River Works (MBTA station)

RIVER WORKS
Inbound platform at River Works in April 2015
Location	1000 Western Avenue Lynn, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°27′N 70°58′W / 42.45°N 70.97°W / 42.45; -70.97Coordinates: 42°27′N 70°58′W / 42.45°N 70.97°W / 42.45; -70.97
Owned by	MBTA
Line(s)	Newburyport/Rockport Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Other information
Fare zone	2
History
Opened	September 9, 1965[1]
Previous names	G.E. Works (until ca. 1980)[2]
Traffic
Passengers (2013)	56 (daily inbound average)[3]
Services
Preceding station   MBTA   Following station Chelsea toward North Station Newburyport/Rockport Line Lynn toward Newburyport or Rockport

River Works (sometimes written Riverworks) is a passenger rail station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Newburyport/Rockport Line, located in West Lynn, Massachusetts. The station is only open to General Electric Aviation employees who work at the River Works plant.^[4] Trains only stop at River Works on weekdays. It is served by inbound trains in the morning and outbound trains in the evening for commuting plant workers, as well as trains in the opposite directions for reverse commuting workers.^[5]

River Works station is proposed to be opened to the public, made handicapped-accessible, and renamed to Lynnport as part of plans for a development on adjacent land. As of November 2016, the upgrades and opening are still under negotiation.^[6]

History

Aerial view of part of the River Works property in July 2016 with the station at bottom center

The station opened as G.E. Works on September 9, 1965 to serve workers of the plant, which had opened early in the century and been substantially expanded during World War II.^[1] The name was changed to River Works in the late 1970s. It did not appear on maps until the MBTA bought the northside commuter lines in 1976, and was listed only as a footnote on public timetables until January 1989.^[2][1]

River Works station has two bare concrete platforms with bus shelters to serve the line's two tracks; it is not handicapped accessible. The River Works plant formerly shipped large products like electrical transformers by rail; the two-track main line was flanked with running tracks which connected sidings serving the plant.^[2] The platforms are located on the outside of these former tracks; making the station accessible would require building platforms which would preclude future freight rail access.

Proposed changes

The land east of the station was formerly home to General Electric's Gear Plant, which closed in 2011. Four years prior to the closure, the city upzoned the 77-acre (31 ha) site to allow buildings up to 20 stories high in hopes of attracting new commercial development.^[7] In July 2014, a developer reached an agreement with GE to buy 65.5 acres (26.5 ha) of the site. The developer, Charles Patsios, indicated that he planned to leave an easement for public access to the station.^[7]

Patsios bought the site in October 2014 and opened discussions with MBTA officials about opening River Works station for public use.^[8] GE granted the required easement after Patsios purchased the property.^[9] He intended to finalize plans for the station—which he planned to rename as Lynnport—by the end of 2015, pending the resolution of several potential blockers. To open the station to the public, it would have to be made handicapped accessible, with high-level platforms constructed and the tracks relocated. The state is hesitant to pay for such upgrades without proven ridership. Additionally, GE would require security considerations before approving the public opening.^[10] The station may only be opened to residents of the planned development, rather than to the public at large. As of November 2016, the upgrades and opening are still under negotiation.^[6]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to River Works (MBTA station).

• MBTA - River Works
• Newburyport/Rockport Line schedule

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
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Other services	Boat The Ride
Component parts of system lines	Boylston Street Subway      Haymarket North Extension      Lechmere Viaduct      Tremont Street Subway
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History	Predecessor companies Boston Elevated Railway Streetcar lines Boston and Maine Railroad Conrail New York Central Railroad New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Penn Central Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Middlesex and Boston Street Railway Newton and Boston Street Railway Accidents and incidents      1990 Back Bay      2008 Waban/Woodland
Other	Accessibility Arts on the Line Bicycling CharlieCard Grand Junction Railroad "Charlie on the M.T.A." Nomenclature Police                Winter Street Concourse Yards and maintenance facilities