Bowdoin (MBTA station)

Bowdoin (pronounced BO-din) of the MBTA, is a station on the Blue Line, serving Bowdoin Square in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood.

History

Bowdoin station opened for service on March 18, 1916, and was originally part of an old trolley line that ran under downtown Boston, connecting Beacon Hill to Maverick Square.

Current status

The station is lightly used except at rush hour, and is only open from 5:15AM to 6:30PM, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. At all other times, trains terminate and originate service at Government Center station. The tight loop just past the station is used to turn around Blue Line trains at all times, sending them back to Government Center and onwards to Wonderland, in Revere. The platform is wedge shaped, with a single entrance at the fat end, near the turnaround loop.

In 2008, the MBTA started running a mixture of 4-car and 6-car trains on the Blue Line, adding more long trains as new cars arrive from the manufacturer. Incoming 6-car trains can fit on the westbound platform where trains go out of service, but only 4-car trains can fit on the eastbound side where trains come into service after turning around. At Bowdoin only, passenger must press a "door open" button outside of the train to board a 6-car train.

Future

Bowdoin is slated to be closed once the Government Center renovation is complete, due to the short distance between the lengthened platforms. A second headhouse might be added to Government Center closer to...
Read More