Photo: (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
LYNN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Lynn residents who lamented the closure of the dilapidated MBTA commuter rail station that shut down last fall will have to wait much, much longer for the station to reopen.
MBTA officials said it would take until 2030 to complete repairs.
Just as frustrating for local lawmakers is the lack of a temporary train platform to replace the commuter rail station. Despite the station's closure nearing its one-year anniversary on Oct. 1, the MBTA said the temporary platform isn't scheduled for completion until Sept. 2024.
"I think it’s an incredible disruption to people’s lives that depended on the commuter rail," Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson said. "It’s been almost a year that it’s been closed. I would have thought that’d be enough time to build a temporary platform, so at this point we’re just saying as soon as possible."
Senator Brendan Crighton, a former Lynn city councilor, placed blame on the Baker Administration for dragging its feet.
"Mitigation really wasn’t being discussed or taken very seriously, something we owe any community, but certainly a community where folks depend on public transit to get around," said Crighton. "Not all of our residents can afford cars."
Crighton said that new MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng is working on expediting the timeline for the temporary station.
"I’m confident they’ll do so, but as the mayor said, it’s been a year," Crighton said. "We really want this done as soon as possible for our residents, they really deserve it."
WBZ's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) reports.
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