter Station Closure To Affect Salem, Swampscott Stops

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Those who board the Commuter Rail at the Swampscott and Salem stops could be in for some extra company starting later this month when the MBTA closes the Lynn stop for renovations.

The MBTA said the closing is indefinite and is part of the $74 million Lynn Commuter Rail Station Improvements Project. The MBTA will hold a virtual public meeting to discuss further details of the station closing on Aug. 3 with details available here.

"I want to thank our Lynn riders for their understanding while we accomplish these upgrades at the station and the Lynn community for their patience as we make these critical investments," MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said. "We'll be taking full advantage of this station closure by also making many upgrades and improvements at Lynn, like new elevators for improved accessibility and a new platform for better passenger flow."

While the MBTA outlined several bus and subway alternatives for typical Lynn boarders, one of them is the Swampscott station, which MBTA officials note is about 1.5 miles (or ideally a five-minute drive) from the Lynn station.

"Riders should not that Swampscott is a Zone 3 station," the MBTA noted, meaning it will cost more to travel into North Station from Swampscott than it would from Lynn.

The Salem station, which provides substantially more parking, is about five miles away from the Lynn station.

The parking garage at the Lynn station will be demolished as part of the renovation but will remain open until Spring 2023.

Originally scheduled to begin in spring 2023, the Lynn Commuter Rail station closure is being advanced to July 25 to address concerns about deteriorating conditions of the station and associated infrastructure, and to accelerate the station rehabilitation project.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)