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QUINCY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — After 20 months of renovations and upgrades, Wollaston Station on the MBTA Red Line was reopened Friday morning with a fresh new look.
The station was closed on January 8, 2018. It was the only station on the Red Line not accessible to people with disabilities, and it no longer met other requirements for flooding and safety standards, the MBTA said—so it embarked on a $36 million project to bring it up to speed.
Changes include accessibility-related improvements like new elevators, escalators, ramps, staircases, paths to the station, and a pedestrian bridge. They also include the installation of new bathrooms, energy-efficient lighting, and fire protection and flooding mitigation features.
The station's parking lot was also rebuilt and repaved. It now costs $6 on weekdays, $3 on weekends, and $105 for a monthly pass.
MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak was on hand to greet riders.
"It's important to us that the MBTA is a service that's available to all of our customers, so reaching the goal, at least for one line, was really important," Poftak said.
Some local residents snapped photos of the sleek new station, and told WBZ NewsRadio's Kevin Coleman they are thrilled their T stop is back up and running.
One happy rider, Pam, said she was upset about the closure, but was happy the station is now accessible to people of all abilities.
"You have no idea how excited I am, because we've been waiting for a year and a half for this to get done," she said. "We didn't want it to close and it did, so here we are, and it's beautiful."
Others lamented the long wait.
"It shouldn't have taken 20 months, but it's a really wonderful station," said Monica. "The Empire State Building was built in 14 months."
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WBZ NewsRadio's Kevin Coleman (@KevinColemanWBZ) reports