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Light rail station in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US

Lechmere station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line light rail station in Lechmere Square in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is located on the east side of Monsignor O'Brien Highway near First Street, adjacent to the NorthPoint development. The accessible elevated station has a single island platform, with headhouses at both ends. It opened on March 21, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX). Lechmere station is served by Green Line D branch and E branch service. The first transit in East Cambridge was a station on the Boston and Lowell Railroad, which served the neighborhood from the mid 19th century to 1927. Horsecar service through Lechmere Square began around 1861, using the Craigie Bridge to reach Boston, and was electrified in the 1890s. The Lechmere Viaduct was opened in 1912 with an incline to Lechmere Square, allowing streetcars from lines on Cambridge Street and Bridge Street to reach the Tremont Street subway. In 1922, the Boston Elevated Railway opened a prepayment transfer station at Lechmere, separating the surface streetcars from the subway routes. This surface station had a loop for subway cars, with cross platform transfers to the surface routes, and a small yard inside the loop. The surface streetcars were replaced by trolleybuses and later diesel buses in the 1930s to 1960s, while the subway routes became the Green Line in 1965. Extensions northwest from Lechmere station were first proposed in the 1920s, though planning did not begin until the early 21st century. A new elevated Lechmere station was to be built as part of the NorthPoint development, but it was instead added to GLX planning in 2007. The MBTA agreed in 2012 to open the station by 2017, and a construction contract was awarded in 2013. Cost increases triggered a wholesale reevaluation of the GLX project in 2015. A scaled down station design was released in 2016, with a design and construction contract issued in 2017. The surface station was closed on May 24, 2020, for Green Line Extension construction; the busways at the old station remained open as a transfer point between MBTA bus routes and Lechmere– shuttle buses until the new station opened.

Lechmere station is located on the east side of O'Brien Highway at Lechmere Square, adjacent to the North Point development. The two track Green Line viaduct runs approximately southeast–northwest through the station area. The station has a single curved island platform, long and wide, located over the block between East Street and North First Street. A canopy covers the full length of the platform; it is two spans wide, rather than the single span used on the narrower platforms at the other GLX stations. Headhouses are located north of North First Street and south of East Street. The north headhouse has two elevators and stairs to the platform; the south headhouse has one elevator and stairs.

The Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L) opened between its namesake cities in 1835. Passenger service initially ran express between the two cities, but local stops were soon added. One of the first was East Cambridge The Lechmere Square proposal included taking of land by eminent domain. The city of Cambridge objected to the design, particularly the construction of a loop track on Third Street. The PUC approved the proposal in November 1921, but the city sought an injunction to prevent construction of the Third Street track. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld the BERy's position, allowing construction of the track, in May 1922 – by which time the construction of the rest of the terminal was already well underway. The station occupied the triangular parcel bounded by Cambridge Street, Bridge Street, and Second Street. It had a balloon loop for subway trains (which were still made of streetcars, rather than true rapid transit cars), with cross platform transfers between streetcars and subway trains. Terminating streetcars used a pair of tracks off Cambridge Street, with a covered platform for passengers to then wait for subway trains. Streetcars then looped under the viaduct at Lechmere Square and picked up passengers using two tracks off Bridge Street, where a waiting room was located on the platform. Harvard bound streetcars ran on a single track on Gore Street and Third Street to reach Cambridge Street; streetcars arriving from Somerville used the same Third Street track to reach Lechmere station. A second loop and several storage tracks were located inside the main subway train loop. Lechmere station opened on July 10, 1922. Initial subway service to Lechmere was a shuttle service to Pleasant Street, which was intended as a temporary terminal until a more suitable western terminal could be found. Service ran with three car trains every three minutes at peak and two car trains every four minutes at other times.

On January 2, 1923, some off peak trips were extended through the Boylston Street Subway to the surface station at ; all day service began on October 10. Most trips were extended along the Beacon Street line to on December 14, 1929. The Washington Street service was cut back to Kenmore in June 1930 but resumed that September. On February 7, 1931, all regular Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street service was extended from Park Street to Lechmere, and the existing shuttle services to Lechmere were replaced with Kenmore–Park Street shuttles. In 1923, the BERy constructed a brick and steel canopy over the northbound (outbound) surface tracks. The route ran on Cambridge Street and did not enter Lechmere station. The first route ran to Lafayette Square via Cambridge and Columbia streets, with a supplemental short turn route on Cambridge Street to Webster Street operated during peak hours. The outbound surface track used by Cambridge Street cars was rebuilt and set in concrete paving to accommodate buses. A Lechmere–Arlington Center bus route was established on July 9, 1932. The Central Square route and its short turn variant were discontinued on October 14, 1933. The Harvard–Lechmere streetcar line was converted to trackless trolley (trolleybus) on April 11, 1936 – the first route in what would become an extensive trackless trolley system. However, the tracks on Cambridge Street were kept for non revenue use, as Commonwealth Avenue streetcars were stored at Bennett Street Carhouse. In 1937, part of the inbound shelter was bricked in as a waiting room. The remaining portion of the Charles River Dam tracks was removed in the late 1930s. On September 3, 1941, the BERy began paving around the remaining surface car tracks at Lechmere station. This allowed for the conversion of routes 87 and 88 to trackless trolley on November 8, 1941. The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) replaced the BERy in 1947. The Riverside Line (opened in 1959) was extended from to Lechmere on November 25, 1961; the Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street lines were cut back at all times, while the shuttle was discontinued. On May 25, 1962, the MTA abandoned non revenue tracks that connected the Canal Street Inline with Everett Shops (the agency's heavy maintenance facility) and Charlestown Neck Carhouse (where many maintenance railcars were stored). A ramp was built inside Lechmere Yard so that streetcars could be loaded onto trucks for transfer to Everett. Some work cars were also stored in Lechmere Yard. On January 2, 1983, for the first time in the station's history, trains from Huntington Avenue (the E branch) began serving Lechmere. They were extended from Park Street to Lechmere during rush hours and midday, with the D branch cut back to Government Center at those hours. The Merrimack Valley Line initially terminated at , then at after February 15, and never used the temporary terminal. – with a large tent erected next to the tracks as a waiting room – was set up just north of the bridges. Riders were bused between the temporary terminal and Lechmere station, with free fares for inbound passengers at Lechmere. All peak Lechmere service was operated as Government Center–Lechmere shuttles to handle the load. Revenue equipment was stored in Lechmere Yard beginning in December 1984. The ramp, largely disused after heavy maintenance shops at opened in 1976, was removed in the late 1980s to make room for additional storage tracks. On June 25, 2004, service between Lechmere and North Station was suspended as the Causeway Street Elevated was removed, and the surface and elevated platforms at North Station were consolidated into a new underground "superstation". A Government Center–Lechmere shuttle bus was operated. Service past North Station was replaced with North Station–Lechmere buses from April 30 to November 4, 2011, as was rebuilt. The same bus routings as the 2004–05 closure were used. However, after the station reopened, buses continued to use only the outbound busway. This routing was deemed safer by the MBTA due to the fewer turns, though it was "extremely inconvenient to inbound passengers". In 1924, the BERy indicated that Lechmere was "not fitted to be a permanent transfer station, and while being used as such must fail to satisfy", recommending an extension to a larger transfer station. The Report on Improved Transportation Facilities, published by the Boston Division of Metropolitan Planning in 1926, recommended conversion of the Tremont Street subway to Maverick Square–Warren Street, Brighton and Lechmere Square–Brigham Circle, Roxbury rapid transit routes. Among the secondary priorities was an extension from Lechmere to North Cambridge, with several possible branches; it would have run in a dedicated median in the Northern Artery from Lechmere to Winter Hill, alongside the B&M Southern Division tracks to Somerville Junction, then followed the Fitchburg Cutoff to North Cambridge. Variations on this plan were proposed several times during the 1930s, including subway extensions from or to replace the Lechmere Viaduct. In 1943, the state legislature appointed a commission headed by Arthur W. Coolidge to plan for the future of transit in the Boston region. The 1945 and 1947 reports from the Coolidge Commission recommended nine suburban rapid transit extensions – most similar to the 1926 plan – along existing railroad lines. The proposed extension from Lechmere to Woburn followed the same alignment as the 1926 plan, albeit using an extended elevated structure rather than a subway north of Lechmere. The 1962 North Terminal Area Study, claiming that the 1959 Highland Branch conversion showed that PCC streetcars were inadequate for suburban rapid transit service, recommended that the elevated Lechmere–North Station segment be abandoned. The Main Line (now the Orange Line) was to be relocated along the B&M Western Route with branches to Woburn or Arlington via the Southern Division. The 1966 Program for Mass Transportation, the MBTA's first long range plan, listed an approximately extension from Lechmere to Washington Street as an immediate priority. A second phase of the project would extend Green Line service from Washington Street to Mystic Valley Parkway (Route 16) or
In 1980, the MBTA began a study of the "Green Line Northwest Corridor" (from to Medford) with three area of focus: replacement of the Causeway Street elevated, replacement of Lechmere station, and extension beyond Lechmere. An evaluation report for the extension was published in 1981 and updated in 1984. Alternatives recommended for further evaluation included a Green Line extension to Tufts, a Green Line extension to , and a busway to Tufts and Davis.

In 1991, the state agreed to build a set of transit projects as part of the settlement of a lawsuit by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) over auto emissions from the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (Big Dig). Among these projects was a "Green Line Extension To Ball Square/Tufts University", to be complete by the end of 2011. In 1999, Guilford Transportation Industries (GTI) proposed to develop of disused railroad yards on the east side of Lechmere Square. GTI and the MBTA reached an agreement under which GTI would construct a new Lechmere station and maintenance facility – similar to the late 1980s proposal – as a precursor to the extension project. In return, GTI would receive rights to redevelop the site of the surface station. The deal between the MBTA and GTI was criticized by Cambridge officials for its secrecy, while existing residents were concerned that the relocated station would require a difficult crossing of O'Brien Highway for pedestrians from East Cambridge. After a 2005 lawsuit by the city of Somerville and the CLF, the state began planning of the Green Line Extension (GLX), including a second branch from Lechmere to By 2006, plans for the development (NorthPoint) called for a $70 million Lechmere station to open in 2010. The elevated station was to have a half cylinder glass canopy, with an office building constructed over its northern end. It would initially be named "Lechmere at NorthPoint", though the developer hoped to rename it simply "NorthPoint". In 2007, the development stalled due to disagreements between the two firms involved. With the relocated station in jeopardy, the state took over station planning and incorporated it into GLX planning. Lechmere was a proposed stop on the Urban Ring – a circumferential bus rapid transit line designed to connect the existing radial MBTA rail lines to reduce overcrowding in the downtown stations. Under draft plans released in 2008, the Urban Ring would have approached Lechmere Square from the north on a dedicated bridge over the MBTA Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility, continuing on Morgan Avenue and First Street. Platforms would have been located near Water Street under the relocated Green Line station. The project was cancelled in 2010. The draft environmental impact report (DEIR) was released in October 2009. Preliminary plans in the DEIR kept the location and arched canopy of the previous design, though without the building above. The main headhouse would be located north of First Street at the north end of the platform, with only secondary egress at the southern end. A one way southbound busway would run from Water Street to First Street, and two parking lots would replace the existing lot. The final environmental impact report was released in July 2010. Changes from the DEIR included a redesigned headhouse, a reduction in the platform length from to , fewer parking spaces, and realignment of the busway into a loop accessed from Water Street. In July 2010, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced that the project was delayed to October 2015. In November 2010, the MBTA reached an agreement with Pan Am Railways (formerly GTI) and the NorthPoint developers under which the MBTA would receive property on the east side of O'Brien Highway needed for the new Lechmere station; in return, Pan Am would receive the existing Lechmere station site for redevelopment. The agreement, which also included MBTA trackage rights on the Worcester Branch and in New Hampshire, was amended in January 2011 and finalized that March. By June 2011, the planned arched canopy over the platform and tracks had been replaced with a simpler canopy over the platform. Wind shields on the platform were added to the design later that year. An additional delay, with service beginning between late 2018 and 2020, was announced in August 2011. The City of Somerville, MassDOT, and the MBTA reached an agreement in August 2012 to open the Union Square Branch and Lechmere station by early 2017, with construction to begin in 2014. In September 2013, MassDOT awarded a $393 million (equivalent to $393.0 in 2013 is equivalent to about <calculated amount> in recent years million in ), 51 month contract for the construction of Phase 2/2A – Lechmere station, the Union Square Branch, and the first segment of the Medford Branch to Washington Street station – with the stations to open in early 2017. Updated plans presented in June 2013 replaced the secondary egress with a second headhouse south of East Street. The platform was extended back to 450 feet, and the parking was moved to the north to allow development adjacent to the station. Design of the station was completed in late 2014.

In August 2015, the MBTA disclosed that project costs had increased substantially, with Phase 2A rising from $387 million to $898 million. This triggered a wholesale re evaluation of the GLX project. In December 2015, the MBTA ended its contracts with four firms. Construction work in progress continued, but no new contracts were awarded. At that time, cancellation of the project was considered possible, as were elimination of the Union Square Branch and other cost reduction measures. In May 2016, the MassDOT and MBTA boards approved a modified project that had undergone value engineering to reduce its cost. Stations were simplified to resemble D branch surface stations rather than full rapid transit stations, with canopies, faregates, escalators, and some elevators removed. Lechmere station retained its redundant elevators due to the elevation of the platform, but escalators were removed. The platform canopy was replaced with four bus stop style shelters. In December 2016, the MBTA announced a new planned opening date of 2021 for the extension. A design build contract for the GLX was awarded in November 2017. The winning proposal included six additive options – elements removed during value engineering – including full length canopies at all stations, as well as a second elevator in the north headhouse at Lechmere. Station design advanced from 10% in March 2018 to 76% that December and to 100% in October 2019. The platform length was set at , between the previous planned lengths. Unlike the pre 2015 designs, no parking lot was included. The 21 Water Street facility was demolished in August 2014. The 369 space parking lot at Lechmere was closed on June 22, 2017, for construction preparation. A groundbreaking ceremony for the main GLX construction phase was held on June 25, 2018. Construction began in mid 2019. Work at Lechmere station started by September 2019; the concrete pillars for the viaduct were poured later that year, while installation of the beams supporting the trackways and platform began in January 2020. Installation of the beams through the station was completed in April 2020. The project required a temporary service suspension while the elevated structure to the old station was replaced with the new viaduct. The final day of service to the old station was May 23, 2020, with the final revenue trip leaving early in the morning of the 24th. Demolition of the old elevated structure began within hours. After removal of the tracks, the former yard area was repurposed for construction employee parking. The elevator towers for the north headhouse were erected in October 2020, followed by the tower for the south headhouse in November. Steelwork for the canopy, the artwork on the elevator shafts, and a signal instrument house were installed in March and April 2021. The bus loop was under construction by June 2021, with the plaza under the station nearly complete, and the canopy roof was installed that month. Train testing between for Lechmere and the Union Square Branch began in December 2021. By March 2021, the station was expected to open in October 2021. This was delayed in June 2021 to a December 2021 opening, then again in October 2021 to a March 2022 opening. On February 24, 2022, the MBTA announced that Lechmere and the Union Square Branch would open on March 21, 2022, while the Medford Branch would open in "late summer". Initial Union Square service was operated by the E branch. In August 2022, the MBTA indicated that the Medford Branch opening was delayed to November 2022. The Green Line between Union Square and Government Center was closed from August 22 to September 18, 2022; the closure allowed for final integration of the Medford Branch, elimination of a speed restriction on the Lechmere Viaduct, and other work. At the conclusion of the closure, the D branch was extended to Union Square, replacing the E. Medford Branch service began on December 12, 2022.